One On One With: At Chatham University, Parkhurst Dining’s Chef Chris Galarza focuses on teaching groundbreaking sustainability at the agriculture-focused campus

Pennsylvania farmland is fertile with ideas for sustainability in farming, fishing, wellness and more at this unique college campus. Galarza is sharing what he’s learned—and what could be lost—about the way our environment shapes us, and vice versa.

Tara Fitzpatrick

May 21, 2020

1 Min Read

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Chris Galarza, Parkhurst Dining chef at Chatham University’s Eden Hall campus, is working to bring sustainability and its intersection with food service into the forefront. He’s working with cutting-edge kitchen equipment, grafting apple trees and keeping the trout population happy at the university’s fishery.

Galarza tells Food Management about some interesting facets of the campus, such as the apiary, maple syrup making, mushroom growing and the fermentation club, which brews specialty beers and other beverages. Incorporating the locally grown and produced ingredients onto dining menus brings the circle together in terms of students and community, as the whole campus is open to the public.

And that’s just the beginning. In an effort to share what he’s learned, Galarza has started a consultancy, Forward Dining Solutions, that is working with several large organizations on sustainable cooking innovations. He waxes a bit philosophical on the role food systems play in a swiftly changing world where wellness is hot-button topic.

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