Dining Services鈥� secret ingredient to success: community
Skidmore Dining Services is no stranger to success: Year after year, Skidmore receives praise for its impressive dining offerings, achieving an impressive No. 4 ranking for Best College Food in New York in 2025 from Niche.com, based on meal plan costs and student reviews.
Set against a backdrop of numerous institutions and food service operations, Skidmore鈥檚 talented chefs certainly stand out 鈥撯€� leading many to ask, what is it that makes Skidmore鈥檚 dining experience so special?
鈥淵ou start realizing that our people really work for people,鈥� explained Executive Chef Michael Hinrichs. 鈥淭hey believe in the program, and they love what they do here at Skidmore. We put out something that's indicative of what Skidmore is. I mean, that's amazing to see.鈥�
Hinrichs joined Skidmore in 2023 after a career working in high-end catering in the private sector.
鈥淚 was very hesitant to come to collegiate dining,鈥� admitted Hinrichs, explaining he was once a student employee at his college鈥檚 dining hall. 鈥淚 opened up a lot of bags, and I opened up a lot of cans. With that experience, I had to really think about it.鈥�
Hinrichs joined Skidmore in 2023 from the private sector, discovering a tight-knit program dedicated to the wellbeing of its community.
It only took a visit to the College to realize how extraordinary 鈥撯€� and different 鈥撯€� this opportunity really was. At Skidmore, Hinrichs discovered a tight-knit program committed to nourishing the wellbeing of each student, staff, and faculty member who walk through their doors 51茶馆儿撯€� through creative theme nights at Murray-Aikins Dining Hall (鈥淒-Hall,鈥� as it is affectionately known); investment in sustainability initiatives like composting and the Skidmore Community Garden; and an evolving menu featuring a plethora of healthy, delicious food options.
Theme nights, familiar faces, and good food 鈥� D-Hall is where we all cross paths. It鈥檚 where you see classmates, teammates, and professors all in one space, creating a true Skidmore family.Joseph Barranco '28Murray-Aikins Dining Hall student employee
A talented team
Shortly after Chef Hinrichs accepted the job at Skidmore, he competed in his first culinary competition for Skidmore.
鈥淚t totally changed my whole perspective. That's when I saw that I was now entering a sector of hospitality that not only was passionate about what they were doing but had community support around it to get better,鈥� he said.
Many members of Skidmore Dining Services enter from the private sector 鈥撯€� some of them already experienced chefs from Saratoga Springs鈥� top-notch restaurant scene. Former Executive Chef Jim Rose, who retired last year, owned a restaurant for 16 years before beginning his 18-year tenure with the College.
Like Hinrichs, they soon find that there鈥檚 a lot more to Skidmore鈥檚 dining than expected: a supportive community; an ever-changing student cohort with fresh perspectives, wants, and needs; and a continuous drive for professional and personal improvement.
Recently, the College hosted its 11th annual American Culinary Federation (ACF) Sanctioned Competition, where members of Skidmore Dining Services competed alongside top chefs from institutions across the Northeast and Texas in a 鈥淐hopped鈥�-style competition.
Senior Cook Paul Karlson and Production Manager Tim Thompson work together to plate the team's entr茅e at the 11th annual ACF Sanctioned Competition.
This year, the team included Production Manager Tim Thompson, Senior Cook Paul Karlson, and Short Order Cook Allen LaPelle, who embraced the competition as a way to learn from and with each other, growing professionally both as chefs and as communicators.
The three Skidmore chefs were joined by Sommarah Whitbeck, a local high school trainee with Skidmore Dining Services through the Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex Board of Cooperative Educational Services (WSWHE BOCES) Career and Technical Education Program. Her participation reflected the team's commitment to giving back to the community and passing along their passion for the culinary field to the next generation.
Sommarah Whitbeck joins Skidmore chefs as a local high school trainee with Skidmore Dining Services through the WSWHE BOCES Career and Technical Education Program.
The team prepared a mouth-watering four-course menu, highlighting the breadth of their culinary talents and passions. Whitbeck took charge of the dessert portion of the meal, delighting judges with the zany flavor of her Meyer lemon and kumquat profiteroles. Their efforts were awarded a silver medal.
Cornish game hen ballotine with king trumpet demi glaze over brown rice, tempeh pilaf, and black garlic molasses
Seared Hudson Valley steal head trout and russet potato brandade, tri-colored carrots and Brussels sprouts leaves, crispy trout skin, and blood orange beurre blanc
Meyer lemon and kumquat profiteroles with Marcona almonds and vanilla chantilly
Skidmore teams regularly compete at similar events at institutions around the U.S. and have picked up numerous medals 51茶馆儿� including multiple gold medals 51茶馆儿� over the years.
鈥淚t's great for us as team members to experience that, see what it's like, see the other side of cooking, of competitive cooking,鈥� reflected Thompson. The competition marked his first time competing with the College, though he recalls participating in similar competitions early on in his career in the private sector.
鈥淭here's definitely a sense of team building that goes on during those, and you get to lean into your creative side. Chef Michael has really jumped into these competitions, and he is trying to push the entire culinary team to participate,鈥� said Thompson.
The secret sauce
So, what makes Skidmore鈥檚 dining experience so special?
It鈥檚 exemplified in Murray-Aikins' drive towards experimentation and creativity in their cooking creations, leading to the growing popularity of international dishes like the beloved malva pudding among campus populations.
Dining Services also has a keen ability to listen to and advocate on behalf of students with a variety of dietary restrictions and preferences; the Minus 9 station, created by Hinrichs and Kitchen Manager Eric DesRosiers in the summer of 2024, serves entr茅es free of the nine most common food allergens: peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfish, soy, eggs, gluten, dairy, and sesame.
Or perhaps the answer may lie in Dining Services鈥� work to source local, fresh ingredients; invest in sustainable practices like trayless dining and composting; and employ initiatives to reduce food waste.
But, at the core of it all?
鈥淭he people make it special,鈥� explained Ahmed Bella 鈥�28.
And they鈥檙e hard at work every day for the betterment of themselves and their community.
D-hall is more than just a place to eat 鈥� it鈥檚 a space where we unwind, share ideas, and build connections. The sense of community here makes Skidmore feel like home.Ahmed Bella 鈥�28