Dining

All of the meals served at Fenn are peanut and tree nut free, and we pride ourselves on being able to accommodate all allergies so that students feel safe and included during lunchtime and enjoy their food.

Families are asked to communicate any student food allergies to the Fenn Health Office prior to the start of each school year (or during the school year as allergy profiles change). This enables the Health Office and Dining Services teams to work with impacted families to establish plans that will help to ensure the health and safety of any students with food allergies. Fenn continues to establish and execute plans that manage even the most severe allergies.

Fenn is committed to a sit-down lunch, served at separate sittings for the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. Students and faculty eat together, with a faculty member supervising each table. Student seating assignments change on a regular basis. In the spring and fall, weather permitting, there are picnic lunches. Special announcements are made at the end of the lunch period.

Lunch is not served on Tuesdays, but students can opt to purchase pizza at school if they will be staying on-campus for extracurricular activities. Students with food allergies receive access to other food options that are appropriate for them (or they may bring food from home if pre-approved by the Health Office and Dining Services teams).

Fenn’s kitchen and dining space allows for robust catering for special events. Connolly Dining Hall is an attractive canvas for school events, including Alumni Dinners during Homecoming Weekends and Graduation celebrations, and as a rental space for outside groups. It is able to accommodate guest speakers and events requiring technology with its large screen, projector, and audio system, as well as electronic shades that can darken the room to enhance the audio/visual experience.

Fenn serves its lunches on china and plastic dishware with silverware and glassware for beverages. Disposable plates and cutlery are used sparingly (for picnic events, etc.) to help Fenn limit its waste. The Fenn community actively engages in composting in the Dining Hall. Twice a week during the school year, Black Earth Composting of Gloucester, Mass. arrives to take away the bounty that accumulates. This includes meat, dairy, and grain food waste, as well as veggie matter. Many single-use items, such as brown napkins, coffee cups, and “bioplastic” cups and utensils periodically used in the Dining Hall, can also be placed in Fenn’s compost bins.

According to Cameren Cousins, Director of Sustainability at Fenn, Fenn Dining Services has “created a simpler supply chain with economic benefits.”

“We’ve been working for a while now to take a closer look at the food miles of the products we bring to Fenn," Cameren says. "It takes less energy (in the form of transportation fuels and processing steps) and less packaging to source whole food from within our area. It makes so much sense to tap into local resources to keep our costs down and our footprint smaller. And it makes sense for Fenn philosophically to support its community by fostering business partnerships with local producers."

The kitchen staff is working with Fenn to reduce, reuse, and recycle. The goal is to prevent waste in part by controlling portions, but students, faculty, and staff are always welcome to come back for seconds.