For students looking for unique food like apricot-coconut bread, broccoli divan or other interesting, "my-mother-never-made-anything-like-this" foods, there is only one place to go on campus: the Collis Cafe in Collis Center.
Aside from the fact that the food at Collis is unusual, most students say the selection is unique and tasty. Cafe manager Cynthia Crutchfield said all of the food is made from scratch each day.
Many students said they like the fact that Collis is always unpredictable and trendy, but some said they think the Cafe is too weird. Stanley Dunn '96 said that "sometimes it's too funky for its own good."
The menu selection process is not elaborate, but takes a lot of effort and time.
Before each term, the five Collis cooks, Todd Bogan, Brent Bradley, Darren Connelly, Tom Huyghebaert and Mary Anne Milanese, sit down for a four-to-six-day discussion session, where they pour over the multitude of recipes available to them -- ranging from their personal libraries to Collis cookbooks.
The Cafe owns more than 100 books as well as subscriptions to magazines such as Bon Appetite, Gourmet and Vegetarian Times.
Although the cooks still are bound by certain parameters, the Cafe management gives the cooks free reign over what they can make each day.
Each cook chooses four entrees and two soups daily, but the food cannot be too outrageous so students will still choose to eat at Collis, Crutchfield said.
"I try to make my selections mainstream with a twist," Bradley said. He said it is that twist that encourages many students to eat at Collis.
The combination of healthy and exotic foods is very appealing to some students.
"The soups are my favorite," Adam Bulbulia '99 said. "They are always good, filling and very original."
The Cafe used to be primarily vegetarian, and still has a top-flight vegetarian bar, but recently added meats and fresh fish to the menu, Crutchfield said.
Much has changed at the Cafe since Collis reopened in 1994 after extensive renovations. Both the kitchen and the seating areas have been significantly enlarged, and the kitchen is now downstairs, across from the video game room.
Before the renovations, the Cafe used to only seat about 30 people, and the kitchen was directly behind the serving area.
Brent Cromley '91 and Matt Williams '93, who were back in Hanover for job interviews and had not seen the renovations until last week, said they were very impressed by the new layout.
While Cafe employees say the structural changes to Collis have been mostly beneficial, such luxuries as made-to-order omelets for breakfast are a thing of the past. This is due to the inaccessibility of the kitchen to the servers.
Collis has reinstated the Sunday brunch, which includes things like apple pancakes, baked French toast and several egg dishes. And, like every other Collis meal, this selection changes weekly.
"It's an adventure in eating and dining every day," Crutchfield said.
To attract more students, Crutchfield and Assistant Manager Dave Cornwell have decided this term to add dinner combos to the menu. Rather than straight a la carte, students can order a main dish with two side dishes -- a vegetable and a starch.
Collis is also popular for its baked goods, especially its wide selection of bagels, breads and brownies, although some of these filling items represent a departure from the rest of the health-oriented Cafe menu.
Milanese, one of the bakers, starts working at 6:00 a.m. to ensure there are fresh baked goods available when the Cafe opens.
