The Dining Hall
Great care is taken to ensure that students are provided with a healthy diet and food of high quality. The Dining Hall is managed by CulinArt Group, a dining services company with clients in 17 states.
CulinArt Team
CulinArt Group is excited to be your dining services partner at Keio Academy. We provide innovative dining solutions to help students eat and live well. Fresh, handcrafted food is always the CulinArt way.
CulinArt Group is a boutique dining services provider with a regional focus and national presence. We joined the Compass Group family of companies in 2016 as an independent niche sector maintaining our brand, identity, infrastructure, culture, and distinction.
Our management team at Keio Academy represents the upper echelons of our company’s culinary talent and expertise.
HASHIM ABDEL
Hashim Abdel is the Director of Dining Services for CulinArt here at Keio Academy of New York, a position he has held for 16 years.
Born in Egypt, Hashim grew up working in a family-owned food business and earned a bachelor’s degree from Helwan University at Cairo. He emigrated to the United States 40 years ago and has over 30 years of experience in various food service hospitality environments, including hotels, colleges, and businesses in the local area.
Hashim’s vision at Keio Academy is to provide authentic cuisine as well as excellent service to the Keio family, all with the utmost safety in mind. In pursuing this vision, he has received the Extraordinary Continuous Service and Dedication Award from the Keio Academy Board of Trustees.
The Keio Dining Experience
CulinArt strives to provide variety of cuisine. We embrace the Academy’s mission to “combine the best of Japanese, American and Keio cultures” with a dining services program and menus that do the same.
For example, at Keio Academy:
· The Chef’s Table features comfort-style hot entrees with hearty side dishes.
· We showcase international micro concepts, such as Noodle Bowls, Bibimbap, Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Cocina Fresca Mexican cuisine.
· Our Salad Bar is stocked full of the freshest seasonal produce with a variety of colors, flavors, and local ingredients.
· Our Kettle Soup is always made from scratch.
HENRICK CHEN
Henrick Chen is the Executive Chef for CulinArt at Keio Academy of New York, a position he has held for three years. He is a recipient of CulinArt Chef of the Year 2024.
Henrick launched his culinary career at Bibble and Sip, a pastry shop inspired by Asian flavors located in midtown Manhattan. Henrick learned classic culinary techniques at the International Culinary Center and both traditional and modern Japanese cooking techniques while working under Masaharu Morimoto, a Japanese chef best known from the Japanese TV cooking show “Iron Chef” and its spinoff “Iron Chef America.” Henrick is also FARECheck-certified in food allergy and Celiac disease training.
Henrick strives to bring exciting and healthy fare to the dining hall. He uses the knowledge he has gained to bring a taste of home for many of the students at Keio. Some examples of this are various noodle bar concepts that rotate into the menu weekly, as well as catering authentic Ramen and Sushi for special events.
Menus and Events
CulinArt offers a wide variety of rotating (a 4 week rotation with seasonal modification) and various promotional events (at least 3 times a month).
CulinArt’s mission is to constantly evolve our culinary, social, and environmental practices, and to exceed your expectations, every day. By preparing delicious, high-quality food that meets ever-changing needs, we offer the best of all worlds: mouthwatering dishes that are exceedingly nutritious and present the least amount of negative impact to our planet.
Be on the lookout for special health and wellness promotions throughout each month. Be sure to say hello to our friendly wellness experts the next time they visit Keio Academy!
Health and Wellness
CulinArt encourages students to maintain a healthy lifestyle—one that incorporates wholesome, balanced food choices, regular exercise, and an overall attention to living well.
Our signature “Eat Well” menu program comprises recipes that incorporate whole, naturally flavorful, and nutritious foods prepared with healthful cooking methods. We use spices and herbs so that Keio Academy students get more of what they need—necessary nutrients, fabulous flavor, and pleasing presentation.
Our “Eat Well” from-scratch creations contain:
· Beneficial sources of fat
· Less than 10% of calories from saturated fat and no artificial trans fat
· Less than 800mg of sodium per serving
· Less than 8g of added sugar
· At least 3g of dietary fiber per serving
CulinArt’s team members complete Food Allergy and Celiac Disease training, which is reviewed and certified by Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), a nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with food allergies, through its FARECheck program. Our goal is to provide every Keio Academy student, faculty, and staff member an exceptional and safe dining experience. If you have an allergen concern, always feel free to contact our dining services team.
We also make it easy to choose menu items that are right for you! Look for our vegetarian, vegan, Eat Well, and locally-sourced icons on menus and printed signage.