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.
The Keio Dining Experience
Since Keio Academy is affiliated with Keio University in Japan, students and families considering Keio Academy of New York might expect an all-Japanese food menu. While CulinArt strives to provide authentic Japanese 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. We also incorporate cuisines and flavors from cultures around the world to provide an immersive and comprehensive culinary experience.
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.
· The Market is open mornings and afternoons, offering a variety of packaged snacks, power packs, bottled beverages and quick bites. Students make purchases using the Eatify app, which keeps foot traffic to a minimum and provides the convenience students crave.
· Our Kettle Soup is always made from scratch. Both Miso Soup and rice, with Japanese toppings, are offered at every meal period.
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.
Menus and Events
CulinArt offers a wide variety of rotating concepts so guests will never experience menu fatigue. Our action stations are inspired by global and regional tastes and culinary trends to keep Keio Academy’s program fresh, engaging, and on-trend.
We have a strong commitment to honor and celebrate the local colors and produce of the season. The fresh harvest from spring to fall is a daily highlight of our food selections. This concept elevates the Keio student experience by presenting restaurant-quality plates with local, sustainable ingredients during the harvest months.
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.
CulinArt’s team of chefs, registered dietitians, and wellness consultants present Keio Academy students with exciting and engaging educational moments throughout the school year:
- On “Try It Tuesdays” we not only challenge students to taste something new and different, but we let them know how and why it is beneficial to their health. On “Wellness Wednesdays” we focus on timely nutrition trends and themes.
- To keep the dining program fresh and on-trend, we host special events, including PopUp Cafés, Guest Chef Series, Teaching Kitchens, and Smoky Roads Traveling BBQ.
- We celebrate diversity through food with special menus in recognition of cultural heritage months.
- We like to have fun! Our dining services team celebrates theme days such as National Meatball Day, International Falafel Day, and National Noodle Day; and holidays/celebrations like the Lunar New Year, Diwali, Cinco de Mayo, and many more.
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.