For those who regularly dine on campus and utilize the new upperclassmen dining hall, the dinner and a show ambiance is hard to ignore. No, hungry visitors should not expect cabaret dancers to accompany their meal, but with Gourmet Dining's, ongoing and engaging "themed meals", one may not help but feel as though they were front row at an event.
The premise for these food-festive events is geared towards providing a more memorable meal for those who decide to dine with the university. As for most diners, the question preceding any meal is "what keeps me coming back?" It is the aspiration of Gourmet Dining that student diners will confidently look to their own campus to satisfy those savory-needs. Some of the more recent and successful events of Gourmet Dining's themed meals was the dynamic Super Bowl XLIV celebration dinner that offered a variety traditional pigskin-celebration foods including buffalo wings, giant six-feet hoagies, and football-shaped cakes. Just days after, a St. Valentine's Day celebration yielded two chocolate fondue fountains with a multitude of sweet dippers, including miniature brownies and cantaloupe squares. Two additional, memorable events were the Mardi Gras celebration and soul-food night dinners.

As an added bonus to those who attend these events, Mark DaBundo, Executive Chef for Kean's Gourmet Dining, has launched an awards element to the themed dinners. Footballs and Modell's gift cards were just some of the give-a-ways during the Super Bowl; Valentine diners were given the chance to win Godiva chocolate and even a romantic dinner for two created by Chef DaBundo himself. During last semester, specialized award dinners were given away for the holiday season. Jaclyn Cassidy, a sophomore elementary education major, cashed in her personalized dinner with three friends that was awarded to her during last semester's Christmas themed event. In a sit-down with DaBundo, Cassidy discussed her favorite foods and left the creative execution in the chef's hands. The Cassidy Dinner began with a civiche style lobster and shrimp margarita, compliments to the guests liking of seafood. The four-course meal followed up the elegant appetizer with a ceasar salad, chicken rollatini entrée, and molten lava cake dessert.

The themed dinner concepts are a third major installment of diner convenience incorporated to the dining experience at Kean University. The first of these followed the fall 08's redesign of the University Center cafeteria when sustainability became a major concern for Gourmet Dining. As a partner in the campaign "Blue Goes Green", Gourmet Dining shifted its containers and utensils to more eco-friendly products, incorporated a recycling program, installed energy efficient equipment, and maintained partnership with local and organic food vendors. As another feature in the remodeling, Gourmet Dining responded to the on-the-go mentality of most collegiate personal by installing a quick-pickup panini grill that now offers online ordering as an option for time convenience.

Some events that diners can look forward to for this semester are Healthy Eating Day on March 9,2010 Pre-St. Paddy's Day Dinner, Hawaiian Lauo Dinner on March 24, 2010 a MLB opening day themed event on April 5,2010 International Bread Display on April 22, 2010 an All Things Italian themed dinner on April 29, 2010 and a Cinco De Mayo celebration on, of course, May 5, 2010. These are just some of what Gourmet Dining has already set in stone to present to its diners. For a more extensive list of planned events, please visit http://www.gourmetdiningllc.com/campus/kean; all visitors of the site are encouraged to give email feedback on successful and belly-satisfying experiences as well as suggestions for future events.