Dining Services Gets Creative With Colors of Food

Picasso has nothing on the Harvard Dining Services.

While the famed Spanish artist sometimes worked in black and white, dining services chefs strive every night to balance the vibrant hues of, say, savory baked tofu against the harsh monochromes of the pasta bar.

It's no easy task.

"Food services is a very difficult business to manage," says Michael P. Berry, director of Harvard Dining Services, "but there's a lot of show business involved, and that's the fun, creative part."

Every meal students eat, however it might taste, is at least guaranteed to look good.

"Your first reaction to food is with your eyes," Berry says. "When we write a menu, we go through and color-code it."

It's a complex process of balancing the dining services palate, he says.

"First, according to type of food. For example, we'll make chicken blue and vegetables another colors," Berry says. "Second, according to how the steam table will look. If we have two browns and a red, we'll be sure that the red is in the middle."

The food expert's fear is a culinary brown-out, a grave danger in a heavily starch-laden menu.

"Sometimes, we'll see that there's too much brown. All casseroles have a light brown tinge, and since every meal has a casserole-type dish, brown is the color we try to avoid," Berry says.

Vegetables are apparently a staple for the color-conscious chef.

"Steaming instead of frying gives them more vibrant color and freshness," Berry says.

But in a flourish of individual creativity, arrangement of dishes on the steam table is usually left to the individual houses.

"Before the meal, managers go out to the line. We make sure there are different colors, and then we garnish the whole thing," says Food Service Supervisor Edward A. Salerno. "We'll use orange crowns, radish flowers--I personally like purple kale."

A trip to Adams House during dinner reveals white, orange and green fettucine noodles, as well as red and white sauces. Carrots and broccoli added additional color.

But student reaction to the food, as always, was mixed.

"I think it's all the same type of noodle, just different colors," says Jessica J. Shin '97.

Other students were more supportive of the dining services' stretch toward artsiness.

"Color implies variety, which is important. Have you ever walked in on a fried food day, and everything's brown?" Rebecca J. K. Gelfond '97 asks.

"Some days it's choose your own starch.' Then it's spaghetti, spaghetti and potatoes," Sarah E. Tuttleton '96 says.

"Then there's the macho has, which is really colorful," she continues. "You have your chilli, which is red, your machos, which are yellow and your guacamole, which is green. Overall, thumbs up on color except for starch days.

"Then there's the macho has, which is really colorful," she continues. "You have your chilli, which is red, your machos, which are yellow and your guacamole, which is green. Overall, thumbs up on color except for starch days.