The Rose Hill Marketplace dining facility officially opened on Sept. 3, unveiling brand-new menus, contemporary food stations, and a variety of seating options to create a dramatically improved dining experience.
The space, located on the first floor of the McShane Campus Center, has been transformed to make it easier to create fresh, customized dishes in an open environment while providing ample space for students and staff to socialize and recharge. The renovation is among the final phases of the McShane Center construction project.
There also was a celebration of the space on Monday, Sept. 16, filled with special offers and food demonstrations.
New Stations, New Dishes
Visitors to the new Marketplace will be greeted by nine stations, covering cuisine ranging from halal, deli, and grill to pizza, salad, vegan, allergen-friendly, and dessert.
Deming Yaun, University dining contract liaison, touted a variety of new dishes, including a ramen meal with roasted pork, baby bok-choy, carrots, scallions, and chili garlic sauce, as well as a sautéed shrimp and spaghetti dish with chipotle cream sauce. He said that in the previous space, roughly 30% of food was prepared in front of students; in the new space, nearly 70% of the food is prepared in the open.
Starting Off Fresh
The first station that visitors encounter upon entering, the vegetarian and vegan station, sets the tone for the new space. Just as supermarket customers are greeted by aisles of fresh produce, Marketplace customers will be greeted by everything they need to put together delicious plant-based dishes. The dishes are part of a commitment to help Fordham lower its carbon footprint by using ingredients that have a low impact on the environment.
In recent years, “students are really gravitating towards more plant-based options,” Yaun said. “It’s a statement of freshness that the station is making that is carried through the whole facility.”
Space For Everyone
Seating arrangements are diverse: booths, tall tables, long tables, and benches are situated throughout, welcoming everyone from single diners looking to work through lunch to big groups gathering for a communal meal. One dining room can be sectioned off for private gatherings. Altogether, the space can accommodate nearly 800 diners.
One addition that foodies will want to keep an eye on is the Chef’s Table. The space will serve as a hub for cooking demonstrations and a place for chefs to share their experimental dishes.
A Place to Refuel and Relax
Audrey Hayes, a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill who got an early tour of the space as part of a student group, said she was eager to try the fresh pasta. She said she could see herself grabbing a booth by the entrance.
“When I study, I like to have a little bit of noise, so I find myself studying in the cafe sometimes,” she said.
Andres Perez, also a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill, was excited to see a table big enough that the baseball team could use for a post-practice gathering. Perez, who pitches for the Rams, was intrigued by the halal station, where he’ll be able to get chicken and rice with a salad.
“It’s nice that it’s going to be an everyday option now,” he said.
James Serruto, FCRH ’24, who was chairman of the United Student Government Facilities and Dining Committee last year, said that transparency of food preparation was a big concern for students, who met with administrators weekly while the Marketplace was under construction.
He likes that the space will create opportunities for students to get to know the kitchen staff.
“It’s very easy to go over to the chicken fingers and fries, but when you know that somebody’s preparing a steak in front of you or preparing a healthy salad, it builds a sense of trust and understanding,” he said.
This piece was updated on September 30.
