Its student-run restaurant, the Aspen Grille, is a model of sustainable operation. One of the first student-run restaurants in the United States to receive green certification from the Green Restaurant Association, they grow their own produce and purchase locally wherever possible. Noting that is difficult in Colorado, where the academic year is also the off-season for growers, they still manage to source half of all products from local, responsible, sustainable growers, including all beef, lamb, pork and buffalo used in the restaurant. They also feature responsibly-raised Colorado aquaculture products including trout and bass.

Working with CSU’s horticulture department, they source micro greens from campus greenhouses that are delivered by bicycle in order to minimize their carbon footprint. They also work late into the fall with the CSU experimental farm to source as many fruits and vegetables from them as possible.

Dairy products are locally sourced and coffee is roasted locally and sourced from environmentally managed estates in Brazil. Locally brewed beers from New Belgium and O'Dell's breweries as well as Colorado wines from Snowy Peaks Winery are featured on the menus.

And at the other end of the process, they use only compostable to-go containers, sort all recyclables in order to keep them out of the landfill, and compost all kitchen scraps. The compost is then used as a soil additive which closes the circle.

Issues of sustainability and social responsibility are woven throughout the curriculum. Students are introduced to it in their first coursework and it continues throughout their education experience.  All of the principles come together in the program’s senior seminar course, in which students are required to factor in sustainable principles when planning and executing the Industry Appreciation Day event each spring.

The CAFÉ/Kendall College Green Award is the first-ever national award to recognize secondary and postsecondary culinary-arts and baking/pastry programs for their commitment to sustainability. Selection criteria are based on the integration of sustainability into educational programs and/or operations and the objective of the award is to build the body of sustainability resources in foodservice education. Entries for next year’s award must be postmarked by April 1, 2012 and the winner will be announced May 1, 2012.

Christopher Koetke, CEC, CCE, is executive director of the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts and vice president of Laureate International Universities Center of Excellence in Culinary Arts. Kendall College sponsors the annual CAFÉ/Kendall Green Award.

Photo caption: Dr. Bill Franz (l.) of Colorado State University receives the hospitality program’s 2011 CAFÉ/Kendall College Green Award from Christopher Koetke.