UNews - food

Disaster, chaos and discovery

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 16:16:30 +0000

Virus plagues city, thousands quarantined, food shortages expected . . . When disaster strikes and chaos spreads, the lines of society may be redrawn, flipped upside down, or erased all together. Down From Heaven by Colleen Wagner explores the power struggles and relationships that either grow or break when the world changes for the worse.

The first production in this year’s TheatreXtra’s season, Down From Heaven plays Sept. 26-28 at 8 p.m. nightly, with a 2 p.m. matinée on Sept. 28 in the David Spinks Theatre. This deeply introspective drama is sure to provoke and entice audiences.

Down From Heaven plays Sept. 26-28 in the David Spinks Theatre.

Directed by third-year BFA Dramatic arts major Erinn Watson, this is a play she envisioned being a part of since reading it during her course work.

“There’s a moment in the script where two characters are talking to each other through a metal grate, and I could see it so clearly, I knew I wanted to direct it and so proposed it for TheatreXtra’s season,” says Watson.

Inspired by the SARS outbreak in 2003, Canadian playwright Colleen Wagner’s play revolves around a small fictional family, trapped in its basement due to an international virus outbreak.

Without access to information or food, beyond what their gardener-turned-secret policeman is willing to provide them, the family struggles to survive. The play has mature content.

“The events that occur in the play could happen tomorrow, next week or a year from now,” muses Watson. “Disaster will strike someday and this play strikes at what I think a lot of us fear greatly: having no control over our own situation, and being forced to rely on someone we are not sure we can trust.”

Tickets for TheatreXtra’s first production of the season are available at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Box Office (open Monday to Friday 12:30 to 3:30 p.m., or by calling 403-329-2616).

Individual tickets are priced at $12 regular admission, $10 seniors/alumni and $8 students.

Aramark readying for changeover

trevor.kenney — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:17:18 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge food services begins a new chapter May 1, 2013 when Aramark Higher Education officially joins the U of L community.

Marking the most transformative food services change at the U of L in 30 years, the introduction of Aramark as the new food provider is the culmination of a comprehensive and consultative review of food services on the Lethbridge campus.

"The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge prides itself on the experience it offers its students," says U of L President Dr. Mike Mahon. "We recognize that food quality is critical to that experience, and we are thrilled that our campus community will be provided with a variety of high-quality food options for the foreseeable future."

A number of renovations are planned over the summer to accommodate the significant changes that Aramark will bring to campus, all focused on taking the campus dining experience for students, faculty and staff to a new level.

"We are excited to begin serving the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community," says Jeff Marcellus of Aramark as his company begins a 10-year agreement with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. "Our goal is to enhance the dining environment and experience for students, faculty and staff, and to build partnerships across the campus community."

Tim Hortons will be the first location to open under Aramark's leadership on May 1 in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness. This will continue to be a full Tim Hortons that will offer everything from classic hot beverages and donuts to sandwiches and chili.

A fully renovated dining hall, a convenience food outlet, a full Starbucks, Subway and an Express Tim Hortons will open at other campus locations in the fall.

The change to the current ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall dining hall will be significant as Aramark transforms the space into the Urban Market, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Renovations include the installation of a flat top grill, pizza oven, entrée station, deli and a build-your-own salad bar, soup and coffee station. An artist's concept drawing is attached for reference.

Further down ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall, a Subway, connected to another Tim Hortons will be introduced. This Tim Hortons will be an express location, offering hot beverages and bakery items.

In Markin Hall, a convenient food outlet that will offer an assortment of grab 'n' go items including "We Proudly Serve Starbucks" coffee, bakery, soup, snacks and cold beverages, will remain. The Express menu will also include items such as sandwiches, salads, snackers, fruit and veggie cups and yogurt parfait cups.

The final addition to campus is a full Starbucks location in the space formerly occupied by Mr. Sub (directly across from Security Services and the Helen Christou Gallery on the walkway to the Library). This location will offer everything patrons expect from Starbucks, including a full food and beverage menu as well as a seating area for studying or just meeting up with friends.

Group tackles how to deal with hunger pangs

trevor.kenney — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 15:32:43 +0000

The phrase …there's an app for that! now applies to ordering takeout food in Lethbridge.

The team behind the iTakeout app – Caleb Dowdy, twin brothers Clayton and Joel Varjassy and Luke Mayerle – cooked up their idea while not actually wanting to cook anything. They wanted to order takeout food, but could find only one place in town with a functioning smartphone application.

So they 'app-ordered' pizza, which wasn't really their first choice, then thought there must be a way to get more restaurants on board to showcase the wide variety of takeout opportunities in the community.

Their idea garnered a second-place tie for the group in the 2013 South Venture Business Plan Competition, including a $5,000 prize.

App developers pictured left to right include Joel Varjassy, Caleb Dowdy, Luke Mayerle and Clayton Varjassy.

Could they have used the phone book? Probably, but Dowdy says that the move forward in smartphone applications is such that people expect quick solutions at the tap of a touchscreen – so whether it's banking or burritos, gaining access to a product or service should be convenient and fast.

"Not only do we want to give users the ability to order the food, we want them to do so in a rich environment filled with photos and community-populated reviews and other information," says Dowdy.

Dowdy acknowledges there are other takeout apps in the international marketplace, but none that focus on local or regional restaurants, and none that have the initial face-to-face interaction with the developers.

"We plan to put a heavier emphasis on the local marketplace and establish rich connections with our participating restaurants. As well, we want to give users access to as many restaurants as we can within the app, and this is why we plan on actually putting in the face-time with restaurants and not having them simply sign up online," he says.

Dowdy adds that restaurants will have access to a database in which they can add/change menu items on the fly.

"They will be able to add new items, update prices, create daily specials, set takeout hours, and much more."

The initial target demographic will be people between the ages of 18 and 30, especially students.

"Given the recent increased popularity in apps and smartphones among all age groups, we see no reason as to why this app can't be a popular tool for anyone in the Lethbridge area with access to a smart device looking to order takeout," says Dowdy.

Working around school and other part-time jobs, Dowdy says the app development will be done by colleague Shayan Masood, who is currently working a co-operative education job placement at Veeva Systems while the rest of the team works on securing restaurants for a pilot rollout scheduled for the summer.

The full application is expected to launch in September 2013, just in time for the start of a new school year, and as thousands of hungry students return to Lethbridge. For now, signing on will be free and subscribing as a restaurant is free, but Dowdy says they would review that as the app gains market share and popularity.

This story first appeared in the April 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Group tackles how to deal with hunger pangs

trevor.kenney — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:58:28 +0000