Whittier College News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Whittier College
Office of Public Relations
Phone: 562.907.4912 or 562.907.4277

Third Annual Eat Local Challenge Kicks Off

WHITTIER, CA (SEPTEMBER 20, 2007) – The third annual Eat Local Challenge returns to the Whittier College campus with fresh and creative fare Tuesday, Sept. 25. The event is intended to encourage students, faculty, staff, and others to consume foods produced within 150 miles of where they live. Lunch, from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., will feature locally grown and produced food prepared by Executive Chef Cristina Ceja and her staff.

“As a chef, the Eat Local Challenge not only spurs me to new levels of creativity, but because local food comes from local people with local stories, the search for ingredients becomes a treasure hunt with an amazing reward – great food with a great back-story,” Ceja says.

Launched in 2005, the Eat Local Challenge raises awareness of the positive environmental and economic impact of buying food locally, and the challenges faced when food travels thousands of miles to its destination. Increased plane, ship, and truck traffic, the main vehicles for transporting products, often contributes to air pollution. The reliance on traditional fuels also places demands on non-renewable fuel sources. And it is widely believed that food consumed close to where it was sourced is fresher and tastes better.

The event is sponsored by Palo Alto-based Bon Appetit, a food service management company that operates cafes and does catering nationally for more than 100 colleges and businesses including Reed College, Cisco Systems, the Getty Center, and the Seattle Art Museum. As service provider for Whittier College’s meal hubs, the Campus Inn and The Spot, Bon Appetit regularly incorporates locally sourced ingredients like eggs, dairy, fruits, and vegetables in its recipes.

For more information, visit www.bamco.com/website/eatlocal.html.

Founded by Quakers in 1887, Whittier College is an independent, four-year college offering a traditional liberal arts program integrated with both professional and pre-professional courses of study. With an emphasis on diversity, community, and curricular innovation, the College’s primary mission is to endow students with the education, skills, and values appropriate for global leadership and service. Whittier College is a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

Whittier Law School, which is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools, is located on a separate campus in Orange County.