Bakers Celebrate Diversity at the University of Mary Washington

At the University of Mary Washington (UMW), Campus Dining works closely with the University’s James Farmer Multicultural Center and student cultural clubs to plan dining events that explore and celebrate diversity.

Menus are developed for meals that highlight Hispanic, Native American, Asian, Jewish, Islamic, African American, German, LGBTQ, and global themes. The culinary crew also plans special menus for holiday celebrations, including Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, and St. Patrick’s Day.

Key menu components are feature desserts created by UMW’s talented bakers.

Lead baker Laura Pritchett, veteran bakers Joyce Cooper and Hind Alhinty, along with novice baker Zeriah Hodgins take great pride in creating specialty desserts that reflect the culture or spirit of each occasion.

Every October, Campus Dining hosts a “Rainbow Night” to foster understanding and appreciation for members of UMW’s LGBTQ+ community. The bakers prepare dozens of cookies, cupcakes and bars in a kaleidoscope of colors.

For the Islamic Cultural Awareness dinner Alhinty prepared her signature kanafeh (a traditional Middle-Eastern dessert made with thin layers Seminola dough, cheese and sweet syrup) using her own family recipe. The unique texture and delicate flavors of her Kanafeh have become so popular that it is now one of the most requested desserts on campus.

House-made gelato is a staple at UMW and Pritchett has fun crafting unique yet tasty flavors.

“Birthday Cake” gelato (prepared with vanilla gelato, yellow cake and rainbow sprinkles) is one of the most popular “every day” flavors. Around the holidays, however, the students can’t get enough of Pritchett’s “Candy Cane” and “Gingerbread House” gelatos.

In support of UMW’s Domestic Violence Awareness week, which had purple as its banner color, the bakers prepared a seven layer cake in varied shades of purple.

Similarly, when the University’s Talley Center for Counseling Services joined local agencies in sponsoring “Paint the Town Teal” to educate the community on how to reduce sexual assaults, UMW Dining’s baking team transformed every dessert – from pudding parfaits to cookies, cupcakes, bars, and gelatin cups – into teal-colored testaments of support for the campaign.

Whether it’s a mid-century icebox cake for 1950’s themed event, cornmeal-based pudding for a Native American cultural awareness dinner, or Guinness stout dessert bars and apple strudels for an Oktoberfest celebration, the bakers at the University of Mary Washington use their culinary skills and imaginations to create sumptuous confections that are a delight to eat and also help highlight diverse cultures, ethnicity, and important social issues.