The Imagineers
Executive Chef Michael Miller starts selecting Festive Meals in the summer, consulting recipe books, visiting local restaurants, weighing past successes ("La Groceria") and failures ("Worldwide Vegetarian Day") and imagining new possibilities.
When meals are flops, Miller hears about it. An otherwise-successful Tuscan dinner featured an unpopular chocolate chicken.
"The feedback cards weren't pretty," Miller chuckles.
HDS officials say the meals' food do not cost much more than an average dinner and plan extra costs in their annual budgets. Decorations for the Festive Meals range from $200 to $300 per House dining hall per event, and HDS has learned how to save money by spanning some Festive Meals--like Saharan Nights--over several dinners, sharing props among dining halls.
According to HDS Associate Director of Communications Alexandra E. McNitt, the meals are intended to break the monotony of the regular meal plan - both for the students and dining hall staff. And recently, since some Houses have extra time to execute their meals, "friendly competition" to throw the biggest spectacle ensues, McNitt says.
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