Cooking with Confidence

Focus Areas: Fowler, Fields Dining Hall

Construction Starts: 8/1/2026

Anticipated Completion: 8/14/2026

Upgrading essential kitchen equipment for safe, reliable food service

Behind the scenes where 700,000 meals are prepared a year, an important upgrade is underway in the kitchen in Fields Dining Kitchen.

This project replaces aging kitchen equipment—including four of the six primary ovens—with modern, commercial-grade models designed for today’s food service demands. The existing ovens are more than 30 years old and have exceeded their expected service life, making replacement essential to keep operations safe, efficient, and dependable. In addition, we will be making repairs to floor drains while the equipment is being installed. 

What’s Changing?

• Replacement of four primary ovens with updated commercial-grade equipment
• Removal of equipment that has surpassed its useful life
• Improved performance, reliability, and energy efficiency in daily operations

Why This Matters

Kitchen equipment works hard every day. As it ages, performance declines, repairs become more frequent, and reliability becomes harder to maintain.

These upgrades will:

• Support safe food preparation with modern, dependable equipment
• Improve operational efficiency for dining services staff
• Reduce maintenance disruptions during meal service
• Ensure the kitchen can meet campus dining demands consistently

What You’ll Notice

While this work happens behind kitchen doors, the impact reaches the entire campus community:

Meals prepared with reliable, high-performing equipment
Smoother kitchen operations during busy service times
Fewer unexpected equipment issues

By replacing these well-worn ovens, the college is investing in the tools that help feed campus—safely and efficiently—every single day.