Site ranks 60 best colleges for food — 3 Illinois schools make the cut

Northwestern University’s dining facilities made the grade on this year’s list of “best schools for food” according to thedailymeal.com. | PHOTO DAILYMEAL.COM

The DailyMeal.com has just released its second annual list of America’s 60 best colleges when it comes to food, and only three Illinois schools made the grade.

Northwestern ranked 12 (“If Buffalo chicken nuggets, spinach lasagna with marinara sauce, Tuscan kale salad, and curried rice with lentils are making your mouth water, then you should definitely check out Northwestern’s dining facilities.”); while Wheaton College (“Illinois’ Wheaton College whips up some mighty tasty offerings. Some include a balsamic roasted pork loin, vegetable and mushroom pot pie, ham macaroni and cheese pizza, and chicken pad thai, and it’s almost guaranteed that something will tickle your fancy.”) and the University of Chicago (“Dish options ranging from ancho chipotle chicken stew to BLT bruschetta to fried pollock in Creole sauce will definitely satisfy hungry undergrads.’) came in at 27 and 28, respectively.

The top school when it comes to feeding students? Bowdoin College, Brunswick Maine (“As our top dog this year, Bowdoin College is used to receiving praise for their outstanding food. Serving dishes like mussels in butter sauce, haddock with jalapenos, squash fettuccine, and roasted root vegetables with polenta, it has been ranked near the top of the Best College Food list by Princeton Review, as well as other national lists.”)

The results, based on a study of 2,000 four-year colleges across the country (revamping last year’s list) addresses everything from top-notch campus dining to failed health inspections.

According to the study’s official statement, critieria included the following factors, among others:

— Healthy Food/Local and Sustainable: The meals are made in-house from scratch as well as cooked in small batches, and the school is committed to teaching their students the benefits of buying locally and maintaining healthy lifestyles.

— Accessibility and Service: The number of eateries on campus along with the daily hours, and how well these locations are taken care of.

— Events/Nutritional Education: Events are centered on food, and the dining halls help bring students together in an engaging way. Additionally, if they educated their students about nutrition through these events or on their website, it was a bonus.

— Student Feedback and Social Media: How well-received student requests or complaints are by the dining services, as well as the frequency that these pages are updated to inform their students about new additions or changes.

— The ‘X Factor’: Something unique and creative that differentiated the school’s dining services from the rest of the pack.

For the complete list visit the website.