Wheaton College

I came to Wheaton College this summer for a conference. It was my first time there. The campus is beautiful and accommodations are really nice. I stayed in one of the townhouses. The Billy Graham Museum is amazing, definitely worth visiting if you’re in the area.

I am not a current or former student, but I have attended multiple seminars and events here in the past. The college campus and atmosphere itself is very calm and peaceful. The small campus allows students to get to know alot of people, both other students and faculty alike. However, this «small campus» feeling may prove to be somewhat boring and repetitive for some students. There are numerous shops and restaurants available for students in the downtown Wheaton area, which is only a few blocks west of the campus.

Sam’s café — the ice cream is so good! I recommend right now pumpkin pie and greek honey and cinnamon yogurt. Very unique flavors and full of flavor. «Saga» (cafeteria) is just as good as it was when I went to school there… but a lot of good changes in the layout. I can see why freshmen gain wait here.

So, is this a review of the school itself or the food that they serve? Given that college ratings are much better handled by U.S. News & World Report, I’ll simply assess the food. I was actually a student on Bön Appetite’s (the dining services company that Wheaton contracts out to) «Cuisine Team» assessment board, so I was able to get good information on the food they serve there. :-)
Ok, here’s the deal. Wheaton College was rated #1 in campus food by the Princeton Review for 2011, and yes, the food really is THAT good. My eating experience at Wheaton opened my eyes to the fact that you can have food that is both absolutely delicious and good for you. It’s because of Bön Appetite that I went from eating packaged foods to whole-​grain only.
I severely miss my meal plan — I don’t know where else I could possibly get such high quality food at such a value. If you’re not a student, the prices can be on the high side, but check online for their meal menus, and ask a student whether a certain meal is worth paying. In other words, dinners may always cost $ 10+, but not all dinner meals are worth the cost. HINT: The meals tend to be better during orientation, family weekend, homecoming, Artists’ Series events, and other special events.
One of the most amazing services provided by Bön Appetit is the ability to eat well despite dietary restrictions. They consistently have vegetarian, celiac-​friendly, and lactose-​free foods to choose from. The celiac-​friendly foods will even be specially prepared for you if you ask.
Bön Appetit also makes it a point to be environmentally friendly in their choice of food. They buy local and/​or organic food when they can (my favorite is the local honey and the local watercress), all the seafood they serve is responsibly fished, and the meat and poultry they serve are almost always antibiotic-​free and grass fed (for beef). They also believe strongly against high fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives, and frozen food. They make all their food fresh that day — including their applesauce (yes, homemade applesauce).
I once asked the head chef why they don’t serve chicken tenders as much, and he replied that it’s a pain to serve them because it’s so labor-​intensive to prepare. Why? Because Bön Appetite refuses to buy frozen chicken tenders. So, what do they do? They have their kitchen staff cut, cook, and bread each chicken tender individually. Wow.
Their desserts are always to die for. Especially check out their carrot cake and local soft serve ice cream. REALLY good traditional ice cream can be bought downstairs at Sam’s café.
This review is getting to be way too long, but I’ll end with the encouragement to look out for those specialty meals that only come every so often, including freshly made sushi, goat cheese and apple pizza, and steak-​and-​shrimp nights.

Cool campus. Students have to sign a covenant before they enroll… whatever.
The cafeteria food was AWESOME! I have been there twice, again, no wonder students gain the frosh 15!

I can write a review about my undergrad? This is amazing. Yes, I went to Wheaton College, a small, private Christian school in the suburbs of Chicago. I had an amazing experience there, made life-​long friends, and grew as a person because of it. I enjoyed the fact that it was intimate (about 2400 undergrad students) and that all of the teachers knew who I was. I could go on and on about the stories about Wheaton and the interesting culture there, but I won’t. The dining hall, Saga, could be a sociology research project in itself. Positives about Wheaton include: knowing everyone on campus, the Stupe ice cream, varsity athletic banquets including the date choosing process, and the lost-​and-​found sale every semester. Negatives include: the confusing parking situation for students, the inability to choose your own chapel seat, and the terrible returns on book sell-​backs. I either got $ 2 or $ 100 everytime. Jokes aside, I loved my time there!

of course we can dance… we’re hipper than you might think