The new Arrillaga Family Dining Commons, currently be constructed on Escondido Road, will double as space for a new Wellness Center on campus.
Stanford Dining, ASSU, Vaden Health Promotion Services, and BeWell all collaborated to develop the project. The Dining Commons will also feature food and amenities intended to promote student wellness.
Taylor Winfield ’13, ASSU Chair of Health and Wellness and Wellness Intern for Stanford Dining, described the Dining Commons as “a multi-purpose building centered around wellness.”
Primarily serving Toyon and Crothers residents, the Dining Commons will feature performance-based dining. According to Stanford Dining, “the program involves synergistic food combinations and promotion of antioxidants and other nutrients to help students perform at their physical and mental peak.”
The new performance-based dining will be part of Stanford Dining’s “EatWell” program, which “encompasses fresh, healthy, and sustainable food.”
Stanford Dining partnered with Stanford Athletics, the School of Medicine, and the Culinary Institute of America to develop the performance-based menu.
Winfield is in charge of the other wellness-themed amenities that will be offered at the Dining Commons. Said Winfield, “I had an epiphany moment where I realized there was not currently space on Stanford’s campus that I knew of that could be used for non-alcohol based programming.”
Winfield, a former dining ambassador, shared the idea with Eric Montell, executive director of Stanford Dining. Winfield said, “We discovered a link in our overall purpose [of wellness], and when Mr. Arrillaga decided to donate this new dining hall to Stanford, we realized it was an excellent opportunity to combine our goals and create a Wellness Center.”
The amenities in the Dining Commons will be available to all Stanford students, not just those with a meal plan. According to Winfield, amenities will focus on “bridging the gap between physical, mental, social, and intellectual well-being.”