Winter 2023 Campus Dining Today - 69

providing the best possible food
to U-M students. Almost every
single first-year student, as well
as a few thousand others, rely
on the dining halls as their main
source of food and nutrition
while living on campus. Serving
high-quality, tasty food is
imperative for the sake of all the
guests in university spaces. So,
when Turchan came across the
good-quality protein that Bay
Port Fishing Company provides,
he jumped at the chance to
bring it to the students and
U-M community. He knew
that with all the amazing
recipes and chefs working at
Michigan Dining, the fish would
be enjoyed immensely by
thousands of students and staff.
In addition to looking for quality
food, Turchan and the Michigan
Dining team were always
looking for ways to increase
sustainability in their dining halls.
Some of their most prominent
initiatives are the " Just-ask "
program and switching to
trayless dining, which have
drastically reduced food waste.
Partnering with local companies
is a perfect way to support the
Michigan economy, lower carbon
impact from product travel,
and provide fresher ingredients,
all while aligning with the
university's sustainability goals
and initiatives. Notably, the
closer one is to a supplier, the
less transportation is necessary
to get the product where it
needs to be-in this case, from
Saginaw Bay to Ann Arbor,
Michigan. Shorter transport
means less pollution from
vehicles, less energy used to
keep fish frozen during transit,
and less overall impact on the
environment. U-M has been
actively working towards
sustainability goals since 2011
and partnering with local businesses
like Bay Port Fish Company, the U-M
Campus Farm, and others has helped the
university make great strides toward its
goal.
On the Bay Port Fish Company side
of things, they were excited to partner
with the university for slightly different
reasons. The university, with more than
22,000 meals served daily across nine
different dining halls, could purchase
more from the Bay Port Fish Company
than any other customer. Because of this
new business, Bay Port Fish Company
has been able to shift from a wholesale
model toward a focus on fileting more
fish. So, instead of selling fish whole to
a reseller, they can sell more directly to
retailers, increasing their revenue. Since
this is also more labor-intensive, Bay
Port in turn is able to hire more people
and give their employees
more hours.
As a result of this mutually
beneficial enterprise, the Bay
Port Fish Company has been
able to expand their business
and continue their family
legacy, while U-M has gained
a local partnership and is one
step closer to achieving their
sustainability targets. Not to
mention, the students at the
university get to eat delicious
Great Lakes fish on a regular
basis. Both organizations have
been able to further their
long-term goals while creating
meaningful relationships in
the process. §
Sustainability for me at
University of Michigan
is supporting our state,
taking care of our
neighbors.
- Frank Turchan,
campus executive chef, Michigan Dining
REELING IN LOCAL | CAMPUS DINING TODAY
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Winter 2023 Campus Dining Today

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Winter 2023 Campus Dining Today
