University of Maryland Dietetic Internship: M&M Presents the Harvest Festival Theme Meal

Welcome to The Harvest Festival!!

Co-written by UMD Dietetic Interns Mariah Staley & Meredith Dillon (M&M)

Meredith Dillon preparing decorations for the Harvest Festival

Did you know Harvest Festivals are celebrated all around the world?! For thousands of years countries have celebrated the harvest with ceremonies and traditions. In China there is the Mid-Autumn Festival where they eat mooncakes and light paper lanterns. Many Jewish communities observe Sukkot, a harvest festival in mid to late September, and in Southern India the harvest is celebrated by eating special foods and decorating cattle. Here in the US, the Harvest Moon and Thanksgiving are main harvest festivals. With our meal falling on October 30^th, we thought it only fitting to celebrate the produce and flavors of fall by bringing the Harvest Festival to Riderwood!

Harvest Festival Meal Flyer

During our time at Riderwood, a retirement community, we developed our menu and recipes, worked with kitchen staff to enhance our culinary skills, and used multiple marketing techniques to advertise our meal to residents and staff. One way we advertised for our theme meal was by creating a commercial with Riderwood's TV Studio. Check it out here- Harvest Festival Commercial! Our main focus with this meal was to allow guests the experience of eating foods that use produce that is grown during the autumn season, while incorporating flavors from around the world. We were able to accomplish this by using pumpkin, squash, apples, and many other produce that are all in season. Check out this cool link to find out more produce that is in season during the fall!! What's In Season? Our menu featured items like Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries & Pecans, Butternut Squash & Mushroom Lasagna, and Spinach & Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast.

Theme Meal Menu

The weeks leading up to our meal were busy and filled with preparing ourselves for the 150+ people we were forecasting to have attend our lunch. With the help of Riderwood staff, especially their amazing chefs in the Windsor Room kitchen, we were able to pull off a delicious Harvest Festival Lunch for residents and staff!