Liberty Dining by Sodexo Serves “Ghastly Gourmet” for Halloween

Chefs at Liberty University Dining by Sodexo got in the spirit of Halloween this year serving “organ-ic” delicacies from around the globe.

Featured at the International Fusion Station in the new Reber-Thomas Dining Center was Executive Chef Stephen Dziedzic’s “Ghastly Gourmet” menu, including:

Grilled Beef Heart with Chimichurri Sauce over Chipotle Cinnamon Sweet Mashed

Deviled Elk Kidneys on Toast

Bison Liver with Mashed Potato with Fava Bean Dressing

Pork Tongue Taco

Rocky Mountain Oyster over Micro Greens

“Students appeared shocked to see this Halloween menu but intrigued to give it a try,” said Marketing Manager Shelby Burton. “One of our Sodexo team members encouraged students to try the dishes and found that most enjoyed them.”

Executive Chef Dziedzic brought this menu to campus because he wanted the students to try different things that they normally wouldn't try.

“I wanted them to know that just because it is not commonly used, it can also be tasty,” said Chef Dziedzic.

Chef Dziedzic said the idea for this menu came to him when he was thinking what we can do on Halloween that has not been done here before and the idea to cook offal came to my head.

“I started researching ways to prepare them and Hannibal Lector came to my head and decided to make them fine dining offal,” said Chef Dziedzic.

In describing the flavors of each dish, Chef Dziedzic said the grilled beef heart was a tender sirloin steak with a slight hint of game and the deviled elk kidneys were a dish that was savory and had a hint of spice with a game flavor that was extremely tender.

The bison rocky mountain oyster had a taste similar to a smokey bratwurst.

The most popular dish among students according to Chef Dziedzic was the pork tongue taco. He said the salsa verde added citrus and tang with some added heat from the habaneros that pulled it all together.

Chef Dziedzic said the bison liver with mashed potatoes and fava bean dressing was the second most popular dish. The creaminess of the mashed potatoes mixed with the crispiness and gaminess of the liver along with the acidity of the fava bean dressing made this an interesting and flavorful dish.

Burton said this was an ideal example of the inherent creativity of the dining team and the desire to expose students to new tastes and cultures.