The Kessel Student Center is usually not the first place that pops into students’ minds when it comes to a good selection of meals. In fact, it may be the last place to pop in our minds.

The only time Kessel will come up in the conversation of upscale meals is when it is gourmet meal time. I am talking about the meals Kessel provides students with once a week.

Every day, students walk into Kessel knowing what the menus are for each station, because we know they do not change, and it is just a matter of what our appetite is that day. Sometimes you will find something good brewing at the hot food line or a bacon, egg, and cheese is the go-to, but what happens when you are not feeling that on that particular day? Or what if you just want to switch it up for a day?

The opportunity to do such a thing does not present itself often, except for that one day when the grilled cheese station turns into the gourmet meal station. That is when students see the steak dinners, the shrimp pasta, and the twisted mac. Those are what is considered “good eats” and I—along with other students— would like to see a lot more of that.

They are not only really good meals, but they are something that is different from the usual chicken tenders and fries or the cheeseburger and fries that is most frequently ordered. The gourmet meals give students something to look forward to. It makes them excited to go to Kessel and the proof is in the pudding because anytime there is a gourmet meal happening, the line for it nearly goes out into the seating area in Fern Dining Hall.

That can be seen as unspoken positive feedback from students letting the university know that they are excited about it.

“I live in the Townhouses, so if I’m not grabbing and going from Kessel then I’m probably ordering out, but the minute I see the good eats out in Kessel I make sure I’m there to get a piece of that pie,” said junior Shariff Abukari.

Abukari is not the only one who has expressed his passion for the good eats Kessel provides that one time out of the week.

“I know either Monday night or Tuesday night I need to be in Kessel around 5:30 pm because that’s when the good food is out,” said junior Kiana Charles.

Word of the gourmet meals makes its way around campus and students really look forward to having them the day they are out. We would just like to see them more than once a week.