As temperatures drop, students seek warmth through mugs of hot chocolate, large winter coats, or the Dining Hall’s fresh bread. In the coldest winter months, the Dining Hall staff prepares various styles of warm bread every day at lunch to satisfy student cravings. 

The origin of this tradition is unclear. In fact, Director of Culinary Services Jed Coughlin says, “Winter bread has been a long-standing tradition that actually predates my arrival back in 1998.”  Regardless of the original intentions behind this tradition, students are always grateful to have some delicious, warm bread to eat in the middle of busy winter days.

Katie Callback, a member of the dining hall staff, is in charge of the bread baking. She plans each new flavor a week in advance, referring back to her predecessor’s recipe book. She also gets inspiration from Pinterest and Google. Regarding upcoming flavors, Katie commented, “the kids love monkey bread, so I try and do that weekly or every other week.” Other popular flavors include pepperoni and cheese and garlic with herbs. 

For many students, winter bread is a highlight of the term. Claire Holding ’21 noted, winter bread “makes the cold trip from the schoolhouse to the dining hall worth it.” With dozens of different flavors ranging from classic sourdough to banana and pumpkin bread, students devour the twelve loaves that Katie makes each day. Elizabeth Girian ’20 said her favorite flavor is “by far the wheat because it not only makes me feel whole, but it warms my little cold heart.” Wally Capen ’22, on the other hand, said, “the monkey bread is my favorite because it cheers me up during these dark, cold winter days. It tastes so good… The only feedback I have for the dining hall is that I wish they would make more of it.” Lucky for Wally, the dining hall is always asking for suggestions, so if you have been craving a particular flavor of bread, make sure to check out the suggestion board near the where waffle and ice cream stand.

So, whether you are about to crush St. Mark’s or get destroyed by a major commitment, remember that the winter bread is always there to make these dreary days a tad better. 

LET’S GET THIS BREAD!