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If the kitchen is the heart of the home, then Widener’s Pride Café is the heart of campus. 

The Chester-based dining facility, powered by Widener Dining Services and Aramark Collegiate Hospitality, is cooking up new initiatives – from exciting culinary-inspired events to meaningful collaborations with departments and student groups – that are transcending the traditional dining experience to deepen belonging and inclusion at Widener.

According to Bryan Lasso Bravo, a 4+1 electrical engineering major and international student from Ecuador, the new initiatives are making a big impact. 

“Our chefs are really taking the time to get to know who they're feeding, whether it's students from the other side of the country or the other side of the world.” — Bryan Lasso Bravo '25

Bravo is part of small group of international students partnering with Widener Dining to develop menu items from their respective home countries. The new collaboration invited Bravo and others to share a recipe from home along with its cultural significance and personal meaning. 

Widener Dining’s collaborations span programs and departments across the Chester campus. In October, the dining team partnered with the School of Nursing for a breast cancer awareness campaign to support local cancer patients. This spring they will join Students Affairs in support of “Swipe Out Hunger,” a leading national effort dedicated to ending college student hunger. 

Developing community-based partnerships, in addition to a thoughtful menu, is a key ingredient in Widener Dining’s success. 

“Community outreach and civic engagement are the heart of our core fundamentals,” said Nicole Norton, general manager of Widener Dining Services. “We also take into consideration student feedback collected via surveys to ensure our menus provide ample variety of regionally- and globally-inspired cuisines and a careful balance of exciting new trends mixed with familiar home-style comfort foods.” 

With guidance from mom back home, Bravo dug up a home-style recipe from his family cookbook known as Sango de Camarón, an Ecuadorian comfort food dish made with shrimp and green plantains. 

“For me, and other cultures as well, food is not only the things you put in your mouth,” said Bravo. “It’s also a way to share special moments with your loved ones at the table and it’s also a way to preserve our culture and its flavors and tastes.”

The opportunity to introduce his culture and traditions to his Widener family has been a highlight of Bravo’s academic career. 

“I didn't expect this but it confirms that I'm in the right place and I'm getting value here. I feel like the people around me in the Widener community are interested in my story." — Bryan Lasso Bravo '25

Gillian Cruz ‘25, a fellow electrical engineering major, expressed a similar experience of belonging by way of Widener Dining. As a first-generation American of Puerto Rican descent, Cruz takes tremendous pride in her heritage and values when it is not only recognized, but celebrated.

“I learned that the best way to feel like you belong is just to be seen. I'm Puerto Rican so when I walk into the cafeteria and I see Puerto Rican food, I immediately know they took the time to curate that and make me feel seen and that I belong here,” said Cruz.

Building community and connection through food was the inspiration for Supper Club, Pride Café’s latest event series that features a thoughtfully curated, four-course menu with a unique culinary theme. Since launching last fall, the dining event quickly gained popularity among staff and students, including Cruz. 

“Supper Club blew me away. It was some of the best tasting food I’ve ever had. Chef Matt is incredible at anything that he puts together,” said Cruz, referring to Widener Dining’s award-winning executive chef, Matthew Clarke. 

Clarke worked alongside Norton and the Widener Dining team to kick off the series. Norton explained that the dinners are open to students, staff, and university leadership to “offer a unique opportunity for participants to connect in a formal setting within our dining hall and strengthen community bonds and create a sense of belonging.”

For Cruz, who knows most of the dining staff by first name, that genuine sense of belonging is what she has come to expect from her time at Widener. 

“I knew going to a small school would benefit me in class but I never imagined that I would have the relationships with the people that I do now,” said Cruz. “That is an experience that I wouldn't find anywhere else.”

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