Upper Commons

Dining services are a major part of campus life at Roger Williams University, serving thousands of meals each week to our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. We invite you to join us, experience great food and share great company!

Flip through the guide, or click here to view and download a copy.

When it comes to wellness, Bon Appétit’s focus is on simple, delicious food — that happens to be good for you. To support long-term health, we are bringing more plants to menus every day in a craveable way, while emphasizing healthy cooking techniques. When healthy food tastes good, nourishing your body and mind becomes the easy choice.

We serve thousands of guests with food allergies and sensitivities safely in our cafés every day. Our chefs, managers, and dietitians work closely with our food-allergic guests to create reasonable solutions to help them eat what they love. If you have questions about eating for your dietary needs in our cafés, reach out to us: we’ll gladly meet with you.

Wellness also includes the health of the animals, the workers, the community, and the Earth. They’re all connected. Bon Appétit has been committed to “food service for a sustainable future” for decades, and we’ve led the food service industry in tackling many important issues, such as cage-free eggs, antibiotics in animal production, and farmworker rights.

SERVING STUDENTS WITH FOOD ALLERGIES AND CELIAC DISEASE
The dining services team is well-trained in food allergy awareness and offer a number of options for students with food allergies and celiac disease. This includes communication about and modification to existing menu items, special preparation of menu items, and access to special products as agreed upon with students. Daily menus for each café can be accessed at rogerwilliams.cafebonappetit.com.

Menu items that are appropriate options for most students with celiac disease are labeled as “made without gluten-containing ingredients” and can be filtered to streamline searching using the dietary preferences filter. Top-9 allergens are included in menu names and/or descriptions whenever possible and questions about ingredients can be answered by our trained managers/chefs on-site.

DINING WITHOUT THE TOP-9
We understand that our guests with special dietary needs, albeit food allergies, celiac disease, lactose intolerance, or any other medically necessary diet simply want a safe place to make food choices, quickly. To allow guests to have readily available options that meet their needs, we offer OASIS — a destination in Upper Commons where all meals are prepared without the use of top-9 allergens plus gluten through the sole use of whole foods. Additionally, there is a dedicated space attached to OASIS, adjacent to the Salad Bar, offering a variety of gluten-free breads, pastries, and condiments as alternatives to traditional gluten-containing options. This space is located in a designated area of the café and there is a separate toaster oven available to limit cross-contact.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
For more on eating with a food allergy in our café, visit this page and view the guide on food allergies and celiac disease at Roger Williams University below.

CONTACTS
For questions about these services or to request food allergy accommodations, students should contact:

James Gubata – General Manager
401-254-3399 | jgubata@rwu.edu

Daniele Rossner, MS RDN – Regional Nutrition and Wellness Manager
860-538-3708 | daniele.rossner@cafebonappetit.com

Carol Weddell – Allergen Specialist
401-254-5372 | cweddell@rwu.edu

Jon Cambra – Executive Chef
401-254-3547 | jcambra@rwu.edu

Victoria LoBello – Sous Chef
401-2545722 | vlobello@rwu.edu

Student Accessibility Services
401-254-3841 | sas@rwu.edu

Brenna J. Toland, M.A., LMFT, M.Ed. – Director of Student Accessibility Services
btoland@rwu.edu