“Oh, I cannot wait for the potato medley!” says Rebecca Levine, Weinberg sophomore, as she prepares to dig into her plate of vegan fare.
Students got to make a plate from a variety of salad, side and entree options like quinoa chickpea fritters, roasted golden beet salad, green freekeh meatballs and quinoa, kale and sweet potato pilaf.
Both NU Real Food (NURF) members and dinner attendees said they were especially excited for the beet mousse. 
Nearly every option on the menu was vegan – including dessert! 
More than 130 people sent an RSVP for the event.
One of the few items that wasn’t vegan was still edible for vegetarians in the room. A nice scoop of vanilla ice cream complemented the caramelized gala apple tart.
“The two things I’m interested in are the green freekeh meatballs – I’ve never had that – and the candied beet mousse for dessert. For me, beet is a very earthy vegetable, so if they can make it sweet, I’ll be surprised,” says Weinberg senior Rachel Hurst.
Matt Ryan, the operations manager for Talking Farm, shared a presentation about the organization’s dedication to education and serving the community in a meaningful way.
Photos by Virginia Nowakowski / North by Northwestern
NU Real Food hosted a campus dinner, called Food and Friends, on Sunday night in the Norris Louis room. The free meal included a nearly completely vegan spread, with dishes such as green freekeh meatballs and candied beet mousse.
As students and community members enjoyed the meal, two speakers delivered talks about sustainable food practices. Matt Ryan from the Talking Farm shared how his organization educates the community through their work in producing a bounty of fresh vegetables every year. A sous chef from Boltwood restaurant offered a consumer’s perspective on choosing to purchase real food.
Organizers Lauren Place, a Weinberg junior, and Samantha Yang, a Weinberg sophomore, said they hoped students came away with a fuller understanding of real food’s feasibility and impact through the night’s program.