A proponent for green and healthy eating on Duke’s campus, Laura Hall is the owner of the Refectory, which has locations both in the Divinity School and the School of Law. Before coming to Duke in 2005, Hall worked as a corporate executive for management and marketing in electrical and computer engineering. Hall now dedicates her time to promoting healthy, fresh and nutritious filled dining at Duke. The Chronicle’s Carter Suryadevara recently spoke with the Refectory’s owner about her experiences at the University.
The Chronicle: What can you tell us about your experiences in your former career?
Laura Hall: I was in the technology industry, working with electrical conductors. I worked on the first IBM computers back in 1981. I saw the world go from wires to wireless…. I started when people thought cell phones would be [irrelevant]. I majored in marketing and management and information systems at Old Dominion. But back then, it was new to put computers and business together. Times have changed.
TC: What was your vision for the Refectory?
LH: The Refectory is a reflection of me. This was about creating something new, something different, a completely new restaurant model. The word “sustainable” has been overused, but I have been all about eating healthy food all of my life. So, to build a place where I could serve nutrient-dense food, to have people enjoy it, from the wonderful flavors to the amazing staff, and to teach... is something I hold close to my heart. A business is sustainable when it does the right things, and we’ve been successful because of that. People recognize that we are doing all the right things. It’s not any one thing, it’s everything—homemade fresh baked goods, homemade soups, a diet that is gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, low fat, carnivorous, protein rich…. We have it all. No matter where you fit in the rainbow of eating classes, we have it.
TC: Where did you grow up? Did certain things about your childhood or where you were raised influence how you operate the Refectory?
LH: I grew up on Long Island. We loved fresh food and farmers’ markets. I grew up eating corn off the stalks. I did the corporate thing to get the training; I got familiar with it, and that is what gave me the skills to do what I wanted to do. I went into sales and marketing, was very successful at it, and it made me financially independent. At that point, I got the opportunity to do something that was good, and that’s what we are doing [at the Refectory]. When you strive for perfection, you get pretty close.
TC: When and how did you end up settling in Raleigh?
LH: During my corporate career, I moved and traveled all over to incorporate what we were doing locally on an international level. I moved to Raleigh three times, and it was in between 14 different moves that I ultimately chose North Carolina as a permanent home. I love fresh air and sunshine, and I just wanted more time outside. North Carolina gave me four seasons, the fresh air and sunshine, the great food [and] the long growing seasons without putting me in Florida.
TC: How did the Refectory become what it is today?
LH: The first few years were very tough. We created this concept—the green eating concept—for Duke. We slowly networked with farms in the area, and today we are linked with 30 local farms. If I can keep it within North Carolina and do business with local North Carolinian farmers, then I will. The first step was to first create the menu, the right menu. Then, it was important to find a staff that understood what I was trying to do. Our vegetables are fresh and beautiful, cauliflower that’s purple…. Have you ever seen purple cauliflower elsewhere? You know why it’s purple? Because it’s fresh and local. Local farmers are able to have diversity in their food because they aren’t dealing with large dealers or distributors, which may be efficient but very unhealthy. I remember when we first started, one of the ways we advertised ourselves was by making a big pot of chili and serving samples to as many people as we could. We took a thousand spoons and went at it, and when people asked if we were out of plastic cups, I said, “No cups, just spoons. One scoop per person. Let’s reduce the trash,” and people were thrilled. As soon as they realized our prices were competitive with other options on campus, business took off.
TC: On average, how many students does the Refectory serve a day during the academic year? How do you manage during the summer when fewer people are on campus?
LH: We serve approximately 800 students every day during the academic school year. It drops significantly during the summer, but we are here to serve the Duke community year round. We account for the drop in customers during the summer by working extremely hard when students are here. We have seven months on, and five months off if you count spring break and Christmas and the other vacations. But we take on as much as physically possible during the school year, and starting this fall we’re expanding to start serving breakfast on Saturdays. We’ll be open seven days a week. We’ve already begun for the summer, and we’re getting e-mails from people who are thanking us! Now, if you want to eat at the Refectory every day, you can.
TC: What do you think about the fast-food options on campus?
LH: I don’t pay attention to them. There’s a reason that they are there, and they’re there for the people that think about their pocket books before thinking about what they’re putting into their body. People like me, in our little corner of the world, are changing that environment. So eventually, those things are going to go away, or they’ll change, because they have to. Gandhi once said those who think one person is too small to make a small difference in the world never slept with a mosquito. When we started five years ago, things were very different. I walked around educating people about recycling, trash, even napkin use! You know, everyone needs to realize they only need one napkin.
TC: Can you talk about the Refrectory’s atmosphere?
LH: It was a white room when I first started. Our sandwich artist painted the fruit—the grapes—on the walls. We opened up with very little money, but slowly we worked on it and it turned into what you see today. We choose these shades of green and yellow, and one day, a Duke psychologist came in and said, “Who picked these colors?” I said, “I did.” She said, “Do you know what you’ve done?” I replied, “I’ve created a very nice environment for people to eat.” The psychologist said, “When somebody walks into all this green, its very inviting and calming, it’s like you’re being hugged. The yellow near the food is stimulating—stimulating people to buy and eat!” The whole Refectory is organic. The artwork, the music—all hand picked.
TC: Would you ever consider leaving Duke and pursuing something else?
LH: This whole thing is a passion. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here. If it were to change, I wouldn’t be here. If Duke were to come along and say we don’t want you to do this part anymore, because times are tough and we want to save money, even though I don’t expect Duke to ever do so, it wouldn’t be the world I wanted. This is me, and this is a reflection of me.
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