Duke students are not known to champion their dining options.
But, as the innovators of tomorrow, they obviously don't just accept the status quo. Students find alternative sources of food in their own dorms and apartments.
A few years ago, one Duke student opened a restaurant… in his Central Campus apartment.
In 2006, Bryan Zupon—who was then a junior—started his own gourmet “New Southern” restaurant in his room, according to an article from the New York Times. With the help of his parents, Zupon stocked up on the latest kitchen gear and set up shop.
His three-hour meals consisted of six drool-worthy courses—including “candied olive crumble with fish, braised short ribs with scallops… ‘fierce, barnyardy’ robiola cheese with fizzy carbonated grapes and chai ice cream with miso-sesame chocolate and powdered peach and pineapple,” the article said.
Within a month of opening, Zupon was booked almost every week for the following two semesters, garnering the interest of the Triangle food scene and foodies across the East Coast.
Zupon, who graduated in 2008, took his restaurant with him, but other students on campus similarly make the best of their amenities.
Sophomore Yavuz Acikalin said he cooks a few times each week in his apartment.
"I obviously don't have the time to cook every meal, but if I have the time and the energy, I prefer eating my own food," he said. "I find it way easier to cook on Central. The simple feeling of 'being home' is a big source of motivation for me to cook, and it's also much more convenient for having dinner parties and cooking for your friends."
Communal kitchens have limited equipment, making Central more attractive to those who love to cook. Finding the proper ingredients on campus, however, is not an easy task, Acikalin said.
"I do most of my shopping at Whole Foods, Target, or Walmart. There definitely isn't enough access to ingredients one would need to cook a decent meal on campus, so I don't really visit on-campus stores very often."
As far as what Acikalin cooks: poached salmon with tzatziki sauce, beer-simmered bratwurst with sweet onions, manti—Turkish ravioli—and grilled cheese-stuffed meatballs.
"I love preparing breakfast, and I think I enjoy experimenting with eggs the most, so I guess my favorite is improvising with eggs and whatever else I can find in the fridge on a Saturday morning.
"Central Campus resident Andrew Murray, a sophomore, also cooks gourmet meals, although he said he would not consider opening a restaurant.
“I cook sometimes, but it is inconvenient,” he said. “It’s much easier to go to the Food Factory or something, but home-cooking is great when you have time.”
Murray said some of his favorite dishes to cook include from-scratch pastas, burritos and tacos.With most students limited to campus dining options, items that don't come from re-heatable containers can be a much appreciated luxury.
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