Campus Cuisine
Life on campus brings interesting surprises sometimes...
mostly in the form of cuisine that becomes "unique" to
its institutions and academic palaces. Some of these I've
experienced first-hand. Some of these have been
contributed by others wanting to contribute to this
growing list. So, if you're reading this and have a
unique campus culinary creation, let me know about it by
E-mailing me!
MIAMI UNIVERSITY
Oxford, OH
Tuffy's Toasted Roll
http://www.hdg.muohio.edu/shriver/?showme=tuffy.htm
Visitors to the campus quickly become aware that Miami is
a University with many traditions. And one of those
traditions is known as Tuffy's! Tuffy was the nickname of
Myron Timothy Potter, who came to Miami in 1921 as a
freshman and never left. Working his way as a soda jerk
in a local drug store and as a sandwich peddler on the
street, Tuffy also decided to open up his own business.
Tuffy's Place opened in 1929 in a ground-floor nook of
the nearby three-story Tallawanda Apartments, and Myron
Timothy Potter soon became too busy to graduate. Despite
the Great Depression and beyond, Tuffy's Place was a
popular campus gathering spot where generations of Miami
students met for refreshment and socializing. This habit
turned into nostalgia as Tuffy's became a mecca for
returning alumni until it closed in 1973. The standard
fare included the usual Coke, coffee, hamburger and ice
cream; but there was a mystique about Tuffy's specialty:
Toasted Rolls. Thousands agreed that nobody else knew
just how to make rolls so tasty. To old and proven
friends, Tuffy might confide that it was a combination of
sugared rolls from a secret source, flavored with a
special spread and warmed on a unique grill. Yet everyone
still suspected he kept some secret in reserve because no
home-toasted roll was quite as good, and few restaurants
even tried. The Tuffy's tradition is kept alive in
Shriver Center's specialty shop of the same name where
dozens of Tuffy's Toasted Rolls are still prepared and
sold daily. The demand for Toasted Rolls during the
annual Alumni Weekend keeps our in-house bakery busy
around the clock!
Cheesy Clinton returns to Tuffy's as late-night
snack
Ben Garbarek
http://www.miamistudent.net/media/storage/paper776/news/2006/12/05/Campus/Cheesy.Clinton.Returns.To.Tuffys.As.LateNight.Snack-2521667.shtml?norewrite200612302102&sourcedomain=www.miamistudent.net
The rumors are true: the Cheesy Clinton is back at
Tuffy's. After a brief hiatus, the renowned Cheesy
Clinton is once again featured on the Tuffy's menu for
those looking for a late-night snack. The Cheesy Clinton
disappeared after Tuffy's closed as a late-night venue.
According to Tina Rotundo, executive manager at Tuffy's
and Haines Food Court, the Cheesy Clinton was only
offered as a "third shift item" and was a victim of the
earlier closing times. For those unfamiliar with this
Miami culinary tradition, a Cheesy Clinton consists of a
slice of pizza placed in the middle of a grilled cheese
sandwich. The Cheesy Clinton was created by a late-night
manager at Tuffy's in 2003. According to Ian Ballard and
Dush Ratnayake, both student managers at Tuffy's, an
extremely intoxicated student, named John Clinton,
attempted to order "a slice of sausage pizza and a
grilled cheese," however this student was slurring his
words so badly that Vicky Curler, the manager that night,
heard "a slice of sausage pizza in a grilled cheese."
Puzzled by this request, the manager gave the student his
order and placed the slice of sausage pizza in between a
grilled cheese sandwich. The student enjoyed this new
creation so much that he continued to come to Tuffy's and
order this unique item. Gradually Clinton and his friends
ordered this culinary masterpiece until it was dubbed the
"Cheesy Clinton" and became a fixed item on the Tuffy's
menu. According to Ballard, the return of the Cheesy
Clinton was spurred by comments during the past year of
its departure and the number of students purchasing pizza
and grilled cheese sandwiches in order to make a Cheesy
Clinton on their own. "I completely stopped going to
Shriver after they stopped making them," said Pat
Deignan, a Miami junior. "But now that it's back, I'll
probably go back because it's a good alternative to Bell
Tower." Other students shared the same sentiments. "I
quit going to Tuffy's to protest their earlier closing
times," said Josh Poling, a Miami junior, "but now that
the Cheesy Clinton is back, there's a good chance I'll go
more." However the Cheesy Clinton isn't the only new item
at Tuffy's. New this year at Tuffy's are calzones, new
cappuccino flavors and patty melts. The Cheesy Clinton is
only served after 10:30 p.m. at Tuffy's and Haines Food
Court in the Shriver Center. Tuffy's is now open from 7
a.m. until midnight daily and Haines Food Court is now
open until 3 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Cheesy
Clintons are priced starting at $3.16 for a slice of
cheese pizza in a grilled cheese. For those seeking other
pizza toppings, a Cheesy Clinton with these extra
toppings will be priced at the cost that slice of pizza
plus a grilled cheese sandwich.
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Lansing, MI
Sesquicentennial ice cream at Dairy
Store
By Jennifer Toland
The State News
http://www.statenews.com/article.phtml?pk=29282
The MSU Dairy Store has found its own way to celebrate
the 150th birthday of MSU - by creating a new
sesquicentennial flavor of ice cream. MSU President Lou
Anna K. Simon came up with the idea for the ice cream and
said that Sue Carter, secretary to the MSU Board of
Trustees, identified the specific flavor of cake batter
ice cream with a frosting swirl. "We wanted something
that people could use when they came to campus through
the (MSU) Dairy Store, that was affordable and could be
used in a lot of events," Simon said. "The (MSU) Dairy
Store being an important part of what people remember
when they come back to Michigan State, it seemed like ice
cream was a good choice." The Kellogg Center and the MSU
Dairy Store will be selling the ice cream for the next
year. John Engstrom, dairy plant manager, said the ice
cream has been a big hit so far and is unique to MSU.
"Everyone has cake batter ice cream, that is nothing
unusual," Engstrom said. "But the green frosting is
ours." The ice cream has been used by various student
groups in residence halls, the Kellogg Center and the
Union for a variety of events, Simon said. She said that
ice cream can be easily served, which is one of the
reasons they chose to commemorate the anniversary with
the dessert. Since the flavor's debut in the MSU Dairy
Store about one month ago, many students have come in
looking for it, said Becky Ryan, an animal science junior
who has worked at the MSU Dairy Store for a year and a
half. Lauren Dean, an elementary education senior and
employee coordinator of the store, said a lot of students
have been talking about the ice cream and word about it
has gotten around. "We had been talking about it for a
while and thought it would be fun," Dean said.