ASC to Cook Up Local Tomato Sauce

ASC to Cook Up Local Tomato Sauce

03/18/2014 

Don’t tell any relatives from the old country, but SUNY Cortland’s dining services provider will introduce its own tomato sauce this fall made almost entirely of local ingredients, including more than two tons of organic tomatoes grown in Central New York.

Auxiliary Services Corporation (ASC) has agreed to purchase one acre of farmable land in Preble, N.Y., from Main Street Farms in Homer, N.Y., which should produce roughly 5,000 pounds of Roma tomatoes. A limited supply of sauce — approximately 500 gallons — will be available in Neubig Hall, SUNY Cortland’s residential dining facility, to kick off the 2014-15 academic year.

“This sauce is going to be a pure New York state product, with almost everything coming from right here in Cortland County,” said William McNamara, the director of dining services for ASC. “If we’re going to do it, we want to do it the right way and we want to support the local economy.”

Everything from the tomatoes to the onions to the herbs and spices used in the sauce will be grown locally, McNamara said.

“With this, we know where the food is coming from and we’re going to get a fresher, more organic product,” McNamara said. “It’s coming right from the vine to us.”

ASC traditionally purchases bulk sauce, made from California tomatoes, from its food supply vendor. Not only will the special edition sauce pump dollars into a nearby business, the final product will taste fresher, McNamara said.

A local product, however, also means a higher cost. ASC will pay Main Street Farms approximately $5,000 to farm one acre of land, which should allow for the cultivation of roughly 4,000 tomato plants. Assuming 500 gallons of sauce come from that crop, each gallon will cost $9.71 in tomatoes alone.

ASC pays its vendor roughly $7 per gallon of traditional sauce, and that number includes both labor and containers. As part of a return-to-work employee orientation in August, ASC will turn the sauce making process into a team building exercise to prepare the new product.

“People often ask: ‘How come you’re not buying more local?’” McNamara said. “Well, if we bought everything local, people probably wouldn’t be able to afford a meal plan because it would cost too much.”

ASC group
From left: Bill McNamara, director of dining
services for ASC; Kelley Neville, executive
chef for Neubig Dining;
Pierre Gagnon,
executive director of ASC
; Joe Cook, senior
dining manager for Neubig Dining
; Allan
Gandelman, of Main Street Farms
; Bob
Cat, of Main Street Farms.

The limited edition sauce should account for 5 percent of ASC’s annual supply, and McNamara estimated it would last through September. He pointed out that ASC hasn’t raised the price of student meal plans in four years while finding ways to increase efficiency and reduce waste.

“Our challenge always is balancing the cost of a meal plan and keeping the value there while doing the right thing,” he said.

This latest work project supports Main Street Farms, an urban aquaponics farm and plant nursery that launched in 2011. The farm grows organic products both in water and soil, using aquaponics techniques — a combination of aquaculture and hydroponics — to raise tilapia in tanks. The fish are fed and their waste-water is used to fertilize plants. The flora, in turn, clean the water for the fish in a closed loop cycle.

“They’re environmentally friendly and they’re part of our community,” McNamara said. “They’re able to do what we want and we believe in everything that they stand for.”

The tomato sauce experiment is a one-year trial run for ASC, with the hope to continue in the future.

“Obviously, the more you purchase of something, the cheaper the price,” McNamara said. “Hopefully this is the start.

“We’re looking at this as the potential start of a good partnership.”


More News

Read all about it: Community talk to examine local news 

Read all about it: Community talk to examine local news 

The roundtable discussion is a first step for SUNY Cortland’s new Community News Project. 


Medieval nuns rule in Oct. 4 lecture

Medieval nuns rule in Oct. 4 lecture

Historian Laura Gathagan will discuss European women’s impressive power a millennium ago.


Take a survey on internal campus communication

Take a survey on internal campus communication

The survey will help inform the university’s Comprehensive Communications Committee.


CROP Hunger Walk set for Oct. 22

CROP Hunger Walk set for Oct. 22

Students and staff can help combat world hunger and register for the 29th annual Cortland CROP Hunger Walk.


Cortaca maze road trip planned for students 

Cortaca maze road trip planned for students 

A visit to a local corn maze is a chance for some fall fun and to outdo Ithaca ahead of the big game. 


Cortland again named among nation’s top schools 

Cortland again named among nation’s top schools 

Washington Monthly and U.S. News rate the university among the best in several categories. 


Comedy classic “Blithe Spirit” kicks off theater season 

Comedy classic “Blithe Spirit” kicks off theater season 

Expect ghosts and good times in this lighthearted lead-up to Halloween at the Dowd Fine Arts Center. 


2023 annual report available online

2023 annual report available online

The summary of activities from the past year is sent to SUNY leadership.


Teachers to revisit Gilded Age in Adirondacks

Teachers to revisit Gilded Age in Adirondacks

SUNY Cortland’s ‘Forever Wild’ history program has earned a fifth round of NEH funding.


SUNY Cortland celebrates Latiné Heritage Month

SUNY Cortland celebrates Latiné Heritage Month

Campus events include a talk by award-winning author Esmeralda Santiago on Monday, Oct. 2.