Maine Course by Sodexo

05/28/2026

🍔 Happy International Burger Day! The hamburger has a lengthy history. Evolving over the years, the hamburger has been traced back to 1758 and was originally named for the city of Hamburg, Germany, where it was known as "Hamburger Sausage." Over time, the hamburger has evolved, before truly capturing America's appetite at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

Americans love their burgers and eat more than 50 billion burgers each year! In our Sodexo dining halls across Maine, we're proud to serve burgers made with Pineland Natural Meats' beef from New Gloucester, Maine. Pineland's roots date back to the 1950s. Their beef is 100% natural, free from antibiotics and growth hormones, and certified by the Global Animal Partnership (G.A.P.), ensuring humane treatment of animals raised for food.

The burger is a classic favorite. Summer is the perfect time to throw a patty on the backyard grill, keeping it simple, or taking it to the next level with some of your favorite toppings.

05/25/2026

05/18/2026

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/evolution-fish-filet-maine-course-by-sodexo-r90gc

For the team behind the Maine Course Initiative by Sodexo, the idea sounded simple enough: create a breaded fish filet made from responsibly harvested Gulf of Maine fish that students would love. After all, diners already knew and loved the classic fast-food filet-o-fish sandwich.

05/12/2026

Across Maine, communities are rediscovering the strength that comes from local food systems rooted in relationships, resilience, and community. For too long, our food supply has relied on distant networks that have disconnected us from the farmers, fishermen, producers, and makers right in our own backyard. Through the Maine Course, a Sodexo initiative, we are working to help change that story. By bringing more Maine-grown produce, locally made products, and regional services into campus dining halls across the state, we are investing in our local economy, supporting Maine producers, and helping our campus communities thrive together.
https://www.slowfood.com/blog-and-news/agroecology-and-resilient-food-systems-slow-food/

05/11/2026

Spring has sprung in Maine, and the ice cream stands are ready for their first customers of the season. And on Eat What You Want Day, why not make it Gifford's Ice Cream, ?

Made right here in Maine with cream and milk sourced from local dairy farms, Gifford's is a Maine Course favorite found in campus dining halls across the state. The Gifford family legacy dates back to the 1800s, growing from a family tradition into a Maine icon that now serves more than 1 million cones each year and produces over 2 million gallons of ice cream for grocery stores, restaurants, colleges, universities, and independent ice cream shops.

Every flavor starts from scratch, crafted through experimentation and the consensus of the taste testers... the Family. Favorites like Wild Maine Blueberry made with Wyman's berries and fresh local strawberries bring the taste of Maine to every scoop.

And for New England sports fans? Gifford's has flavors for you too: Dough Your Job for Patriots fans, Cookie Curveball for Red Sox Nation, and Power Play Fudge for Bruins faithful.

No matter who you root for, one thing is always easy to cheer for: Maine's favorite ice cream. Gifford's.

05/06/2026

Mainers don't need a calendar to know spring is upon them. Spring's arrival is announced with the arrival of the tightly curled fronds of the fiddleheads bursting along riverbanks and damp forest floors.

Fiddleheads are one of the truest signs that the long, cold winter has finally decided to leave and welcome spring. For just a few fleeting weeks, these tightly coiled fronds, which are named for their resemblance to the scroll of a violin, make their annual appearance.

An ancestral food, the Wabanaki Nations recognized fiddleheads as a symbol of renewal. The long, cold winter over, groups would head out foraging for the delicacy each spring. Fiddleheads are gathered, not grown. Even today, they're foraged by hand.

Their flavor? Earthy, fresh, somewhere between asparagus and spinach. However, it's important to note that fiddleheads must be properly cooked-steamed or sautéed-to remove toxins and ensure safety. Most often, you'll find them simply prepared, letting their unmistakable taste shine through.

04/30/2026

Rhiannon Dyer never planned to become a baker. Looking for steady work with hours that would accommodate her childcare hours, she took a job at the University of Maine, Presque Isle, , 21 years ago as a grill cook. And then one day, the baker went on maternity leave, and they needed someone to make the campus baked goods. Just like that, she became UMPI's baker.
As a child, Rhiannon fondly remembers sitting on a chair at her grandmother's kitchen counter for hours, beside her Aunt Stacy and Grandmother, as they made cinnamon rolls; Rhiannon cutting rounds of dough, dipping them in butter and sugar before they were popped into the awaiting oven.
Now her days begin at 7:30 a.m. First on her list are the morning pastries and then her very popular chocolate chip cookies, the ones the campus Starbucks can't keep stocked. She studies the day's menu, adjusting as she goes. Learning to use Maine Grain's flour in her baked goods was challenging at first because the ratios differ from those of large commercial flours, but it is worth it. Not only do the grains create a delicious product, but they also support the local community. Rhiannon appreciates the Maine Course's commitment to using local grains. "It helps people around here...It is circular," she says.
Students love her whoopie pies, and her oatmeal cream pie. This is when her creativity comes through. If Chocolate cake is on the menu for three days, she will reserve some of the batter to bake the beloved pies. Oatmeal cookies scheduled? Rhiannon will take her oatmeal cookie ingredients and, in addition to the cookies, she will whip up one of her oatmeal cream pies. Small, creative moments that break from routine.
She wishes students would stop by and say hello and let her know what they would like to see on her menu. But at day's end, the empty trays tell her everything she needs to know.

04/24/2026

Food Donation Friday! Sodexo is turning surplus into impact. 40% of food in the U.S. goes to waste, but donating surplus food can help feed millions and make a real difference.
Through our Stop Hunger & Better Tomorrow roadmap, we’re donating hundreds of thousands of pounds of surplus food each year to food banks across the country, helping local communities directly. We also mobilize teams through Servathon to support those in need.
Look for donation boxes in your campus dining halls. Less waste. More meals. Real change.

04/23/2026

Earth Week at USM in Portland, just got even more delicious! Today, in McGoldrick, the Veggie Life team, showed up. We’re serving up Veggie Life quinoa burgers and a hearty jackfruit chili as part of our Maine Course celebration of local vendor partnerships during our month-long Earth Day celebrations.
Veggie Life is a women-owned Maine company creating 100% vegan, gluten- and nut-free foods that celebrate vegetables for what they are, no imitation needed.
Come and try these wonderful plant-based options and support the earth and your local businesses!

04/23/2026

Continuing the celebration of our partnerships with local vendors, UMA's Moose Tracks, , served delicious turnovers filled with Passamaquoddy Wild Blueberries. Passamaquoddy Wild Blueberries, , is the world's largest Native-owned wild blueberry farm. Hand-raked for generations by the Wabanaki Nation, these antioxidant-packed superfoods are featured in our dining halls. Maine Course by Sodexo is proud to support Maine's heritage and sustainable, local agriculture!