Colby-Sawyer has chosen Parkhurst Dining as its new dining services partner, effective July 6. A division of Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Parkhurst provides dining and catering services to more than 65 private colleges, universities and corporations across the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and east north-central regions. The college previously partnered with Sodexo, one of the world’s largest multinational corporations.

“The college remains grateful to the Sodexo team on campus that aligned with its mission of putting students first,” said President Susan D. Stuebner in a statement to the campus community. “As Colby-Sawyer shifts to a four-year residency requirement, though, it’s more important than ever to provide the highest quality experiences for students.”

A passion for creating and consuming good food drives Parkhurst’s approach to offering meals that are fresh, made from scratch and cooked in small batches. Burgers are hand-pressed; baked goods are homemade; and pizzas are made with fresh dough. All soups and sauces are made from scratch, entrée meats are roasted in house, and fried entrees are hand-breaded. The company plans to add a rotisserie oven, a special pizza oven and other equipment upgrades to Colby-Sawyer’s servery.

“Parkhurst Dining is committed to providing authentic culinary experiences to our guests,” said Bill Albright, vice president of Operations for Higher Education Dining for Parkhurst. “This means offering the freshest ingredients prepared in the most flavorful ways. We look forward to customizing meals specific to our students, faculty and guests at Colby-Sawyer College.”

A leader in the dining industry when it comes to sustainability, Parkhurst has been part of the farm to table movement since 2002 when it developed its FarmSource program. The program finds and partners with local growers and family-owned farms within a 150-mile radius of any given site; more than 20 percent of food served by Parkhurst is sourced locally. This percentage is in keeping with Colby-Sawyer’s current level of local sourcing and social awareness in the dining hall; Colby-Sawyer was the first Fair-Trade Certified private college in New Hampshire and implemented the first college-run food recovery program in the state.

Parkhurst has been recognized with awards from Food Management Magazine, the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association, The American Culinary Federation, FoodService Director Magazine and others.