This trendy space offers a dozen flavorful food concepts at UMass’ award winning No. 1 dining

Editor’s Note: How can a dining program that serves tens of thousands of students and staff each day churn out award-winning cuisine that has been recognized by Princeton Review for having the best campus food for seven years in a row? MassLive visited the UMass Amherst campus, interviewed chefs, tasted the food and toured the kitchens to find out how the UMass Dining program became a dining dynasty.

One of the hottest spots in the No. 1 ranked UMass Amherst dining program is the Blue Wall dining area located within the university’s campus center, which offers about one dozen flavorful food concepts spread out across the main concourse.

A popular pedestrian thoroughfare and crossroads in the heart of campus for students, staff and visitors alike, Blue Wall’s flavor profiles range from savory to sweet and incorporate global cuisines from Latin America, to the Mediterranean, to East Asia.

The sleekly designed Blue Wall — called so due to the blue lights reflected on the walls around the space — is currently open weekdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., but its diverse food installations offer varied opening and closing times depending on if they cater to breakfast, lunch or dinners crowds, or all of the above.

Different than the four dining commons on the UMass campus — Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Worcester — those who dine here pay at the counter for ready-to-go or dine-in meals either with cash, card or allocated meal plan dollars instead of a typical meal swipe to tap into a cafeteria space.

Nevertheless, those passing through or coming for a bite to eat will catch students gathering, chowing down and studying across its eclectic seating arrangements much like any dining hall or café across the university.

However, like all the dining halls, guests to campus are just as welcome as these students and school faculty to stop by and dine, according to Lynn Pelkey, the UMass location manager for Blue Wall.

Feeling like a sweet treat? Stop by Yum! Bakery with glass cases displaying its many sweet treats from éclairs, to macarons, whoopie pies, cannolis, cookies, cakes, cupcakes and even cheesecake — with a separate glass case set aside for those with gluten sensitivities, Pelkey noted.

Right next to the bakery, Blue Wall patrons can sample small spoonfuls of Italian gelato before they order a cup or cone at Paciugo, where, according to Pelkey, all the gelato is made in house, fresh and by hand daily.

Flavors here range from “raspberry coconut milk,” to “lavender,” “turtle cheesecake,” “dulce de leche,” and “Cookie Monster,” among others.

International flavors abound at spots like Tavola — a Mediterranean concept which offers lunchtime crowds hummus or pasta bowls, pizzas, and wraps and salads that can come with beef, skewered lamb or chicken or vegetarian friendly alternatives like falafel.

Across the way at Tamales, authentic Mexican cuisine from burritos, to quesadillas to rice bowls are offered — and those waiting in line can even peer to the kitchen from behind a glass wall, where a tortilla press churns out tortillas for preparation and consumption.

For varied Asian flavor profiles, try Wasabi or Star Ginger. At Wasabi, which Pelkey said offers “fresh” and “hearty” meals, menu items include sushi rolls, poké bowls, spicy tuna or salmon bowls.

Over at Star Ginger, recipes originate from celebrity chef and cookbook author Mai Pham and are based on meals Pham ate growing up in Vietnam and Thailand. Staples here include Vietnamese pho noodle bowls, curries and entree meals such as Mongolian beef and lemongrass chicken.

For more general tastes, spots like Deli Delish offer handmade sandwiches at lunch, while The Grill sizzles up burgers and grilled sandwiches, with the “Hatch Burger,” made with grass-fed beef, fried egg, bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce and garlic aioli, being a best selling specialty, according to Pelkey.

And if you’re in the mood for some vegetables, Green Fields offers a range of set salad and wrap recipes. Customers can also customize their own wrap or salad, with different add ins from the greens, to the toppings, cheese and protein options.

Pelkey noted Green Fields’ crispy breaded chicken is a signature menu item add on for salads and wraps.

Additionally, if it’s too early for most Blue Wall spots to be open just yet, Campus Center denizens can stop by People’s Organic Coffee for a cup of joe or tea along with other café-style menu items.

Or patrons can swing into Harvest Market, which offers cold and hot bar items priced by the pound, including breakfast, or stop by any time of day to pick up different snacks, drinks or pre-packaged meals ready to go at one’s convenience.

And just like all operations under UMass Dining, Pelkey noted Blue Wall’s food items list different potential allergens and nutritional informational on small placards. These signs also indicate full ingredients and factors like if a food is considered halal or vegan.

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