When you go into the dining hall, how often do you truly appreciate and talk to the people giving you your food? Take a look at how two college students created a movie that goes Off the Menu to hear those incredible people’s stories.
Off the Menu looks beneath the uniform and into the lives of three staff members from Muhlenberg Dining Services. Coming from completely different countries and cultures, their stories merge at Muhlenberg College where they have found their second home.
The film was directed, produced, and co-edited by Muhlenberg sophomores David Ossa and Niko Romero. The two came up with the idea for the film after fully realizing the hard work that goes into making food for thousands of people seven days a week.
Pictured (from left to right): Film Professor Aggie Bazaz, Editor Matt Solnick, Director Niko Romero, Awa Faye, Mary Martinez, May Rabee Zoda, Director David Ossa, Muhlenberg Dining Service’s Operations Manager Peter Stark.
Off the Menu highlights important issues within society. Everyday hundreds of thousands of students swipe into dining halls all across the country. They go in, eat, and leave, but there is not always consideration or appreciation for the people that make their meals possible.
The three women the film focuses on, Mary, May, and Awa, all come from different places in the world. Mary is from Puerto Rico, May from Syria, and Awa from Senegal. With the current immigration issues and political climate, now more than ever, it’s crucial to show the importance and contribution immigrants have within the melting pot that is the United States.
This film aims to break down the barriers between students and the staff members. Off the Menu also shows what these women, like many other workers, went through to get here and how they are now contributing members of American society.
Here’s the movie you’ve been waiting for
Food brings people together in more ways than you thought!