University Center of Lake County now hosting local food carts
For first time in three years, there are cooks in the kitchen at University Center of Lake County in Grayslake serving hot, tasty meals to students in the latest sign of life returning to normal following the worst of the deadly pandemic.
For the past two weeks, food carts run by husband-and-wife teams have filled the building's lobby with the intoxicating fragrance of Filipino cuisine.
This week, Edward and Kat Otadoy of The Lumpia Lady served the traditional spring roll from the Philippines after which their food cart is named as well as BBQ pork skewers and adobo chicken wings.
Last week, married couple Nate Domingo and Dianne Antonio of Da Local Boy used the previously dormant kitchen to serve their Hawaiian-Filipino fusion menu, which included seared ahi tuna salad, huli huli chicken, poke nachos and more.
Anani Moy, associate dean of academic services and programs, said they were so lucky to get such popular local food trucks to open the kitchen back up.
“It's been amazing to have all this foot traffic back in the building that we've been missing,” Moy said.
Moy said the first day she met many of Da Local Boy's fans who follow the cart on social media and seek it out wherever it happens to be.
Antonio said she was so glad to be able to cook in a kitchen rather than their usual food cart and said their fans really liked being in the University Center building, once they could find it.
“Our customers were like, 'Where are you?'” said Antonio, who noted that when they found the building they had a great experience.
The University Center of Lake County is located on northeast side of the College of Lake County's Grayslake campus. The only institution of its kind in Illinois, the University Center allows its students to earn degrees from four-year public and private colleges and universities.
Moy said because most of their students are working adults they are asking the food trucks to stay open for lunch and dinner hours.
Before the pandemic, the University Center had an arrangement with a local catering company to sell food from the kitchen, Moy said. She said so far having food carts use the kitchen has been a success and she hopes it continues.
Antonio agreed and said she, Domingo and their 5-year-old son, Sky, plan to return two to three days a week starting in March after a planned trip to see family in Hawaii.
“I just want to thank the community for accepting our cuisine and embracing us,” Antonio said. “And for the university to give small businesses like us resources we can utilize.”
To see which food cart is visiting the University Center visit facebook.com/UniversityCenterofLakeCounty.