Last week, Middlebury College Dining Services introduced a new chocolate hazelnut spread to Proctor Dining Hall on a trial basis. The return of the fan-favorite food marks the first time the college has offered a chocolate hazelnut spread in dining halls since March 2023, when Dining Services removed Nutella due to inflation and environmental sustainability concerns over its production. The new spread is being introduced alongside other changes to the dining halls, including new to-go containers and new menu items.
Dan Detora, executive director of Food Operations at Middlebury, explained the new spread’s limited availability in an email to The Campus. For the near future, the spread will only be offered in Proctor Dining Hall as Dining Services measures student demand for its new concoction.
Head Baker Brian Cashman is in charge of making the hazelnut spread each day, and he described the meticulous testing process that goes into perfecting the spread’s recipe.
“Oftentimes we notice that the Nutella stiffens up once put out [in the dining hall], so I’ve been working with different chocolate-to-hazelnut ratios and oil ratios,” Cashman said.
Since Cashman is the only chef making the spread, he mentioned that he may have to prepare a week’s worth of Nutella at once, which will then be served until it runs out.
Most students were unaware of the return of a chocolate hazelnut spread, and those who were noticed that it is only available in limited amounts.
“I heard a while ago on YikYak that [the Nutella alternative] was back in the dining halls, but I haven’t seen it in Proctor yet, nor been able to try it,” said Jeff Adams-Lopez ’28.5.
Detora provided some answers to students like Adams-Lopez and their Nutella questions. “How much we go through will determine the days in which we can offer [it],” he wrote.
Just as Dining Services hopes the new “Nutella” will offer students an equally satisfying and sustainable option, Middlebury recently announced the introduction of stainless steel takeout containers, which will be introduced in the fall 2025 semester.
Nicole Meyers ’26.5, the Student Government Association (SGA) cabinet director for Health and wellness, explained that the containers come from the company USEFULL, which sells reusable to-go containers to several other colleges. The containers will function identically to the current plastic trays but without the old carabiner system.
To debut the new containers, Meyers and her team organized a “Future of Dining” event on Feb. 25 in Atwater Dining Hall. The evening consisted of a special eco-friendly vegetarian menu inspired by Dolci and a display of various takeout container prototypes which students could vote on.
Will the New-tella live up to its predecessor? Only time will tell.
