Witten/Herdecke University is expanding its kitchen to provide even more sustainable catering

The University Catering Service at Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) is expanding its canteen kitchen: from now on, meals will be freshly prepared in the modernised kitchen at the neighbouring Christopherus-Hof. The new premises offer significantly more space and state-of-the-art facilities. This means that four to five times as many meals can be prepared each day – previously the figure was around 200. The university is thus meeting the rising demand caused by growing student and staff numbers. At the same time, new opportunities are emerging for even more sustainable food and neighbourly cooperation.

More space for fresh and sustainable cuisine

“Our kitchen team has been working with great dedication for years,” says Karl Janiszewski, Managing Director of the Hochschulwerk (HSW), which is responsible, among other things, for the catering services at the UW/H. “With the new location, it finally gets the space that matches this level of commitment.” After all, more space also means that catering can develop further: the commercial kitchen offers more room to process fresh food, so that the proportion of organic, regional products increases. At the same time, pre-prepared ingredients can increasingly be replaced by home-made components – industrial convenience products, for example, by home-made stocks. In this way, the HSW offers dishes that are not only tasty but also sustainable. After all, those in charge want to actively encourage people to discover new ingredients and engage with good nutrition.

Lunch will continue to be served at the university; a small electric car delivers it from the kitchen to the canteen. For UW/H staff and guests on campus, little will change – production will simply take place at a different location. Sandwiches and other cold dishes will continue to be prepared and sold directly in the university kitchen.

Another advantage: the short walk from the Christopherus-Hof to the UW/H takes you right past the educational plot, where organic vegetables are grown as part of the ‘Feldversuch’ project in collaboration with the Entwicklungsgesellschaft für ganzheitliche Bildung e. V. Using as much of this produce as possible is a key focus of the project. “We also use this practical learning environment in various courses and events to link the topics of health promotion, nutrition and agriculture,” says Stella Bünger, head of the Feldversuch project.

Christopherus-Hof can be supplied with fresh food

Christopherus-Hof is run by the non-profit organisation Christopherus Haus e. V. People with and without disabilities live there in seven residential communities, comprising 70 residents receiving care and a further 30 community members. The farm’s kitchen had stood empty since 2024, after the previous chef retired and no successor could be found. Since then, the residents have been provided with delivered meals.

The arrival of the canteen kitchen is creating new synergies: in future, residents can be supplied with fresh meals. At the same time, the collaboration is intended to go beyond mere catering. “We are delighted to have the Christopherus-Hof as a partner and to foster a sense of community in the neighbourhood,” says Karl Janiszewski. “A joint project has emerged here that will certainly strengthen ties beyond just the food.”

In the long term, those in charge see further possibilities; for example, it is conceivable to supply schools or nurseries, or to offer takeaway lunch options for smaller businesses. For now, however, the focus is on getting the new kitchen up and running. “The priority now is to get the processes running smoothly in the new environment,” says Karl Janiszewski. “We have ideas for the future – but first, we need to get the new kitchen up and running properly.”