Philosophy

At Pearson's, we stick to strict food standards in order to assure the highest level of service and quality in our dining hall.

In our dining facilities, fresh is the name of the game. Menus are written based on the seasonality and availability of regional product, meaning food offerings are varied and rotate often. Whenever possible, Pearson's partners with local farms and Maine companies to procure produce that is grown using sustainable and organic practices. In order to preserve the quality of these premium products, fruits and vegetables are prepared at the last possible minute and served in the smallest possible batches.

We take the same approach to our protein options, too. Chicken is purchased free of antibiotics, and beef and other meats are free of antibiotics as a first preference. In adherence with the guidelines recommended by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, our tuna is dolphin-safe and water-packed, salmon is wild-caught, and seafood is purchased fresh as available. When possible, we aim to use milk that is free of any artificial growth hormones.

In the Pearson's kitchen, chemically-preserved, prepared food is not the way. Our mashed potatoes are never from a box, we use only freshly squeezed lemon juice for cooking. Our from-scratch mantra comes into play whenever possible: salsas, pizza, marinara, and other sauces are made by hand; stocks are prepared in-house; most salad dressings are homemade; and cookies, muffins, and breads are baked fresh daily. The use of MSG is never allowed in the preparation of our foods.

By sourcing wholesome products and cooking them in-house, we're able to ensure healthy practices are used to create our dishes. That extends to the food we prepare for those with specialty diets; because we make the food ourselves, we can ensure that foods marked as allergy safe are in fact gluten-, dairy-, soy-, nut-, and meat-free. Healthy nutritional choices and a minimum of one vegetarian entrée are available at each meal period. We even believe fried food can be made healthier by only using non-hydrogenated canola oil in our fryers to minimize the presence of trans-fatty acids in our foods.

The bottom line: Try Pearson's, and we promise, you'll taste the difference.