Krishna Kitchen Shut Down Over Food Safety Concerns

Many students returning to campus this semester have been surprised to see Krishna’s Kitchen absent from the Sojourner Truth Library lobby. The restaurant had occupied the library location for over a year, months after closing its Church Street location in town. In just a short time, Krishna had become a staple on campus, serving food some students considered to be higher quality or healthier than other options on campus. As a self-described “ethical Indian restaurant providing vegan, vegetarian and gluten free meals,” it served a diverse community.

The decision to close Krishna last fall was due to a variety of reasons, including issues with opening on time and having certain products consistently available. However, the primary reason was their failure to adhere to the food safety guidelines that Sodexo has.

Sodexo owns the exclusive rights to serve food on campus, which means it manages all food options on campus. All food vendors are either entirely staffed and managed by Sodexo, or are unaffiliated companies still required to contract with Sodexo. So, even though Krishna was an independent business, it was still under the management of Sodexo as a subcontractor.

Sodexo is a French multinational corporation, which operates a variety of dining services across the world from schools to prisons. Sodexo has been repeatedly accused of unfair labor practices including anti-union behavior. Protests on campus in 2012 highlighted the extent of activist efforts at SUNY New Paltz against Sodexo. The administration has continued to renew their contract since.

Executive director for Campus Auxiliary Services (CAS) Steve Deutsch spoke on the issues they faced with Krishna’s. He said towards the end of their tenure in the library “there was a problem with getting management to do almost anything administratively well.” Hari Ravel, an owner of Krishna, was present at the library location less and less over time, which was felt in the operation quality.

Ravel did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Deutsch was disappointed that they had to close Krishna since it was a very popular dining location that offered “vegan and ethnic” options.

Sodexo prides itself on its relatively strict food safety regulations, which Deutsch stated are stricter than Ulster County regulations. He said that because of this, the Ulster County inspector considers SUNY New Paltz to have the most reliable food safety in the county.

Michael Cavalieri, the resident district manager for Sodexo at SUNY New Paltz, dealt directly with Krishna last semester over health and safety concerns. He reports to Deutsch at CAS as a client to make sure the decisions Sodexo makes for campus dining are made “based on the best options for students.” They decided that terminating Krishna from campus operations was ultimately in the best interests of students.

“I know everybody likes to get down on Sodexo, but we have a lot of standards that are followed on a day-to-day basis, from temperatures to hot-holding and cold-holding,” Cavalieri said. “All of our food is treated very safely. As a subcontractor, [Krishna] needs to follow those same standards, and it’s unfortunate that they were unable to meet them on a consistent basis.”

Cavalieri had multiple meetings with Ravel that did not end the way he hoped. In the interest of protecting Krishna’s privacy, Cavalieri and Deutsch declined to specify which food safety guidelines were violated.

Third-year biochemistry major Jesse Racsko commented on Krishna’s closing down. “Krishna’s was pretty much the best source of any vegetables on campus, especially because the other options at Perry’s or the SUB are pretty grating. For me, Krishna’s was a very vital part of staying healthy on campus, and I am dismayed to see it go,” she said.

In its place, Yadi’s Empanadas has moved to the library lobby from their former location in The Roost.

Yadi’s Empanadas owner, Yadi Derisse took a leap of faith and opened her business four years ago after the pandemic. At first, she started doing pop-ups at events, gaining notice until Yadi’s was invited to the on-campus farmer’s markets that began in fall 2023. Then last semester, Sodexo brought Yadi’s on campus with  its first set location at The Roost.

Deutsch and Cavalieri spoke highly of Yadi’s, stating their confidence in moving them to the library. “Decisions are made based on data,” Cavalieri said. Yadi was successful at the Roost. Bringing her to a more centralized location on campus has given her more exposure and business and makes it easier for students to get to her during the day.”

In addition to concerns over healthy options on campus, Racsko also mentioned the lack of a meal exchange option at Yadi’s. Currently, only dining dollars or cash can be used, whereas Krishna offered a meal exchange option. “At Krishna’s, I could also use meal swipes, I didn’t have to use dining dollars,” she said

Cavalieri addressed this concern saying that “meal exchanges are difficult financially with sub-contractors because money is actually lost by offering them.” The Sodexo district manager said that they “are deciding what direction to go with the exchanges here.”

Voleile Derisse, Yadi’s husband, credits their success and movement on campus to the students.

“We would have stayed there forever. But from there, we are here … and I think that was definitely student driven.”

Yadi and Voleile met at SUNY Plattsburgh 32 years ago in a dining hall, so serving food now to students on a SUNY campus has been a heart-warming experience.

“It’s not only food but also the atmosphere and the culture — to make it warm. We’re representing with that Caribbean flare.”

It is clear that Yadi’s is here to stay. The business proved itself at the farmers’ markets last year and at The Roost last semester. While many of us may be saddened to see Krishna go, there are many reasons to come to the library lobby and enjoy some empanadas.