CPP Dining Partners with Umami United to Enhance Vegan Cuisine on Campus
Cal Poly Pomona Enterprises (CPPE) Dining Services has partnered with Tokyo-based Umami United to make CPP one of the first universities to incorporate the food-tech’s egg substitute, Umami Egg, in vegan recipes on campus.
The partnership began when CPPE Executive Chef Kristopher Arguin was introduced to Umami United through one of his suppliers. Arguin then attend a demonstration of the company’s 100% plant-based whole egg replacer,.
Arguin was immediately drawn to Umami Egg’s potential and started experimenting with the product.
“I started testing out ideas at home with it and realized immediately it was a game changing product for vegan cooking, especially baking,” Arguin said.
Arguin noted how even when used in conjunction with plant-based milks, bakery items made with Umami Egg retained their structural integrity unlike many vegan baked goods, a concept he began to test in recipes at Centerpointe Dining Commons on campus.
“We did a small pop up during a breakfast and lunch service,” he said, “where we made pancakes and egg salad with Umami Egg.”
Students who taste tested the vegan options were impressed by the fluffy texture and rich flavor of the pancakes and eggs made using Umami United’s egg replacer.
Cal Poly Pomona and Pomona College were the first to feature Umami Egg in dishes served on college campuses in the United States.
On April 25, Centerpointe hosted their Las Vegan Luncheon, where more recipes using Umami Egg were featured for the Cal Poly Pomona community. Yuko Monge, a sales business developer for Umami United, attended the special event and was thrilled to see the dishes using their product.
“In many universities, students are seeking plant-based options,” Monge said. “There’s a huge demand coming from Gen Z [students] because of environmental issues. Eggs are also affected by things like the bird flu and price fluctuations.”
Sodexo, a major food service provider for universities and colleges, has pledged to increase the number of plant-based offerings on their menus to 50% by 2025. This commitment was made in reaction to Gen Z being more willing than ever to embrace a plant-based diet.
Arguin is now working with Centerpointe’s baker, Norah Harvey, to include Umami Egg in the dining hall’s vegan bakery items, and Centerpointe will continue serving vegan options at multiple stations in the dining hall including vegan pizza, burgers and more.
Additionally, Arguin posted his recipes using Umami Egg on social media platform LinkedIn, which garnered attention for Umami United from esteemed institutions like Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston University and more. Arguin also set up demonstrations for the Japanese company to highlight their product to the University of California, Los Angeles and US Foods, a leading food distributor.
CPPE Dining Services is excited to continue providing innovative and delicious dining options for the entire Cal Poly Pomona community including those with special dietary restrictions and preferences.