Recent Saint Louis University graduate Dylan Moffatt brings more than nutritious meals to the table at Fresh Gatherings Cafe + Farm on SLU’s south campus. His focus and passion lie in student collaboration and supporting local vendors.
As the new school year kicked off, Moffatt rose to the occasion as Fresh Gatherings’ new head chef.
Since its founding in 2004, Fresh Gatherings has served as both an educational lab for students in the nutrition program, as well as a space for the larger SLU community to dine and connect. Its philosophy lies in making nutritious, delicious food from scratch. To accomplish this, it utilizes locally sourced ingredients to create seasonal dishes for a weekly rotating menu. The student-run cafe is operated by the culinary program and department of nutrition and dietetics, and includes a full-service coffee bar.
After graduating in August 2025 and receiving his master’s in nutrition and dietetics, Moffatt joined the Fresh Gatherings team in September this year. Moffatt said he quickly took the opportunity to give back to his alma mater.
“I just like their philosophy on doing local vendors and local produce,” Moffatt said, adding that he would like to incorporate as many Missouri-grown ingredients as possible into the Fresh Gatherings pantry.
This statement is in line with Fresh Gatherings’ constant commitment to exposing students to high-quality, locally grown food in the greater St. Louis community.
Fresh Gatherings aligns closely with Moffatt’s clear passion for using fresh ingredients, as it sources from many local vendors. He said he works closely with farm co-ops such as Blueprint Coffee and Rolling Lawns Farm.
As a former SLU student and nutrition intern, Moffatt said he was familiar with the ins and outs of the system at Fresh Gatherings but has faced a variety of new challenges.
Moffatt said that stepping into his first job as head chef at his alma mater was a daunting task. He faced this difficult challenge head-on and described his current growth, both personal and professional, as “accelerated.”
“It has brought me up to speed on how the real world runs,” Moffatt said.
Fresh Gatherings is historically student-run, and Moffatt said that he thoroughly enjoys working with employees from a wide range of majors, cultural backgrounds and cooking experience. Moffatt said he wants to foster a culture of mutual learning and innovative curating through this diverse culinary team.
“It’s nice to give the students tools to then be proud of what they are producing,” Moffatt said.
Devin Racho, a senior nursing student, who has been working at Fresh Gatherings since the fall semester of his sophomore year, described Moffatt as relaxed, easy to talk to and good at balancing management while giving the students independence.
Racho has worked with previous Fresh Gatherings head chefs and said Moffatt has a unique philosophy he appreciates.
“The other day [Moffatt] told me that he wants to try and improve something at Fresh, even if it’s a little bit, every day,” Racho said.
Whether through small adjustments to a recipe or perfecting preparation technique, Racho made it clear that Moffatt is always looking to improve.
One change Moffatt immediately put into effect was reducing the amount of student workers on shift at a time.
“Last year we had almost 15 to 20 people working at the same time,” Racho said. “Having a smaller working team and working environment helps a lot.”
Racho said Moffatt is always on the move. Whether that is helping a student perfect a recipe in the back or whipping up delicious lattes at the front, he is always filling in where needed.
When it comes to accommodating dietary restrictions, few on campus do it better than Fresh Gatherings. SLU sophomore nursing student Connor Carlson has plenty of experience with this.
As someone allergic to dairy, eggs, tree nuts, bananas and avocados, Carlson said that he finds comfort in Fresh Gatherings’ organic recipes and transparency. Carlson said while there is a limited variety of suitable campus dining options for his dietary restrictions, he appreciates the clear and reliable allergen labeling at Fresh Gatherings.
Additionally, their Instagram stays up to date with the menus and ingredients for the day, where Carlson and others can see if the meal coincides with their dietary needs.
Carlson gladly utilizes these tools on a regular basis, and said he was very excited for the reopening of Fresh Gatherings.
With a dedication to continuing Fresh Gatherings’ mission and enhancing the dining experience on South Campus, Moffatt said he intends to strengthen their positive impact on the SLU community.
As students on South and North Campuses anxiously awaited its reopening, it came back with a bang. After fall break, on Oct. 29, Fresh Gatherings’ Instagram account, @freshgatherings, shared that daily lunch specials were coming back Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
