Baala Shakya, Staff Photographer
On March 27, Yale Hospitality served the inaugural Veritas Search Winner Dinner, planned by Rosie Hampson ’28, who was one of the winners of the Veritas Search, a campus-wide scavenger hunt last fall.
The dinner was served in all fourteen residential dining halls and featured a menu curated by Hampson herself, highlighting a mix of hearty and plant-based dishes. The menu consisted of selections such as red lentil soup, Rosie’s cauliflower cheese pie and vegan five-way chili, along with salmon a la plancha and chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream.
“I love to cook, so I chose recipes that I enjoy cooking (and eating) at home!” Hampson wrote to the News. “The pie, soup, and kale are some special favorites that my parents and I make often, and the pie is my mom’s favorite meal. The asparagus I chose in celebration of spring, in the style my dad cooks it for holidays, fried with butter and breadcrumbs.”
Hampson initially expected to choose just one dish and planned to request a cauliflower cheese pie, a family favorite from “Moosewood Cookbook.” After meeting with Menu Design Manager Danielle Vance and Executive Chef Adam Hill, she instead designed the full menu, selecting a main dish, starch, vegan option, two vegetables, meat, soup, salad and dessert.
Some items, like the five-way chili and olive oil mashed potatoes, were suggested by Yale Hospitality staff, while others, including the Caesar salad and chocolate cake, were family staples.
“I’m vegetarian, and salmon is the only meat I ever eat, so hence that choice,” Hampson wrote. “Overall, I chose recipes that were simple, comforting, and made me think of home!”
The Veritas Search, a Yale-based event dedicated to uncovering hidden campus histories and challenges, was started this past semester. In total, 16 capsules were hidden around campus, with prizes such as a meeting with Anderson Cooper ’89 and a private dinner with Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis at Mory’s.
Winners of the Veritas Search were invited to a celebration dinner, where they selected prizes based on the order in which they found their capsules. Hampson had the sixth pick in the draft.
Reactions to the menu were largely positive. Though they criticized the lack of meat, both students interviewed by the News agreed that it was a solid meal.
“Honestly, I went in with very low expectations given the lack of meat,” Levi Cervantez ’28 said. “But the actual meal turned out pretty well and the kale and mushroom dish was so good.”
Josh Li ’26 expressed similar sentiments.
“Despite myself being an adamant omnivore, I have slowly grown to vegan and pescatarian foods due to the unique flavors that can be brought out without the juices of meat,” wrote Li.
He added that though Rosie’s Cauliflower Cheese Pie wasn’t by itself the holy grail for him, its pairing with the red lentil soup was “just like a fine Ribeye paired with a crisp 2019 Darioush Malbec.”
The Veritas Search was co-founded in 2024 by Neil Mathew ’26 and Lucas Anmolsingh ’26.