Pasta rules at newly renovated campus café

By D. Lyn Hunter, Public Affairs

Wurster Hall’s newly renovated café, Ramona’s, features bright new flooring and furniture, plus a revamped menu with an Italian accent. Andrea Sohn photo

06 March 2002 | After a long hiatus, Ramona’s Café, a popular campus eating establishment for more than 20 years, has re-opened with a “fresh look” and new menu.

The restaurant, housed on the first floor of Wurster Hall, has been closed for nearly two years while the building underwent seismic upgrading.

Dining Services, which oversees operation of the eatery, took advantage of the down time to remodel the restaurant. New red, yellow and orange floor tiling, new tables ,chairs and equipment and a fresh coat of paint are among the changes.

Highlighting the new art deco-style interior is an eight-foot-wide burnished steel sculpture of the café’s new logo, designed by campus staffer Andrea Sohn.

“The restaurant really has a fresh new look and is very inviting,” said Nancy Jurich, director of dining services. “And the new menu offers items you can’t find anywhere else on campus.“

Gone are the burritos and tacos that Ramona’s used to serve. Diners can now feast on “grab-and-go” deli-style sandwiches or tossed-to-order Ceasar, spinach or green salads. But the pièce de résistance is the pasta, Jurich said.

Patrons may choose from two pasta options. Ravioli with marinara, fettuccine alfredo or penne with mushroom sauce are among the combinations available. The menu changes daily.

Breakfast includes an assortment of pastries, cold cereals, bagels and juices to go along with a cup of “joe.”

Ramona’s — purportedly named after one its first employees — is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Meal cards and cash are accepted.

While business is light right now, Jurich expects things to pick up when the students, faculty and staff of the College of Environmental Design, formerly housed in Wurster, move back in during spring break, March 25 to 29.