NC State alumna Simone Saleh is on cloud nine. Neomonde Bakery, her family’s business, is growing fast and the new North Raleigh store she has been managing since graduating from the Poole College of Management in May is also busy. On Thanksgiving Eve customers flocked in for festive coffees and breads.
Saleh is most excited, however, about the bakery’s new business accounts, including hotels, Trader Joe’s supermarkets and, most recently, NC State dining halls. Neomonde Bakery now supplies 95 percent of NC State Dining’s bread.
“This is a coup,” Saleh says.
Including more local food is part of the “My Roots Are at NC State” sustainable dining program launched by NC State Dining this summer. Currently 25 percent of all dining hall food comes from North Carolina. This surpasses the national average, says NC State Dining Sustainability Coordinator Christopher Dunham, who adds that he anticipates that this number may grow exponentially next year.