Dining at Al Salaam Academy

Building Community, One Morsel At A Time

Just as family dinner is one of the important times of the day, lunch at ASA is one of the most integral parts of the school day. Our community strengthens as students share lunch each day with their peers, teachers, and staff with both genders separated by alternate lunch timings. The opportunity for young adults and teachers to casually interact and chat about an Ayah or Hadith or even current events is invaluable to building the relationships and the necessary suhbah (companionship) that is imperative to developing Iman (faith). The dining room and the nutrition program add another dimension to our abiding mission to educate as well as nurture in mind, body, and spirit, bringing us closer to the vision that the Prophet (upon him and his family be peace) had for the Muslim community.

With tray-less food service and an established effort to reduce waste and plastic use, the dining program models sustainable practices, teaching students important lessons each day. The daily menus pass a nutritionist's scrutiny, while the meat and poultry is sourced from local Muslim farms and ethically certified butcheries, ensuring spiritual peace of mind and health and wellness with each morsel. 

FAQs about dining at ASA

  • At ASA, we ensure that all our food is Halal and ethically sourced. Additionally, we take it one step further by obtaining meat and poultry from local Muslim farms and butcheries to ensure that our students only eat farm fresh, nutritious, ethical halal meat and that local Muslim businesses are supported.

    We also ensure that when we cater food, the company adheres to our requirements or we supply them with the ingredients for the meal.

  • Keeping with Prophetic values, sustainable and green practices throughout the kitchen and dining room are integral to the School's dining philosophy.

    We purchase from vendors who provide Halal farm-to-table products.

    We do not use cafeteria trays to conserve energy and water.

    We do not use disposable plastic products.

    We try to utilize products from local Muslim owned farms.

    We try to use products that are biodegradable to reduce climate impact.

    We purchase seafood in accordance with the Seafood Watch guidelines for sustainability.

    We conserve the use of electricity whenever possible in the kitchen and dining hall.

  • The daily menu is designed to meet various dietary needs in addition to being Halal and ethically sourced.

    VEGETARIAN OR VEGAN

    If the student is a vegetarian or vegan, they won't go hungry at lunchtime. One of our food stations offers a hot vegetarian option daily.

    SEAFOOD (HANAFI)

    All seafood options are in accordance with the Hanafi School. This ensures that all other Schools can be accommodated by default.

    All Seafood not conforming to the Hanafi Madhab will be labelled.

    ALLERGIES

    If the student has a food allergy or intolerance, please ask to speak with an administrator. We also keep documentation of all of our ingredients for students to review.