Nestled in the small village of Well, located in the Dutch province of Limburg, the Emerson College Kasteel Well program resides. With around 80 students a semester, the program’s small size fosters a sense of community.

One of the key players in creating the community at Kasteel Well is the catering staff. Melanea Vemealssel, who has been a member of the Kasteel Well staff for four years, strives to create a community at Emerson through the dining experience. 

“I like to see [the students] happy. If they come here and they are all enthusiastic and [say] ‘Oh look at this,’ I love it,” Vemealssel said. ”I like to do [this] for everybody.”

Vemealssel aims to create an inclusive environment for all students at the castle through dining. Whether that is making a student’s favorite home-cooked meal or having a dessert option, the Kasteel Well dining staff makes it their utmost priority to include a variety of cuisine and familiar favorites. 

“It’s always nice to do something special for that one allergy or the one that likes apple pie,” Vemealssel said. “They are here far from home so they [should] eat good stuff here.” 

The Kasteel Well staff are continuously providing students with meals in a space that allows them to not only socialize with one another but also with the faculty on campus.

“When I go to the dining hall, they are so nice, so kind. They kind of provide a sense of comfort and home,” said Jonah Gershovich, sophomore visual media arts major. “The food is always home-cooked and so delicious, and there are only a couple of them, so they always work so hard.”

On the weekends, the Kasteel dining experience looks a little different. With students frequently traveling during the weekends, there is a more intimate atmosphere. From Friday to Sunday, the catering staff offers two meals: brunch and dinner. Brunch spans the length of the morning into the early afternoon and is Vemealssel’s favorite meal to prepare. 

“I like it all, but I think the brunch I like the most. One meal, two meals in one, so you can do a lot. You can have a salad bar, something warm, something cold, but everything is nice,” Vemealssel said. “I don’t have one thing that I like, I like it all, the castle, the people, it is one big happy thing here, for me.”

Creating a relationship with students means figuring out what they like, or in this case, what food they like. According to Vemealssel, the most ordered item on the Kasteel Well grocery list is Nutella, going through approximately one jar a day.  

“I think one [nutella] a day, sometimes two a day, so about eight a week,” Vemealssel said. “If we don’t have it, it’s not good. Students don’t like it when we do not have it.” 

Being in a secluded environment, the Kasteel Well program and the catering staff pride themselves on making genuine connections with students. Seeing so many faces come and go every three months while also creating a relationship with students can be difficult, but Vemealssel and her colleagues have learned to adapt to the unique situation. 

“Sometimes it’s a little different because with some students you have a special thing, it starts from the beginning,” Vemealssel said. ”They have their own new things. They learned a lot here and then a whole new group arrives and it’s the same thing.” 

Not only do the students impact the staff in positive ways but the dining hall staff also leave a lively impression on the students and remind them of the comforts of home when they are thousands of miles away. 

“The kitchen staff here at the castle are absolutely amazing. They are so sweet. We see them all the time and they constantly make our days better by greeting us with a smile and they obviously give us the amazing Kasteel Well food,” said Makenna Cannon, sophomore health and social change major. 

Seeing the same familiar faces every day can provide a sense of comfort for Kasteel students who are constantly traveling to new places and surrounded by unfamiliar people. The dining staff at Kasteel Well provides a known atmosphere and a consoling environment. 

“Having local staff and individuals who are super caring and passionate about working with kids and seeing kids every day makes a very homey feeling and sense of community in the castle and adds greatly to the environment of fostering friendship and community,” Cannon said.