From Fumble to Menu Feature

Error often generates innovation. Shayden Xa, a fourth-year International Relations student, experienced this firsthand during his summer term as Program Assistant at the Campus Food Hub. What started as a culinary conundrum turned into a best-selling menu item at the Food Hub—and students can’t seem to get enough of it! 

It began as a normal day for Xa, preparing a large batch of strawberry jam on the stovetop in the Campus Food Hub kitchen. Before long, Xa found himself in a sticky situation: the jam was burnt. 

“I honestly considered just trying to sneak it away and have nobody notice,” Xa laughed. “But I needed to save it somehow. There was no point in wasting $100 that nobody gets to eat.”

Instead of throwing away his mistake, Xa researched potential uses for burnt fruit. 

“I found out you can make barbecue sauce out of any type of fruit,” Xa shared. While the jam was originally destined for the Food Hub’s breakfast menu, a few Google searches—and some creative thinking—allowed it to evolve into a lunchtime feature. 

The missing puzzle piece

Xa’s berry-based barbecue sauce proved to be a crucial addition to a work-in-progress recipe being developed at the Food Hub. 

“I’ve been trying to give students a more savory option at the Food Hub. A lot of the menu items at the takeout station are more sweet than savoury. That’s how I came up with making the egg sandwiches.” 

However, Xa felt that the egg sandwiches tasted unfinished. Following the kitchen calamity that produced his barbecue sauce, Xa realized he had already created the exact thing his sandwich was missing. Together, the creamy texture of the eggs and smoky-sweet barbecue sauce were the perfect lunchtime pairing. 

“As a result, I turned a mistake into a new product that improves production efficiency while reducing food waste,” Xa says.

Despite stemming from a mistake, Xa’s egg-and-barbecue-sauce sandwiches were a roaring success. Exceedingly popular during the Food Hub’s summer lunchtime service, his creation flew off shelves just as quickly as they were stocked. 

“The sandwiches have been so popular that we ran out of bread,” Xa says. 

Replacing his sold-out grab-and-go creation, Xa developed an equally-delicious recipe to satiate students: mashed potato egg bakes. 

This new menu item, amongst other tasty treats, are available at the Campus Food Hub from Tuesday to Friday every week.

Try it yourself

Interested in making your own barbecue sauce for back-to-school lunches? Follow the recipe below for a DIY condiment that will bring bold flavours to any sandwich. 

Ingredients: 

• 50ml strawberry jam
• 100ml tomato paste 
• 3 tbsp onion powder
• 3 tbsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp oregano 
• 2 tbsp crushed red chili flakes 
• 1 tbsp paprika 
• 1 tbsp chili powder 
• 3 tsp salt 

Tools:

• Medium saucepan
• Measuring spoons
• Spoon or spatula, for stirring

Instructions: 

1. Add tomato paste and jam to saucepan
2. Stir in seasonings
3. On medium-low heat, lightly simmer mixture in saucepan for 7 minutes, or until thickened
4. Enjoy!