With the beginning of the spring semester, Southeast Missouri State University added Kaldi’s Coffee House featuring My Daddy’s Cheesecake pastries to campus. The roasting company has locations on both ends of the campus, inside of Kent Library and Scully Building.

Kaldi’s Coffee originated in St. Louis in 1994. Over the past 23 years, the roasting company has grown to become the leading retailer and wholesaler for quality coffee in St. Louis.

Employees of Chartwells were committed to enhancing the guest experience through locally-sourced and made-from-scratch foods. Since a great amount of students on campus are from the St. Louis region, Chartwells decided to bring in a concept that was local to that area.

“Kaldi’s was a perfect fit since so many of our students are already familiar with their coffee,” Alicia Ticer, director of marketing and student engagement at Southeast, said.

The Kaldi’s Coffee Cart reintroduced a dining location inside of Kent Library that is suitable for students, faculty and staff, as well as visitors. This location has shorter lines than the other coffee-offering locations on campus, which can save time. In addition, the cart offers a selection of on-the-go Items, as well as bottled beverages.

Cape Girardeau’s own My Daddy’s Cheesecake is also featured with Kaldi’s for pastry options.

“When it came to choosing a pastry shop, we looked at what local shops from the community would be a great fit for the location, and My Daddy’s Cheesecake immediately stood out,” Ticer said.

Since opening the two locations, Chartwells representatives said they are constantly receiving positive feedback from the campus community.

“While some students are excited to have a new fresh local coffee taste, others are raving about the new fresh fruit smoothies,” Ticer said.

Chartwells has a wide variety of dining events and special limited-time offers scheduled that will change every week.

In February, Chartwells is hosting Black History Month lunches every Wednesday, which will feature a meal from a traditional African region. On Valentine’s Day, a premium night at Towers Café is planned featuring raspberry mint-infused waters, a melting station and more. As for residential dining, to keep the offerings fresh and relevant, new concepts are introduced each week.

“We consistently analyze our locations and look to add new concepts when we feel they would benefit the campus community,” Ticer said.