Since joining the University of Mississippi dining staff in September 2021, Campus Executive Chef Michael Brainard has made many changes to Rebel Market.
Rebel Market is the university’s main dining hall and the first certified green restaurant in Mississippi. The Green Restaurant Association judges restaurants on specific environmental standards.
Rebel Market has partnered with local vendors such as Oxford Community Market and Ole Miss Green to bring fresh produce to campus. Brainard said that this was one of the central changes made to Rebel Market’s food service.
“Since joining the campus community, I’ve focused on elevating our dining experience by making it more sustainable, diverse and locally connected,” Brainard said. “One of the key initiatives has been establishing partnerships with local vendors. These partnerships not only support local farmers but also ensure that our students enjoy the freshest and most nutritious ingredients.”
Rebel Market features stations serving a variety of food options, some of which Brainard implemented. Some of the new additions include a made-from-scratch pasta station and an international station.
“We now bake fresh bread in-house and have upgraded our scratch-made pizza doughs and implemented pizza building robots and a made-to-order pancake machine,” Brainard said. “We’ve started growing our own leafy greens, herbs and microgreens through a hydroponic grow shelf, and those are served in the dishes we make. We’ve also launched Red Cup Barbecue, a new station that brings authentic barbecue with a local twist.”
Rebel Market reported serving 112,527 meals so far with just four weeks left in the 2024 fall semester. Last fall semester, they served a total of 133,471 meals. This data does not include people who paid with card or Flex.
Brainard said that students have appreciated the new changes, especially the emphasis on fresh and local sourcing.
“Students appreciate knowing where their food comes from and enjoy seeing a direct connection to the community,” Brainard said. “The new stations have also been big hits. I’ve had students share that they love the variety of flavors and options that these stations provide.”
Jorjee Olson, a junior theater major, said she likes Rebel Market for its price and diverse options.
“I think it is very good for the price,” Olson said. “I think they have more diversity of food than when I was a freshman.”
Diners at the Rebel Market who have a meal plan can pay one meal swipe per meal. Those without meal plans can also dine for $11 at breakfast and $14 at lunch or dinner.
Freshman Lance Sumners said he also enjoys the more diverse food offerings.
“I feel like Rebel Market is one of the best places here at Ole Miss to dine at,” Sumners said. “There are some improvements that they can make, but it’s a pretty good dining spot where they have various options that you can choose from.”
Colin Kirchgessner, a freshman accountancy major, said he likes the convenience of Rebel Market.
“I like (Rebel Market) a lot,” Kirchgessner said. “I come here mainly for the coffee, but the food’s great. I go to the burger place here a lot. I’m in a fraternity, so it’s really convenient to come here from the house.”
While many changes have already been made, Brainard said that dining service is continuously developing based on feedback from students.
“Our marketing team regularly holds focus groups with EDHE classes and student organizations like ASB, which gives us direct insight into what students want from their dining experience,” Brainard said. “Additionally, our campus-wide dining styles survey provides feedback on everything from food variety to sustainability practices. The changes are all about responding to what students have told us they care about most — quality, convenience, variety and sustainability — and we’re excited to keep evolving based on that feedback.”
