Dining Services

Our State-of-the-Art Dining Hall

The Mary and Larry Pope Dining Hall, made possible by the generous support of over 350 donors, stands as a testament to our commitment to fostering healthy bodies and minds. Designed with a full-service professional kitchen, our dining hall provides daily selections of nutritious meals for every student, creating a space where HRA students, faculty, and staff can come together to enjoy a high-quality lunch, develop social skills, and build lasting relationships.

Student Dining Plan Information

Executive Chef Uwe Schluszas and his team serve wholesome, freshly prepared meals tailored to students’ taste and trends in the culinary world. Dining plans are included with student tuition and guarantee lunch daily. Lower School students pre-select their daily meals, while Middle and Upper School students choose from a hot meal, a vegetarian option, and the deli/salad bar and pick it up when they go through the food line. All students have access to water, milk, and unsweetened iced tea to accompany their lunch. Lower School students also enjoy rotating daily snack offerings, while fresh fruit is available to Middle and Upper School students as a grab-and-go late morning snack every school day.

Partnering with Our Hydroponics Lab

Connecting the dining hall and Lower School wing is the unique, 1,000-square-foot Martha H. Patten Hydroponics Lab. This lab is tended by students and features vertical growing towers that supply fresh produce to the dining hall. This facility also serves as a backdrop for science lessons and supports HRA’s community service efforts.

Meet Executive Chef Uwe Schluszas

Meet HRA’s Executive Chef, Uwe Schluszas! With over 40 years of experience, Chef Uwe brings extensive culinary expertise from his native Germany and across the world, including Austria, Luxembourg, France, England, Switzerland, and Bermuda. Drawing on these influences, he is proud to serve up a wide variety of American classics and international favorites. Before joining HRA, he served as a chef at the Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg for over 18 years. Now, our students and faculty eagerly look forward to Chef Uwe’s balanced, fresh, and nutritious lunches every day!

Dining Service FAQs

Our dining hall is a central part of student life at Hampton Roads Academy, providing delicious meals that cater to diverse tastes and dietary needs. Below are some frequently asked questions to help you learn more about our dining services and what to expect.

Is a meal plan included in my student’s tuition?

Yes—all dining plans are included in your child’s tuition. At HRA, your child will never have to bring lunch money to school.

What about students with dietary restrictions?

Chef Uwe is considerate of students with dietary restrictions due to religious customs or medical conditions. All dietary restrictions are filed with the school nurse and communicated to our dining services team. Our goal is to provide students with information about meals beforehand through the monthly menu and on menu cards in the food lines so that every student can eat safely. If your child requires a pre-plated meal due to dietary restrictions, please email Chef directly.

Where do Pre-K, Junior Kindergarten, and Kindergarten students eat lunch?

These students enjoy their lunch from the comfort of their classrooms. Hot meals, pre-made sandwiches, and salad options are all able to be delivered directly to the Pre-K, Junior Kindergarten, and Kindergarten classrooms.