Utrecht University
We're De Pit, a student-run community kitchen. We cook filling, plant-based meals for €5, and we're building a community of care around food. Happy, healthy people and a healthy planet for all 🌱
About us
That was the simple idea behind De Pit. We asked students at Utrecht Science Park what they thought of the food on campus, and the answer was clear: overpriced, not filling, not much variety. You either bring food from home or settle for something expensive and often unhealthy. We thought there should be another choice, so we started one.
We want De Pit to be a concrete solution to a problem we see on campus: the lack of affordable and sustainable food. And we want to do it in a way that's rooted in the region, in what students actually need, and in our values of sustainability and community.
A warm, filling lunch for €5, and big portions too. Our dream is to bring that down to €4 so it's even more accessible.
Everything we cook is plant-based. We buy from local farmers like Tuinderij Kansrijk, and rescue "imperfect" veggies through Instock. Our packaging is biodegradable, and our food scraps go to compost in the STORM garden on campus ♻️
De Pit is more than a food stall. Volunteers from all over the university cook and serve together, and we host community dinners, harvest days and farm visits. Food brings people together 💛
Pilot 2026
On 3 February 2026 we opened our doors, and we sold out within the first 55 minutes 😱 From then until 26 June we served lunch at the Educatorium every week, Tuesday to Friday.
“So many people wanted to help, which indicated that there is a need for this kind of initiative on campus.”
Our story
De Pit grew out of the Young Future Food Movement Utrecht. Lena, one of its founding members, came up with the name.
Christina (Musicology), Paula (Global Sustainability Science) and Josh (Energy Science) help found the Young Future Food Movement Utrecht, with one mission: positive change through food, culture and education. They were done with expensive lunches on campus that don't fill you up.
We get a €1000 Playgrant from Playground UU for our signs, banner and (very cute) aprons, and hand out free lunch at Utrecht Science Week with Grounded Community Kitchen.
With €7000 in grants, a team of part-time chefs and connections with local food producers, we run three trial days in the Educatorium kitchen to train our volunteers.
Sold out in 55 minutes, almost 100 portions on day one 🥳
Monthly community dinners, a composting pilot, meme time, and lunch interviews with student associations like the VSA, STUK, ViaKunst and Johanna.
Our crowdfunding hits €3052. We decide not to continue our partnership with Eurest after the summer, so we can carry on as an independent initiative. Lijst VUUR and RUPS openly support De Pit in the student elections debate 🔥
We close the pilot on 26 June. Students from the Master's in Sustainable Development make a De Pit cookbook so you won't miss us too much over the summer.
We're in talks with Campus & Facilities about a permanent home. It's taking longer than expected, but we're keeping the community alive and kicking.
Events
Even without a kitchen we're still cooking up plans. Everyone is welcome, whether you're a Pit regular or just hearing about us for the first time!
A cosy get-together to talk about the future of De Pit and the future of food systems on campus. Let us know if you're coming via the link in our bio. There will be snacks!
Chip, an organiser at Toekomstboeren, the Dutch agroecological association, tells us how agroecology supports you. Chip works especially hard to make space for young, queer farmers in Dutch agriculture. Together we'll map the agroecological farms around you. Sign up via the link in our bio!
Ever wondered where your veggies come from? We took a 20-minute bike ride to the self-harvest farm de Gagelgaard to see how they farm sustainably, and pulled a few veggies out of the ground to take home 🥬
With Green Office UU
The STORM student garden next to the Groenman building is being demolished for renovations. We brought dishes to share and talked about a new home for a community garden on Utrecht Science Park 🌻
As the pilot came to an end, we got together over a warm plate of food to reflect on everything these months brought us.
Highlights
Megan, Isa, Lotte and Hidde from the Master's in Sustainable Development made a free, plant-based digital cookbook inspired by De Pit. Our chefs contributed three recipes, and our volunteer Felix added his legendary vegan nachos. Find it via the link in our Instagram bio.
“If you want to make a better world, you have to take risks.” Utrecht University invited us to talk about change from the bottom up. We hope the university will do more to support student initiatives like ours. You can also hear our story on Playground on Air, episode 2 🎙️
From cooking to serving to washing up, De Pit runs on students who give their time between lectures. What you get in return: free food and an amazing community 💚
“I found out about De Pit through the Marine Sciences Master's. I like free food and meeting new people, and I was curious what it would be like to work in a kitchen, so I decided to join. I hope De Pit becomes permanent and that we can pass the baton to new students.”
Jieran, Marine Sciences Master's
“I really love to cook and make people happy with good food. Seeing a smile on our customers' faces is my favourite part. I hope De Pit becomes permanent, even more affordable, and a big movement that inspires other universities too.”
Varshini, Master's in Bioinformatics
What's next
Our goal: a permanent community kitchen at Utrecht University, independent and by students, for students. We're talking with Campus & Facilities about locations, but the future is still uncertain.
Our mission stays the same: making campus food more affordable, sustainable and community-owned. Want to help? Send us a DM!
Thank you
Contact
Want to volunteer, join the team, or have an idea? Don't be afraid to reach out. We're always happy to meet enthusiastic people 🤗
De Pit