The dining facilities, known as refectories, at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant were essentially dining halls, managed by the Jedi themselves, that included kitchens, spaces for eating, and gardens. These refectories, which varied in both size and purpose, were situated on various levels within the Temple, with some dedicated solely to serving particular meals. Each refectory's kitchen had immediate access to the food supplies stored on the Temple's storage level.
Constructed inside the Temple Ziggurat, the refectories experienced multiple cycles of destruction and reconstruction throughout the Temple's extensive history, finally reaching completion in 1000 BBY during the era of the Galactic Republic. For nearly a millennium thereafter, these refectories provided sustenance to numerous generations of Jedi Knights as they served the Republic.
In 44 BBY, a series of robberies and attacks rattled the Temple, putting the Jedi High Council on alert. While Jedi Master Ali-Alann was escorting a clan of younglings to one of the dining areas via a horizontal turbolift car that traveled above the Lake Level, the track became destabilized due to sabotage by the Dark Jedi Xanatos. This caused the car, filled with younglings, to dangle precariously over the lake, five stories below. A young Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bant Eerin raced to rescue the children, and with the help of the entire High Council, they managed to safely evacuate all the younglings from the car. Following this ordeal, the clan opted to walk to the dining hall.
After the start of the Clone Wars in 22 BBY, Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Kit Fisto convened in one of the Temple's refectories before embarking on the Mission to Ord Cestus. They shared a meal that included thrantcill pâté and a plate of hawk-bat eggs before taking an air taxi to Centralia Memorial Spaceport. Later, upon his return to the Temple from the Battle of Kothlis, Jedi Anakin Skywalker passed Master Taria Damsin and Padawans Biliril and Dorf. As they were eating, Grand Master Yoda entered the hall, welcoming Skywalker back. Yoda reminded the Jedi about their scheduled meeting with Supreme Chancellor Palpatine the following morning and advised Skywalker to get some rest. Within the walled kitchen gardens of the Temple, the young Padawan Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy accidentally burned herself with her low-power lightsaber while preparing for the Apprentice Tournament of 19 BBY. During the tournament itself, Master Illena Xan conducted the final stage of the competition in one of the larger dining halls, as the apprentices felt that the other venues were not challenging or "real" enough.
A few months following the Tournament, the Republic was reorganized into the Galactic Empire, and the Temple was designated as an enemy stronghold under Contingency Order 66. The 501st Legion of the Grand Army of the Republic, commanded by Darth Vader, attacked the Temple, killing its inhabitants and causing damage to the structure. The Temple's dining halls were largely destroyed, but because of the Imperial occupation, at least one kitchen was kept operational, and the debris was cleared from its corresponding dining hall.
Shortly after the Temple's fall, former Jedi Ferus Olin and his companion, Trever Flume, gained entry to the Temple through one of the kitchen gardens in search of a rumored Jedi Prison. In one of the Towers, they discovered the ruins of Yoland Fee's garden, whose produce had been used to feed many Jedi in the past. After realizing that the prison was an Imperial trap, they quickly left the Temple's depths, using an airlift from the Storage Level to reach one of the kitchens and escape the pursuing stormtroopers. Olin later returned to the Temple, accessing the interior through an abandoned breakfast room located near the base of the High Council Tower. Olin quietly reflected on the peace and serenity that had once filled the small chamber before the Empire's rise.
The Temple remained under Sith control for several decades, guarded by the Empire's trusted Shadow Troopers. With the deaths of Darth Sidious and Vader, the Empire became unstable and was eventually ousted from Coruscant by the New Republic. During the Yuuzhan Vong War, Coruscant suffered extensive damage from terraforming, which caused the Temple to collapse, exposing parts of its foundation. When the Galactic Alliance reclaimed the planet, Chief of State Cal Omas tasked the Reconstruction Authority with rebuilding the ancient structure as a tribute to the great sacrifices made by the reformed Order against the Yuuzhan Vong.
Under the leadership of Grand Master Luke Skywalker, the Order reoccupied the Temple, and the refectories once again became vibrant with life. In 43 ABY, the Order faced a new challenge when several Knights were afflicted with an enigmatic maddness and were ordered to be imprisoned by the Alliance. Acting Grand Master Kenth Hamner initially refused Chief Natasi Daala's requests to hand over the ill Jedi, but he was eventually forced to comply with her demand that all Jedi be shadowed by a court-appointed advisor. During lunchtime at the Temple, High Council member Kyp Durron entered one of the chambers and activated one of the swing-out holoscreens on the wall, an action that was typically prohibited. The screen displayed a news broadcast from the Galactic Courts of Justice Building, announcing the overturning of the Guilty by Association rider. Shortly thereafter, Masters Durron and Cilghal were summoned to the Jedi Temple Main Entrance to address a group of Coruscant Security Force members who were attempting to forcibly enter the Temple.
Several days after the incident at the main entrance, Knight Jaina Solo had assisted the group Darkmeld in smuggling the ill Seff Hellin into the Temple. Joined by former Jedi Tahiri Veila, Solo met in the common dining hall for a cup of caf, drawn to the chamber's relative quiet and calming atmosphere. Their peace was disrupted by the arrival of Jaina's supervisor, Dab Hantaq, whose resemblance to Tahiri's former love, the deceased Jedi Anakin Solo, upset her.
The refectories, situated throughout the Temple, included a kitchen and dining hall, and were supplied with provisions and ingredients from the Temple's Storage Level and the kitchen gardens. Like much of the Temple, these chambers, while aesthetically pleasing, maintained a sense of practical functionality and were linked to the service corridors.
Each dining hall contained long, trestle tables accompanied by benches; holodisplays were mounted along the pillared walls, broadcasting news from across the galaxy. Designated areas were provided for returning dishes and utensils and for disposing of waste. Refectory droids, capable of analyzing the contents of food trays, maintained the halls. These droids hovered around the rooms, clearing any spills or forgotten dishes and disposing of unwanted waste.
In addition to the large dining halls, smaller breakfast rooms were located throughout the structure for use by youngling clans during their initial training years. In these small, intimate chambers, Jedi Masters would visit the rooftop chambers and interact with the very young children. Transparisteel windows along the walls could be raised into the ceiling to allow fresh air to circulate on pleasant days, giving the younglings the opportunity to enjoy a cool breeze while dining in the safety of the Temple.
The kitchens were expansive, capable of serving over a hundred Jedi simultaneously. Large stoves and ovens lined the walls, and preparation areas featured datascreens that allowed supplies to be requested from the Storage Level. Airlifts from the Storage Level would deliver the requested ingredients for use in specific recipes. Managed by both Jedi and non-Force-sensitives, the Temple employees worked throughout the day to prepare the large meals required to feed the Order's members. The kitchen gardens, a tranquil area where food for the Temple was grown, supported the kitchens. Master Yoland Fee maintained a garden in the Tower of Reconciliation, where he cultivated herbs and spices for use in the kitchens.