Campus Dining Today | Fall/Winter 2011 by NACUFS

FALL/WINTER 2011

E XC E E D I N G

Expectations

page 67

Campus Catering Steps Up Its Game

T H E N AT I O N A L A S S O C I AT I O N O F C O L L E G E & U N I V E R S I T Y F O O D S E R V I C E S

also inside

• Heirloom Grains • NACUFS Awards & Contests • Reducing Sodium ...and much more!

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The biannual magazine of the National Association of College & University Food Services

Advertising Information and Article Submission Advertising of a product or service in this publication does not imply endorsement. Advertisers assume responsibility and liability for the content of any advertising. The National Association of College & University Food Services is exempt from any liability resulting from publication of articles. Editorial mention of commercial interests is intended entirely as an information service to readers and should not be construed as an endorsement, actual or implied, by NACUFS. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the official opinions of NACUFS. The number of mailings sent to each member institution is based on annual dues classification. There is an $85 charge for all additional mailings. An annual subscription to Campus Dining Today® is $60 for members and $75 for nonmembers. ©2011 The National Association of College & University Food Services. All rights reserved. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, stored in a retrievable system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, which includes but is not limited to, electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written consent of NACUFS.

Editor in Chief Acquisitions/Contributing Editor Contributing Editor Editorial Assistant

Rachel A. Warner Donna Boss Becky Nagy Erin Cullen

Editorial Board Kimberle Badinelli, Virginia Tech Merrill Collins, Connecticut College Lisa Snider, Foodservice Rewards Jerry Waller, University of Wisconsin–River Falls Rachel A. Warner, NACUFS

NACUFS BOARD OF DIRECTORS President

Nona Golledge, University of Kansas

President-Elect

Timothy Dietzler, Villanova University

Past President

Samuel Bennett, Texas Tech University

Secretary/Treasurer

Rich Neumann, Ohio University

At-Large Director

Terry Waltersdorf, Faith Baptist Bible College

Northeast Region President

Mike Kmec, Connecticut College

Mid-Atlantic Region President

Louis Logan, Millersville University

Midwest Region President

Carol Petersen, University of Northern Iowa

Southern Region President

Robert Miller, Georgia Southern University

Continental Region President

Lisa Gibson, Sanford Medical Center

Pacific Region President

Robert Holden, University of Alaska-Fairbanks

2012 National Conference Chair Art Korandanis, College of the Holy Cross Industry Advisory Council Chair Nancy Lane, Hubert Guest Director

Patty Eldred, University of Vermont

Executive Director

Joseph Spina, NACUFS

For advertising information, email advertising@nacufs.org or call (517) 332-2494.

CORRECTIONS: Campus Dining Today strives to provide accurate journalism and fair reporting. It is our policy to correct substantive errors of fact. If you think we may have published incorrect information, please call (517) 332-2494 or email news@nacufs.org.

in this issue

F E AT U R E S 40 Heirloom Grains

COVER STORY

E XC E E D I N G

Expectations

Flavorful and healthy heirloom grains are finding their way onto campus dining menus.

50 2011 NACUFS National Conference Recap

Campus Catering Steps Up Its Game

54 Recognizing Excellence in Campus Dining NACUFS honors the dining programs and individuals that have helped advance the industry and the association.

66 Exceeding Expectations 68

Case Studies: Catering

Four universities share their catering success stories and offer valuable advice.

Catering on a Shoestring

Creative caterers cut costs without sacrificing quality to meet their customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs.

Perking Up Catering Events

Touches of color, unusual garnishes, and clever presentations perk up catered events.

66 83

Catering WOWS! Catering departments pull out all necessary stops to create magical, memorable events.

Ten Tips for Banquet Catering Following these tips from author Paul Fairbrook will lead to excellent banquet service.

Tricks of the Trade

Online ordering, designated catering kitchens, and catering fairs support great service.

FALL/WINTER 2011

10 D E PA R T M E N T S 6 From the Editor 8 Leadership Agenda 10 Campus Dining by Design

Creativity and innovation shine in these featured campus dining renovations.

29 Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hot on Campus

Colleges and universities are making their mark in unique ways.

46 Wellness and Nutrition: Reducing Sodium

A little education and menu innovation can help operators manage the new culinary challenge of reducing sodium on campus.

54 29

80 96 NACUFS Education:

From Tennis Shoes to Black Tie

Preparing staff to manage VIP events presents a unique challenge for collegiate catering.

98 NACUFS Calendar

Mark your calendar for upcoming deadlines and professional development programs.

ON THE COVER: A gorgeous dessert featuring fresh strawberries is just one of the elegant menu selections available from Northern Michigan Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Simply Superior Catering and Events. Read the case study on page 74.

FROM

E D I TO R

ho doesn’t love a good party? Elegant lighting, good music, and, of course, delectable food—there’s just something enchanting about being enveloped in the atmosphere of a special event. If you think back to some of the most memorable events you’ve ever attended, chances are many (if not all) were catered affairs.

T H E F R O M C A M P U S D I N I N G TO DAY

the editor

RACHEL A. WARNER

Catering is not often the first aspect of campus dining that comes to mind. In fact, many people are unaware that colleges and universities have catering capabilities that go beyond breakfast trays and coffee for meetings. However, catering is a critical component of many successful collegiate foodservice programs, and an opportunity for dining departments to showcase their culinary artistry. From planning to execution, troupes of campus catering professionals weave their magic to transport guests into other worlds for special events. This issue pays tribute to the creative teams that set the stage.

Editor Campus Dining Today rwarner@nacufs.org

Caterers aren’t the only ones exceeding expectations on campus. Collegiate dining is increasingly complex, covering everything from small retail to large board plan operations. Menus routinely incorporate a wide variety of options to accommodate those with special dietary needs, including gluten-free, vegan, and halal, just to name a few. Dining hall renovations are architectural showpieces, incorporating the latest technologies while staying on the leading edge of sustainability. While those entrenched in the association and the industry have fostered this evolution, it is gaining more attention on a broader stage. Collegiate dining continues to surprise industry outsiders with the level of sophistication of the food, the design of the facilities, and the expertise of the staffs that manage the operations. Part of NACUFS’ responsibility as the professional association that represents college and university foodservice is to help bring campus dining the acclaim it deserves. This magazine is only one vehicle by which we tell these stories. Each year through the association’s various recognition programs, NACUFS honors standout dining departments and individuals that are helping to advance the industry and the profession. These award winners are featured in a special recognition section in this issue and, as you read about this year’s recipients, I’m willing to bet that you will find your department has much in common with them. I encourage you to reflect on the ways your program is exceeding expectations and how that may translate into an entry for one or more of the association’s annual contests. Identify a chef to compete for the Culinary Challenge. Charge your resident wellness guru with developing an entry for the Nutrition Awards. Have an outstanding retail operation? Enter the C-Store Best in the Business Awards contest. Share your achievements by competing for a Loyal E. Horton Dining Award. New this year is the Sustainability Awards contest, created to recognize foodservice programs that are pioneering environmentally friendly practices on campus. Finally, take a few moments to thank the individuals who are helping to advance the profession by nominating one or more colleagues for the association’s individual awards: the Theodore W. Minah Distinguished Service Award, the Distinguished Lifetime Member Award, and the Daryl Van Hook Industry Award. It is an exciting time to be involved in collegiate foodservice. At NACUFS, we are fortunate to be surrounded by so many professionals who exemplify the shared passion and innovative spirit that characterize the association. As the industry continues to evolve, I predict we will need to get used to an even bigger spotlight. u

Rachel A. Warner

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LEADERSHIP L E A D E R S H I P

AG E N DA

C A M P U S D I N I N G TO DAY

agenda

t’s that time of year again—the time of year for all things fall. The leaves have turned and are cascading to the ground, the temperature is steadily dropping creating crisp and dewy mornings, and holiday spices scent the air in production kitchens across the country. This time of year, campus culinary teams are bustling to keep up with not only serving regular guests, but also organizing various types and sizes of events ranging from VIP banquets to holiday socials to tailgate parties. The precision and creativity required to orchestrate fall events on campus are unparalleled to any other time of the year.

NONA GOLLEDGE

NACUFS President golledge@ku.edu

As for NACUFS, this fall has been anything but ordinary, an orchestration of a different kind. At the national conference in Dallas, NACUFS Executive Director Joe Spina announced his retirement from the association, effective December 2012. (More on Joe’s retirement announcement is on page 50.) Since then, the executive committee has been hard at work on the first two “As for NACUFS, this fall steps of the executive director search.

I’m pleased to announce that step one—hire a search firm— was completed in mid-September. After a thorough interview process with three highly qualified firms, the executive team extended an offer to JDG Associates, Ltd. (JDG), a firm that has conducted more than 250 association searches with over half being at the executive director level.

been anything but ordinary, an orchestration of a different kind.”

Step two—evaluate the position—was completed in early November. Rich Neumann, director of dining services at Ohio University and treasurer for NACUFS, chaired the position review committee. Along with Rich, an esteemed group of volunteers was assembled to serve on the review team: Julaine Kiehn, University of Missouri; Dean Wright, Brigham Young University; Zia Ahmed, The Ohio State University; and Mona Milius, The Baker Group. A human resource professional, Dawn Kaiser of the Village Business Institute from Moorhead, Minn., was hired to assist with the review process. In addition to interviewing Joe Spina and the office staff, Dawn conducted phone interviews with a select group of stakeholders, including past presidents, industry members, current regional presidents, members at-large, and committee chairs. The newly created position description will be used as the foundation for identifying the association’s third executive director. The next order of business will be selecting the chair and members of the search committee. The chair will work closely with the JDG principals during the search process and will be instrumental in selecting the members of the search committee. In October, a letter was sent to past presidents asking those interested in serving in this prestigious role to respond in writing. In early December, an online application for serving on the committee will be distributed to all members. The deadline for submitting the application will be in mid-January. The goal is to have the search team completed by early February to begin the search process. Since this fall is a historical and out-of-the-ordinary year for NACUFS, I’ve called upon many of you to assist. I thank each of you serving in a volunteer role. The board of directors would not be able to accomplish all the tasks this year without your support, willingness to serve, and understanding. I appreciate your continued commitment to the association. If you have questions about the executive director search, please don’t hesitate to contact me. All my best during the upcoming holidays! u

Nona Golledge

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by design

CAMPUS DINING

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SABAI at University of Missouri

C A M P U S D I N I N G TO DAY

Graphics courtesy of University of Missouri Campus Dining Services

niversity of Missouri students can now find a healthy and quick meal option for Southeast Asian food at Sabai. Located inside Johnston Residence Hall, which is adjacent to three other residence halls and across from MU Student Center, this 11,921-square-foot, 200-seat à la carte residential dining facility replaces a 20-year-old all-youcare-to-eat dining facility. Sabai opened in August after a minor renovation. The facelift, including equipment and décor, cost $40,000. The full-scale renovation will take place in 2013. Customers at Sabai may opt for takeout or dine-in service. All menu items are prepared on site. “Sabai’s limited, focused menu ensures accuracy, speed, quality, and service,” says Julaine Kiehn, director of campus dining services. “This short menu allows staff members to quickly gain expertise in the preparation and service of authentic Southeast Asian items.” Among the menu offerings are firecracker pork, spicy braised pork shoulder with crispy sweet potatoes and green onion served over a choice of jasmine, brown, or fried rice; peach white tea frozen yogurt; and fried rice bowl (a choice of beef, chicken, pork, or tofu with spicy Thai fried rice, tomato, marinated vegetables, and hoisingarlic sauce).

Bamboo-covered walls and wood trim are among Sabai’s renewable interior design materials.

Since opening on August 18, 2011, Sabai sees 500 to 600 transactions per day, which is expected to increase to 900 to 1,000 daily transactions, and the average check is $7.69. Following the full-scale renovation, Sabai’s annual sales are anticipated at $1.5 million. Payment options include dining plans with partial meal pricing system, E.Z. Charge, cash, and credit/debit. “Since this remodel has a two-year life cycle before a full-scale renovation, we chose renewable resources,” Kiehn says. For sustainable practice, Sabai uses recycled take-out containers and napkins made from recycled materials, offers take-out or dine-in options, and relies on a dry-flow wok that uses less water for the cooling table. Sabai is open Monday through Friday, 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Saturday, closed; Sunday, 4:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Total staff is 38; an average shift usually requires nine or 10 persons. Key people involved: Julaine Kiehn, director, campus dining services; Steve Simpson, associate director; Eric Cartwright, executive chef; Nancy Monteer, manager; Carter Lawson, assistant manager; Casey Voight, interior designer; Michael Wuest, marketing; and Tod Fudge, facilities. u

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For sustainable practice, Sabai uses recycled take-out containers and napkins made from recycled materials, offers take-out or dine-in options, and relies on a dry-flow wok that uses less water for the cooling table.

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Customers may opt for take-out or dine-in service at Sabai. The operation may see as many as 1,000 transactions daily.

by design

CAMPUS DINING SCHAR CAFÉ at Ashland University

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Graphics courtesy of Ashland University EagleEye Photography

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shland University (AU) has an ever-growing student population, with the largest freshmen class in university history arriving in the fall of 2010. Students here, as on campuses nationwide, are always in a time crunch. “We opened Schar Café, a unique meals-to-go operation, to target all students, traditional and non-traditional, as well as all faculty and staff in the Dwight Schar College of Education,” says Frederick Geib, director of student dining. “We want to draw some congestion out of the dining hall, ease the traffic in the Eagles’ Nest, and offer more take-out options for customers.” This retail facility opened August 2011. Creating the cafe required a renovation of the first floor vending machine area, which occupies 224 square feet. The construction consisted of rolling in a mobile counter that provides an easily accessible and viewable area for customers, and installing a security gate. Two tables with chairs accommodate customers who want to dine at the unit. The cafe holds two coolers, a cash register, and a display for soups. Menu items include an assortment of beverages, sandwiches, wraps, freshly made salads, soups, chips and other snack items, fruit cups, granola bars, and side salads. All of the sandwiches and salads are prepared in the main dining hall kitchen and delivered to Schar Café daily. Schar Café is managed by a student intern, and one employee is on duty during business hours. It operates Monday through Friday for breakfast, 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and dinner from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Key people involved: Frederick Geib, director of student dining; Matthew Portner, director of auxiliary services; and Dr. James Van Keuren, dean of the college of education. u

Teresa Riley, crew person, and Lillian Zallar, a student intern enrolled in the campus hospitality school (above), work at the cafe. A first-floor vending machine area (left) occupying 224 square feet was converted into this retail cafe, which offers meals to go.

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by design

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CAMPUS DINING

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MUNCHY MART at University of Northern Colorado

Photos courtesy of University of Northern Colorado Dining Services

unchy Mart, a retail convenience store with a name selected by student popular vote, is fast, fresh, friendly, and most important—fun. “The Munchy Mart is not your regular, run of the mill, shoe-box convenience store,” says Hal Brown, director of dining services at the University of Northern Colorado (UNC). Groundbreaking took place in January 2011, with a soft opening on August 17, and a grand opening on September 14. As customers enter the store, they see a fresh fruit display and apple-green countertops filled with freshly baked pastries, donuts, and hot grab-and-go items. “The store has a very cozy, organic feeling with a flow that is much like the winding Thompson River on your way to Estes Park through the great Rocky Mountains,” says Jennifer Larson, assistant director. Accent lighting throughout the store is colorful, modern, and quirky, accord to Larson. The floor tile has a natural texture with gray tiles winding into brown tiles and green, royal blue, and transparent ceiling panels that Larson says look like carbonated soda. The store occupies 1,200 square feet, which includes a 200-square-foot, five-door walk-in refrigerator and 100 square feet of dry storage space. The cost to build was $500,000.

Refrigerated cases display to-go menu items and beverages.

The hours of operation are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Staff includes one retail manager, one assistant manager, one part-time student manager, and 24 parttime student employees. Payment can be made in cash, credit, faculty/staff payroll deduction, and student Dining Dollars.

The store is modeled after UNC’s self-branded coffee concept, Coffee Corner, and offers a variety of hot and cold beverages; 10 branded gelato flavors; two sorbets; snacks; candy; and health, beauty, grocery, and cosmetic convenience items.

Key people involved: Bennett, Wagner, and Grody, architects; UNC Facilities Management, contractors; Baker Group, foodservice consultant; G. Hal Brown, FMP, director of dining services; Jenny Larson, assistant director; James Medina, retail dining manager; and Susie Ditton, retail dining assistant manager. u

The store’s organic environment is created with shapes that resemble the winding Thompson River in the Rocky Mountains (top). The logo of the student-selected name (middle) cleverly depicts the University of Colorado’s initials. Fun lighting and bright colors (right) contribute to the ambiance.

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The store is modeled after UNC’s selfbranded coffee concept, Coffee Corner, and offers a variety of hot and cold beverages (including branded coffee, branded frozen malts, shakes, smoothies, and cappuccinos); 10 branded gelato flavors; two sorbets; snacks; candy; and health, beauty, grocery, and cosmetic convenience items. UNC’s Fresh2Golabeled grab-and-go items include Bearritos, breakfast sandwiches, breakfast croissants, and fresh fruit; hot items such as krautburgers, pepperoni rolls, flatbread sandwiches, wings, tandoori chicken, pad thai, a popular, home-made vegetarian burger; and cold items such as sushi, Greek yogurt, fresh salads, sandwiches, wraps, pudding, gelatin, parfaits, fruit cups, and veggie cups.

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by design

CAMPUS DINING

“UW-W has always done a great job of keeping our focus on students,” says Bob Barry, executive director at the University Center. “During the request for proposal for dining services, students indicated that sustainability was becoming more and more important to them. In response, UW-W partnered with Chartwells to address various sustainability issues and is proud to include a Green Restaurant Association certification as part of our sustainability portfolio.” The $1 million building project began by merging one underutilized space and one over-capacity space. The new design, occupying 3,200 square feet, helped relieve congestion for customers ordering smoothies, coffee, and specialty drinks. Opened in September 2010, Willie’s 360° features Freshëns Smoothies and Beans coffee (a campus-developed brand), which features brewed coffee and hot and cold specialty drinks. Among the many sustainable features are the use of recycled and re-used equipment, an Energy Star-certified refrigerator, a fullscale recycling program, and participation in annual education. Willie’s 360° attracts approximately 1,300 customers per day and accounts for roughly seven percent of the campus business. Though this is a retail operation, students can use their meal plan dining dollars or flex dollars and receive a 10 percent discount. Students can also use the transfer or trade options of their resident dining plans during the weekday breakfast and lunch periods. Hours of operation are Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A staff of nine is required, including four in Beans and three in Freshëns. Key people involved: Bob Barry, executive director, University Center; Mike O’Connor, facilities manager, University Center; Tom Hinspater, dining services director, resident district manager for Chartwells; Brenda Hinspater, operations director for Chartwells; MBA Architects; Novus Group of Compass, interior design. u

Willie’s 360° contains Freshëns Smoothies and Beans coffee. The 3,200 square foot operation attracts customers with its contemporary color scheme and new design, which helped relieve congestion. Recycled, reused, and energy-saving equipment, a full-scale recycling program, and yearly education contribute to the green certification.

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ocated in the University Center, Willie’s 360° has become a 2-Star Certified Green Restaurant by the Green Restaurant Association. When the certification was awarded on April, 29, 2011, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UW-W) was the first state school in Wisconsin and one of the first in the nation to hold this certification, according to UW-W dining services.

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Photos by Kat Shanahan, Promotions Coordinator, University Center

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WILLIE’S 360° at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

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MILLER DINING HALL RENOVATION at Montana State University-Bozeman

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Photos courtesy of Montana State University

six-month renovation project, which began with planning in January 2011 and ended with installation in June 2011, produced a new Miller Dining Hall in Hedges Complex at Montana State Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Bozeman. The $325,000 project features eating counters, booths, and various sizes of tables. One section is a coffee-bar-style area offering a cappuccino machine and specialty coffees, a TV, and seating in a large serpentine booth and high bar tables. The cereal bar is now enclosed and has new serving containers, and the area is decorated with paneling inspired by their mascot, the Bobcat. The salad bar area was also upgraded with new crocks, utensils, and more toppers to increase variety. Montana State University graduates who are part of a local design company called SCS Wraps created wall wraps for the entrance to the dining hall that showcase popular Montana recreational activities.

The coffee-bar-style area features a variety of seating options, high bar tables, brightly colored walls and TV (right). Wall wraps (left) featuring popular Montana recreational activities decorate the dining hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entrance.

The 13,530-square-foot customer dining space serves approximately 1,300 customers per meal. Miller employs 31 full-time staff and 60 student employees. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. For sustainability, Miller went trayless in fall of 2010. All of the old tables and chairs from the pre-renovated facility were distributed throughout the lounges of the residence halls. Key people involved: Todd Jutila, foodservice director; Mike Kosevich, general manager; Marilyn Cox, unit manager; and Stephanie Hanson, marketing and sustainability manager. u

by design

CAMPUS DINING SAM’S PLACE at Montclair State University D E S I G N

Photos courtesy of Mike Peters, Montclair State University Photographer

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pened September 5, 2011, Sam’s Place at Montclair State University is named in memory of Sam Mills, Montclair State’s two-time All-American linebacker and College Football Hall of Famer. After college, Mills went on to have a long and distinguished NFL career as both a player and a coach. This new facility was built as part of an expansion project to accommodate an additional 2,000 resident students and provide more dining options. Completed in 16 months, Sam’s Place is part of the Heights residential complex, the first public-private partnership construction project to be developed under the New Jersey Economic Stimulus Act of 2009. The state-of-the-art complex has approximately 548,000 square feet of living quarters; Sam’s Place occupies 24,000 square feet with 2,500 square feet in the back of the house and 22,000 in the front of the house. A retail after-hours café, Bistro 62 (62 was Sam Mills’ football number) sits adjacent to the dining operation.

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Food stations offer a wide variety of selections in versatile concepts and display cooking. Colorful countertops show off the colorful food. “As foodservice providers, we are challenged with satisfying the sophisticated palettes of students and meeting their heightened expectations for value, service, and convenience,” says Andrew Pignataro, director of auxiliary services, who oversees dining provided by Sodexo. Sam’s Place is designed to serve 5,000 meals daily in six restaurant collections with euro-style kitchens. Seating for 650 includes several themes such as bar stools, diner-type soft seating, wooden, spa-collection chairs, and sofas.

Food stations offer a wide variety of selections in versatile concepts and display-style cooking. • World’s Fair: Pan-Asian dishes cooked on a 360-degree Mongolian grill, Asian-style salads, and a vegetarian option. An express line features egg rolls, fried dumplings, and a daily stir-fry item. • Garden State Fresh: a salad bar and vegetarian entrees with an omelet station on weekends. • Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta: simple Italian dishes, from pizza and calzones to breadsticks and Italian-style salads, as well as a daily A Mongolian grill (top) at World’s Fair station in Sam’s Place attracts attention and choice of different pastas, produces Pan-Asian dishes. Key equipment features include balanced HVAC and hood sauces, vegetables, and systems, a separate garbage dock, three-compartment jet sinks, multiple electrical outlets meats. for any format redesign, epoxy floors, and FRP walls for easy cleaning, Garden State Fresh, a • Flying Hawk Grill: traditional salad bar (bottom) also features vegetarian entrees and an omelet station on weekends. diner fare, including scrambled eggs and bacon, burgers and fries, roasts, stews, carving station, grilled cheese sandwiches, and specialty items (such as mushroom, ham, and Swiss frittatas). • Panino’s Deli: fresh, hand-tossed salads, paninis, sandwiches, and wraps made to order, a choice of three different homemade soups daily, and baked treats. • All Day Café: cereal, waffles, desserts, bagels, grits, ice cream, oatmeal, chili, and stew.

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Sam’s Place dining hall hours of operation are Monday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. The retail unit is open Sunday through Friday, 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m., and Friday and Saturday, 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. Meal plans, flex dollars, Red Hawk dollars, credit cards, and cash are accepted.

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The kitchen is newly built with high-speed ovens, panini presses, a stone-lined pizza oven, and a dish accumulator machine complete with a pulper attachment for sustainability. Other sustainability features are included throughout the facility.

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On average, guest customers spend $5 per check for breakfast, $8 for lunch, $9.25 for brunch, $9.25 for dinner, and $9.50 for premium dinner meals. The annual sales are $11 million. Nearly 70 staff members are employed to run the operation.

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Key equipment includes balanced HVAC and hood systems, a separate garbage dock, three-compartment jet sinks, multiple electrical outlets for any format redesign, epoxy floors, and FRP walls for easy cleaning,

Large windows and views of the wooded campus help attract Sustainability is a top priority in the customers who consume nearly 5,000 meals daily. The facility seats facility. Supporting the initiative are 650 customers at scattered tables and chairs. a dish machine with reduced waterintensity output; trayless dining; reduced organic waste; reusable china and flatware usage to decrease non-organic waste; Energy Star equipment; purchasing local, seasonal, and sustainably grown and raised products; support for and partnering with local community food bank and soup kitchens; recycling used fryer oil (which is turned into useful eco-friendly products); ensuring compliance with a Global Sustainable Supply Chain Code of Conduct; and use of commercial foodservice pulper and composting. Key people involved at the university: Karen Pennington, vice president of student development and campus life; Kathleen E. Ragan, associate vice president of student development and campus life; Andrew Pignataro, director of auxiliary services; James Robinson, liaison, dining services; Dora Lim, general manager; Kenneth Fredericks, executive chef. External resources include: Scott Hoover, architect and foodservice consultant, Sodexo A&E; Bruce Corke, PS&S Engineering; Capstone Development Corporation, Birmingham, Alabama, a developer of student housing facilities; and Terminal Construction Corporation, Wood-Ridge, New Jersey. u

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by design

CAMPUS DINING A

renovation of Erdman Hall’s dining operation at Bryn Mawr College facilitates service and adds a new look to the décor. Located in a residence hall designed by the acclaimed architect Louis Kahn, this is one of two residence dining facilities on campus and is the only operation serving all three meals (a total of 20 per week).

Opened in 1965, Erdman dining’s last renovation took place in 1980. The refurbished, 1,950-squarefoot marketplace servery features 16 stations and many styles of seating for 325. A rotating six-weekcycle menu supports stations for stir fry, paninis, deli and salad bar, and desserts. Nightly specialty bars include nachos, Pho, salad sensations, and gourmet pizza. A 2,000-square-foot kitchen and 450-squarefoot dishroom support front-of-house operations. The facility also features a 3,640-square-foot dining room, which received a new seating layout, centralized beverages and dessert stations, fresh paint, floor finishes, accent lighting, a divider wall at the dishdrop, and window treatments to reduce sun glare. A 142-square-foot office and 361-square-foot lobby also received a facelift. To support sustainability, trays were eliminated and recycled materials were used in interior design elements whenever possible.

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“We wanted to freshen up an old, tired operation and improve flow and service to diners,” says Bernie Chung-Templeton, director of dining services. “We’ve accomplished this by refreshing the operation with new equipment and serving lines, implementing brighter, warmer colors in a building that has a lot of concrete, and rearranging and relocating service points to improve ease and accessibility.” The entire project was built for $730,000; the equipment cost was $280,000.

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Photos courtesy of Orlando Espinosa + Associates, LLC

Erdman dining’s refurbished, 1,950-square-foot marketplace servery features 16 stations and many styles of seating for 325. Merchandising brings color and intrigue to each station.

Nearly 2,000 customers eat at Erdman during operating hours: breakfast from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.; lunch from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Staffing the operation are 15 full time employees, three managers, and 10 to 12 students. Key people involved from dining services: Bernie Chung-Templeton, director; David Chase, associate director; Joseph Ludwig, Erdman dining manager; Kevin Williams, Erdman production manager; and Lisa Flanagan, Erdman assistant manager. Others at the college involved in the project were: Joseph Marra, assistant director for planning and projects; Harold Maryea, assistant director for operations and maintenance; and Jim McGaffin, assistant director for energy and project management. External resources included: Judy Muenzberg, interior design; foodservice consultant, Orlando Espinosa + Associates, LLC., Orlando Espinosa, principal; Karen Gallagher, finance and business planning; and Jackie Sgro, project manager. u

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ERDMAN DINING HALL at Bryn Mawr College

by design

CAMPUS DINING

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DANFORTH FRESH FOOD COMPANY RENOVATION at the University of Rochester

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Photos courtesy of the University of Rochester

n three months during the summer of 2011, Danforth Dining Hall at the University of Rochester underwent a dramatic transformation. The $8 million project involved extensive renovations of an undergraduate dining facility located in the Susan B. Anthony residence hall, turning it into a facility that resembles a trendy, open-style restaurant and brings a new style of fresh dining to students. In May 2011, the entire dining hall was gutted. Brick and mortar was replaced with a sleek open design that is resonating with students. Stations offering freshly prepared food are transparent to the customer, replacing traditional, behind-the-scene cooking. “Mystery is not a component of dining at Danforth now,” says Kara Petrakis, marketing manager for Aramark Higher Education, the university’s food contractor. “Innovation is the key to this endeavor, from the open architecture design to the chairs that are made from recycled cola bottles to the unique images of the city of Rochester pouring energy into the dining location,” says Petrakis. The use of bark walls and natural stone brings a feeling of the outdoor environment into the room near the windows. A variety of heights are used to accentuate the serving stations,” says Cam Schauf, director of campus dining services and auxiliary operations. “We’re finding that student customers are savvier about choices available to them, they have more experience with food, and they’re smart enough to know the difference,” says Schauf. “Also, they want to know where their food is coming from.” Schauf worked on the project with Deming Yaun, resident district manager for Aramark.

“The response to the new design and menu is extremely positive,” says Petrakis. Students were part of the menu and design planning process. The operation is open Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Offerings at breakfast include: scrambled eggs, shredded hash browns, hot oatmeal cereal, hot cereal grits, grilled ham steak, blueberry fruit-filled crepes, yogurt and fruit bar, egg, cheese and bacon panini, cinnamon rolls, donut bites, and an omelet bar. At lunch students can find: shepherd’s pie, sautéed cauliflower bread, cilantro brown rice, buffalo chicken melt, Cajun shoestring fries, southwest salad bar, southwestern chipotle chicken salad, grilled hummus vegetable wrap, classic Cuban sandwich, signature chips, grilled portobello panini, Hungarian cauliflower soup, ginger sesame beef lo mein, beef vegetable noodle soup, pureed potato chowder, cheese pizza, pepperoni pizza, chicken quesadilla, spinach rice, and peanut butter jelly rice krispy wrap. Dinner offerings include: corned beef brisket, braised cabbage, steamed carrots, basmati rice, chips and salsa, Americana salad bar, crazy cobb salad, cheddar roast beef ciabatta, Asian chicken wrap, signature chips, quinoa salad with mangoes and curry, Hungarian cauliflower soup, cavatappi mushroom casserole, turkey vegetable with brown rice, minestrone soup, ham with broccoli and yam casserole, beef stir-fry, chunky chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookies, and blueberry shortcake. Key players: Cam Schauf, director of campus dining services and auxiliary operations; Deming Yaun, resident district manager for Aramark; and Scott Harrell, Mark Harbick, and Mary Firmani van Denburgh, Mancini Duffy Architecture Design, New York City. u

Danforth dining hall’s seating area features various options so customers feel comfortable in small and large groups. A metal-like weave similar to a chain-link fence forms a circle above the seating area.

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“We have three main front-of-house kitchens, and every menu item is built to order, customized and fresh,” says Antonio Pignagrande, Aramark district chef. The menu offers a wide variety, including everything from grilled portobello panini to blackened tilapia and fontina bruschetta, all of which are created by staff at the stations. “All the equipment at the stations is positioned forward so staff can work and interact with the students,” says Schauf.

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Cutting the ribbon to open the facility (from left) were Joel Seligman, president, University of Rochester; Keith Bethel, regional vice president, Aramark Corporation; Cam Schauf, director of campus dining services and auxiliary operations; Richard Feldman, dean of the college; Ronald J. Paprocki, senior vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer for the University of Rochester.

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Delirious station in the Atrium Food Court features custom salads and wraps. Seating areas capture the color scheme in the food court and provide comfortable lighting.

by design

CAMPUS DINING

The Atrium serves an average of 7,300 students per day. Seating was increased from 370 to 435, and the floor plan was designed to move students quickly through the serving area without compromising quality. “We’ve had a steady increase of students on the meal plan with the renovation, and customer service has improved. Students see the value in what we’re offering,” says Randy Lait, senior director of hospitality services. Originally scheduled to take place over three months, the $5 million project was stretched to one year to accommodate issues related to renovating in a space more than 60 years old. University Dining took a phased approach to avoid an interruption in foodservice during the fall and spring semesters. Atrium Food Court opened August 12, 2011.

P ROJEC T LANDMARKS

A bold wall with the operation’s logo alerts customers that they’re about to enter an upscale restaurant-style operation. • December 2009: Asbestos removed and construction of the mechanical room in the basement began. • May 2010: Atrium closed for summer to create a temporary service area in the former seating area. • August 2010: An interim food court consisting of Chick-fil-A, wraps, and subs opened in the former seating area. The Brickyard Bubble, a temporary seating area, was constructed to provide seating. • January 2011: New serving area opens. Interim serving area is closed and transformed into the new seating area. New restrooms are built. The temporary seating area remained. New dining options were introduced (Chick-fil-A remained): • Z en Blossom—fresh rolled sushi, Asian salads, and a rotating menu of appetizing wok creations; •D elirious—custom salads and wraps; •B rickyard Pizza and Pasta—personal pizzas, breadsticks, garlic toast, and a rotating menu of tasty pasta dishes; •W olfpack-to-Go Cooler—grab-and-go items in a cooler case. • May 2011: Atrium is closed to complete renovations to the kitchen area and HVAC. Temporary seating area is removed from the Brickyard. • August 2011: Finished Atrium opens on August 12. The Atrium Food Court’s stations operate at different hours; the longest hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Key players: Kitty Lewis, branding foodservice director; Randy Lait, senior director of hospitality services; Moser, Mayer, & Phoenix Architects, PA; the Baker Group; Dr. Dan Adams, associate vice chancellor, campus enterprises; and Jennifer Gilmore, marketing manager. u

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he Atrium Food Court, located on the lower level of D.H. Hill Library, was renovated to relieve congestion and overcrowding and to introduce new food concepts. The last major renovation took place in 1985 when the student population was about 24,000. Today, the student population is slightly greater than 34,000.

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Photos courtesy of North Carolina State University Dining

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ATRIUM FOOD COURT at North Carolina State University

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C Chefs at Michigan State University welcome guests to the welcome week, “Spartan Spectacular.”

At CSU’s annual State of the University address and picnic, attendees visited tents to gather food and educational materials.

ollegiate dining services are challenged to stage memorable fall events to welcome students, faculty, and staff to campus for the beginning of a new year. Making a positive first impression in August and September goes a long way to pique interest in the myriad services available for on-campus dining throughout the year.

BE IN G GR E E N W HILE SAV IN G GR E E N AT COLOR A D O STAT E U N IV E R SIT Y Every fall in mid-September, residential dining services at Colorado State University (CSU) welcomes the campus community with a State of the University address and picnic. This year’s annual picnic promoted living green while also saving green.

Held in the picturesque, historic oval lawn on campus, the September 15 event attracted thousands of students, the university board of governors, and local media. At 11:15 a.m., the sounds of revelry filled the air as the marching band paid musical tribute to Ram pride. After the pageantry, President Tony Frank shared his priorities and vision for CSU in the coming year. Next, Mayor Karen Weitkunat proclaimed September to be National Hispanic Heritage Month, which was kicked off with the musical sounds of Quemando Salsa Orquesta, a contemporary salsa band from Colorado. A complimentary picnic lunch followed. “We enjoy the collaboration with partners across campus, and we are proud to host a virtually zerowaste event in keeping with the green philosophies of our university,” says Deon Lategan, director of CSU’s residential dining services. In years past, CSU’s residential dining services catered a full buffet featuring hot food, salads, and desserts for this event. A few years ago, prompted by uncertain economic times, university administrators requested a proposal for a memorable picnic on a budget. They reached out to residential dining services to see how budget constraints could be met while upholding the CSU’s eco-friendly philosophy.

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Photos courtesy of featured institutions.

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WELCOME In Style

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Residential dining services responded by creating a two-sandwich menu—one meat and one vegan—and partnered with beverage companies to donate drinks. For dessert, they served pink cookies produced by a manufacturer that donated proceeds to Susan G. Komen for the Cure and breast cancer research. (The cookie is a reminder that October is nationally recognized as breast cancer awareness month.) Using this strategy, residential dining services met the university’s request on a $7.95 per person budget.

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A student enjoys the picnic’s fare, featuring a meat and vegan sandwich, beverages, and cookies.

“To ensure this university-wide event supports our everincreasing strides to be responsible stewards of the earth, this picnic featured an easy-to-eat menu that did not require the use of disposable plates and utensils,” Lategan says. “Condiments in plastic containers were avoided to minimize waste.” Green stations with huge banners explained to students how to dispose of and recycle anything left after enjoying their meal.

In the weeks leading up to the event, table card advertisements and a strong university-wide online presence helped to advertise the annual celebration. During the event, all but three dining centers were closed. Preparation for the picnic required 30 staff, including 20 students. Sandwiches were prepared in dining centers and transported in a refrigerated truck to the oval. On-site staff manned stations and assisted participants as they made their picnic lunch selections.

BOILER BASH AT PURDUE UNIVERSIT Y The weekend of August 12-14, freshmen attending Purdue University arrived at campus a week before upperclassmen to participate in Boiler Gold Rush, an orientation program. On Sunday, dining services treated 5,300 first-year students to a Boiler Bash from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the front lawn of a residence hall, across the street in front of the hall, and onto the front lawn of an adjacent business (a major sponsor). Keeping the menu simple, dining services staff prepared hot entrees in the dining courts and delivered them to the serving site where they were held in insulated food warmers that do not require electricity. Since most upperclassmen had not returned, the 75 people who staffed the event were primarily managerial and administrative staff along with a few student and full-time employees. “This is a fun welcome picnic, so the menu is beef hot dogs, pork burgers (donated by a major sponsor), veggie burgers, chips, apples, ice cream bars, and water,” says Jill Irvin, director of dining services, university residences. “This is easy to prepare and deliver, and the students enjoy it.”

Purdue University’s Boiler Gold Rush orientation picnic attracted freshmen who enjoyed a traditional menu with burgers, hot dogs, chips, ice cream bars, and water. The weather cooperated perfectly.

Publicity was handled primarily through the team leaders of the orientation program who bring their students to the picnic at assigned times. This event is not open to the public or returning students. “When planning for this type of event, identify the purpose first and make sure your menu and venue support your purpose,” Irvin advises. “Another key is to begin planning early. This event occurs at the very beginning of the school year. No one will have time at this time of year to plan, so we begin as soon as school ends in the spring.”

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FA L L W E LCOME COOKOUT AT MI C HIGAN STAT E UNIVER SIT Y

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On Tuesday, August 30, a week before classes began, Michigan State University hosted its fall welcome cookout at Munn Field. Nearly 12,500 students attended the event. The annual cookout is held in conjunction with an elaborate MSU Welcome Week event, Spartan Spectacular. During the event, more than 100 student organizations set up booths at Munn Field to promote on-campus involvement. When the dinner service ends, there is a pep rally with the marching band, coaches’ speeches, and an amazing fireworks display. The festivities spark excitement and get the new and returning Spartans fired up for another year.

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Each residential dining neighborhood brings a team of managers and full-time and student staff who are assigned to one of six service tents. This year, approximately 150 culinary services team members worked the event, and 40 volunteers handled recycling. “We used approximately 18 gas grills on the field and had two large refrigerated trucks for cold items,” says Lindsey Bliss, communications manager for culinary services. “We prayed for sunshine, and for the third year we had perfect weather,” says Bliss. “Our rain plan was to hold the event inside at Munn Ice Arena and serve out of the concession stands.” The menu included traditional picnic fare that appeals to the student crowd—burgers, chicken sandwiches, and hotdogs. In addition, an entire tent was dedicated to vegetarian and vegan options. The marketing department created posters for residence halls and flyers for student mailboxes. They also developed a Facebook event page and promoted the cookout in the Eat At State sections of the Michigan State University Twitter and Facebook pages.

MSU’s Spartan Spectacular at Munn Field welcomed nearly 12,500 students (top). Servers offered a traditional picnic fare menu (middle). More than 100 student organizations set up booths to promote oncampus involvement (bottom).

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FLEXIBLE PLANS at Northwestern University

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orthwestern University and its foodservice contractor, Sodexo, developed a new meal plan array to give students more flexibility between residence hall and campus-based retail food venues. The plan is part of the nuCuisine student dining partnership between Northwestern and Sodexo.

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“The new plan line-up offers three new plans along with two popular current plans,” says Rick Thomas, executive director of the Norris Center and Student Services at Northwestern. “Students told us the flexibility to eat anywhere on campus was important to them.”

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This fall, nuCuisine began offering the three new plans, and each includes Wildcat points that can be used in campus retail food locations. The new plans expand dining location choices with a variety of options: Weekly 14 • 14 meals per week • Three meals per week can be used as equivalency in the retail locations • Two guest meal passes per quarter

Penne Florentine is one of several new dishes offered on the nuCuisine line-up. Photo courtesy of nuCuisine partnership between Northwestern University and Sodexo

Block Plan • Includes 350 meals annually • Fixed number of meals and Wildcat points up-front • Meals may be used in the dining halls and at the retail locations • Only available to upperclassmen They will continue to offer two plans that have been very popular: Weekly 13 • 13 meals per week to use in the resident dining locations • Two guest meal passes per quarter

Thomas explained that nuCuisine received input from both student leaders and student residence hall dining committees before designing several different plans that were reviewed by the student meal plan work group and ultimately the housing and food service advisory committee. “Bringing the equivalency option to a weekly plan is the coolest part of this change,” said Katie Bradford, vice president, ASG Student Life. u

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Weekly 6/Non-resident Plan • Six meals per week to use in the resident dining locations • Available to faculty, staff and students living off campus, including fraternities and sororities

For more information visit: www.brakebush.com/tappers or call 1-800-933-2121.

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Unlimited • Unlimited entry into the dining halls; includes late night • Two meals per week can be used as equivalency in the retail locations • Two guest meal passes per quarter

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RECORD-BREAKING SMOOTHIE at University of Illinois

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he University of Illinois (UI) joined the realm of titleholders in the Guinness World Book of Records when it broke the record for the world’s largest smoothie on August 20, 2011. An adjudicator from the Guinness Book of World Records was present to verify the results and present the certificate to university representatives.

The winning 330-gallon smoothie was made with 600 pounds of strawberries, 960 pounds of yogurt, and 105 gallons of pineapple juice. The mixing began at 8:30 a.m. and was finished by 12:30 p.m. To announce the achievement, the Navy ROTC rang a bell, and orange and blue balloons were released to the sky. The previous record was set by a 264-gallon smoothie. UI Dining Services began planning to crush the existing record in February. “A smoothie was picked because we could make it primarily with local ingredients,” says Dawn Aubrey, interim director of dining services. “Since our convocation meal consisted of all local foods and due to the popularity of smoothies with our students, we knew they would enjoy it.” To win, the new smoothie had to use all the same ingredients as the former winner. No advance preparation was allowed. The entire smoothie had about 800,000 calories (each fourounce serving was 166 calories), about 4,385 grams of fat, 17,556 grams of protein, and 176,931 grams of carbohydrates. “This is the beginning of a tradition,” says Aubrey. “Next year we are doing the world’s largest pig roast for convocation. All of the pigs will come from our campus farm.” u

Dawn Aubrey accepts the plaque for the Guinness World Book of Records record breaker (top). Students mix the yogurt, strawberries and pineapple juice (middle) that staff dispensed (bottom and right) for attendees to sample. Photos courtesy of University of Illinois University News Bureau.

Back in 1828, when Westminster Bakers began baking hearty New England bread, and shortly thereafter, our original Oyster Crackers, campus dining was a far simpler proposition than it is today. Students would have been lucky to have a few Johnny-cakes and some ale to wash them down. Today’s campus dining customers are far more demanding...but one constant remains – customers still prefer the hearty, satisfying taste of Westminster Crackers. As always, our Oyster Crackers are made with just seven all-natural ingredients.

Our time-honored baking methods ensure a robust

cracker that compliments a host of soup and chowder recipes. And because they’re more substantial than competitive crackers, customers use less, so they’re more cost-effective in use. So, while every other aspect of the campus dining business changes, customer preference for Westminster doesn’t. Call today to find out how Westminster foodservice solutions can enhance your campus dining program.

Unbleached wheat flour, water, canola oil, cane sugar, salt, yeast, baking soda. Zero grams trans fat - No preservatives - Always delicious. Contact us at 800 827 1149, or visit westminstercrackers.com © 2011 WESTMINSTER CRACKER COMPANY, INC.

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WRAP-UP on Food & Venues

Photos courtesy of featured institutions.

ophisticated college students’ palettes fluctuate frequently with the times. Following is a sampling of food and venues created in response to the dynamic, everchanging culinary world.

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on campus

Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and mitochondria stacked salad offer Cornell students tempting fare at Weill Hall.

SY N A PSIS AT COR N E LL U N IV E R SIT Y At Synapsis, a three-year-old facility in Weill Hall, pasta bakes, calzones, and regular deli and panini sandwiches have been replaced by grilled cheese sandwiches, stacked salads, and flatbread gourmet pizzas. “We wanted this unit to be a destination with signature items that can’t be found in our other retail operations,” says Paula Amols, assistant director, Cornell Dining. “Also, market research showed that our primary customers were the scientists and staff in the building, rather than the student athletes from a nearby building and price field.” Existing equipment, including a high-speed conveyor oven, panini grills, and a pizza oven, are sufficient for the new menu. Synapsis serves about 300 customers Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

C R A ZY C U K E AT FE R R U M COLLE GE Crazy Cuke, a new dining venue at Ferrum College, features five wraps, five salads, beverages, and snacks. An old trailer was converted into a stationary venue next to Stanley Library, reports Mike Martin, director of dining services. It serves nearly 200 students, faculty, and staff between the hours of 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Prepared items are finished in the cafeteria kitchen and transported daily to the venue. One regular employee and one work-study employee operate the unit.

SA M’S EXPRESS AT TEXAS TECH UNIVERSIT Y

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Another Sam’s Express kiosk is opening at Texas Tech University. Developed by Hospitality Services in 2007, the kiosks are an extension of Sam’s Place mini-markets. Currently kiosks are situated in the School of Law, Livermore Auditorium in the School of Engineering, Health Sciences Center, and Texas Tech Library. This Sam’s Express will open in the spring of 2012 in the new Rawls College of Business. It will feature a variety of grab-and-go and menu choices and barbecue items prepared on a grill and served in the courtyard (when weather permits).

G O F RESH AT FARRAND AT UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER Students at the University of Colorado at Boulder are requesting more natural, organic, and sustainable foods, says Janice Torkildsen, marketing and guest experience manager. “They want food that draws on sensory cooking, a selection of made-to-order items, more variety, food that fits into a busy schedule, and take-out food,” she says. The menu at Go Fresh was designed to meet these requests, which were conveyed by the Residence Hall Association. Food served is 100 percent natural and organic or local when possible. All menu items can be taken to go, and everything is recycled. Paper cups are not used, and customers are encouraged to bring their own mugs. For a cost of $300 and with a threeweek turnaround from concept to opening, Go Fresh was introduced to increase customer counts at alternative locations and redirect traffic from the popular Center for Community (C4C). Almost immediately after opening, meal counts jumped from 700 meals daily to 2,500 daily. C4C meal counts decreased as planned. Go Fresh’s customer satisfaction increased more than 35 percent the first week. Previously this space was Farrand Dining, a traditional dining center. The current 2,360 square foot unit is situated a stones’ throw from C4C and open Monday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Fresh salads to-go attract many of the 2,500 daily customers.

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Staff involved are Rebecca Stephens, Residence Hall Association president; Amy Beckstrom, director of Dining Services; Cairon Moore, assistant director of Dining Services; Kerry Paterson, executive chef; Juergen Friese, dining facilities and equipment; Janice Torkildsen, marketing and guest experience manager; and Darren Kelly, unit manager.

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F RE S HSTART AT NORT H CAROLINA STAT E U N IV E R SIT Y

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Each Monday, Clark Dining Hall at North Carolina State University (NC State) offers fresh, new menu items and healthy eating tips to encourage students to adopt a balanced lifestyle throughout the week. Featured on the FreshStart program are menu items such as shrimp quesadillas, grilled sandwiches, portobello mushroom and vegetable pizza, apple Waldorf and asparagus salad with orange vinaigrette, fresh fruits, and roasted Brussels sprouts The program was developed in the summer of 2011 by NC State dietitian Lisa Eberhart, nutrition interns, and the management and staff at Clark Dining Hall. Promotional materials were developed by university dining’s marketing team. Each week, students attending FreshStart Monday receive a nutritional hand-out with tips for the week. Students that attend regularly receive a frequent buyer card that can be exchanged for a prize at the end of the semester. Throughout the program, students also have a chance to win prizes, such as a frisbee, that promote exercise. u

withh

View Online Before You Dine... BE SAFE...Identify ingredients & allergens

Web Menus

BE INFORMED...Accessible via the web, keeping dining on campus      

BE EFFICIENT...Easily access campus dining menus and scroll through meal offerings BE HEALTH CONSCIOUS...Promote healthy meal selection by viewing nutrition content

BE SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE... Print only what you need

Knowledge is POWER - Computrition strives to EMPOWER YOU!

Ethnic Cuisine • • • •

Halal Food trucks and street food Sushi Greek

Nutrition & Wellness

• Signature roasts • Coffee/tea tastings

• • • • • • • •

Presentation in Dining Centers

Sustainability & Social Responsibility

Coffee & Tea

• Display cooking • Platform presentation • Digital menu boards

Convenience

• Healthy retail options • More grab-and-go • High-speed conveyor ovens

Special Dietary Needs

• Gluten-free stations • Accommodating food allergies

• • • • • • • •

Stealth health/default healthy Slow food/scratch cooking Whole grains Sodium reduction Healthy beverages Vegan/vegetarian RD positions Nutrition labeling

Campus gardens Meatless Mondays Campus water bottle bans Composting Trayless serving Measuring waste Reusable take-out containers Fair trade

Budget Reduction & Increasing Efficiencies • More student employees • Department restructures • Doing more with less u

H OT W H AT ’ S

n preparation for the 2012 NACUFS Pacific Region Conference next March, Tara Sanders, dietitian at Oregon State University, collected trends from potential attendees. Here’s what she discovered to be the hottest movements in campus dining. Do you agree?

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TREND TRACKER

G R A I N S H E I R LO O M C A M P U S D I N I N G TO DAY

heirloom grains

Enroll on Campus By Cynthia W. Harriman

his fall, the newest additions to many campus dining menus are some of mankind’s oldest staples: heirloom grains. Across the country—from maple buckwheat porridge at Northeastern University in Boston, to black bean, corn, and millet salad at Colorado State, and to black quinoa salad at Sacramento State—creative college chefs are onboard with this new trend. But what is an heirloom grain? Mike Holleman, director of culinary development at Indian Harvest, a supplier of specialty grains and beans, defines them as “grains whose seeds have been passed down from generation to generation without any purposeful alterations.” That is another way of saying that these grains have not been bred for yield alone or for their ability to stand up to mechanical harvesting equipment, but continue to exist in much the same form as they might have centuries ago. The word heirloom, in fact, evokes thoughts of treasures dusted off in admiration after having been forgotten in the attic for many years, and this image is fitting.

Khorasan Wheat, Artichoke Often heirloom grains are unfamiliar variations on a familiar & Fresh-Tomato Frittata theme, such as red, purple, or black rice in place of white or brown rice; black barley in place of tan; or farro, spelt, or kamut in place of common wheatberries. Heirloom grains can also include grains that are commonly consumed in other regions of the world (such as millet, teff, quinoa, buckwheat, sorghum and amaranth) but are far less well-known here. For grains in both groups, however, the same four reasons drive increasing interest.

PEOPLE LOVE FOODS W IT H A STORY. Teff (a tiny grain whose name means lost

in Amharic, the language spoken in much of Ethiopia) was almost unknown outside of the horn of Africa until The Teff Company in Idaho introduced it to the United States. Today, the Kansas Black Farmers Association is experimenting with teff, intrigued by both its connection to Africa and its market potential. Quinoa’s recent popularity has vaulted the farmers of Bolivia’s Altiplano from handto-mouth poverty to a stable life where they can now afford to send their children to school and even to university. All great stories! The “locale-food” movement (where foods are tied to their origins, wherever they may be) is nearly as strong in appeal as the local food movement, distinguishing foods that come from a place or region from those that originated in a lab. Idealistic college students with an international bent may be especially drawn to the culinary history of heirloom grains.

M ORE PEOPLE ARE E N JOY IN G M E AT LE SS M E A LS. Creative chefs no longer center every meal around a large piece of animal protein. When a dish relies on grains and vegetables for its substance, heirloom grains with their strong story can fill the gap on the plate and in menu descriptions. Check out these mouth-watering descriptions for quinoa dishes alone: pan-seared peppers stuffed with quinoa, basil and pine nuts (Manchester College), warm quinoa salad with edamame and tarragon (Boston College), and maple pecan quinoa (University of Richmond). Dishes like these feature heavily not only in meeting the needs of students already committed to a vegetarian diet, but in efforts to encourage all students to add a variety of plant-based proteins to their meals. Sodexo signed on to the Meatless Mondays campaign early in 2011 for corporate and government locations and extended the program to its college foodservice operations with the new school year this fall. Bon Appétit Management, with operations on many college campuses,

specifically advocates a low-carbon diet, one that replaces meat in many dishes with plant-based options. Bon Appétit at Roger Williams University was college/university winner of the Whole Grains Council’s 2009 Whole Grains Challenge with dishes including homemade bulgur tabbouleh and wheatberry pumpkin salad.

H E I RLO O M GRAINS HELP TH E PLA N E T. Many heirloom grains require fewer

pesticides, less fertilizer, and less irrigation than their mainstream, mono-culture counterparts, increasing their value in regions affected by climate change and resource scarcity. In Nunn, Colorado, for example, Golden Prairie farm now grows proso millet specifically because it requires the least water of any grain crop. Colorado State University’s executive chef Cynthia Lategan, eager to support this sustainable local crop, organized grad students in a food product development class to create recipes for using the unfamiliar grain. Now, many of these millet dishes are being added to menus in the campus dining halls. All four of these are powerful reasons for the momentum of heirloom grains; however, what campus dining directors really like is that whole grains and beans are generally less expensive than meals based entirely on animal proteins. This means that campuses can offer interesting, healthy new dishes that draw in students, while still staying on budget.

HEIRLOOM GRAINS: HYPE OR HEALTHY? The move toward heirloom grains definitely brings an extra dose of healthy nutrients to students’ plates. Many of the darker grains (black and red rice, and purple barley, for example) get their dark color from antioxidants called anthocyanins, the same nutrients that make blueberries famous for their antioxidant punch. Teff is high in calcium and iron. Heirloom wheats, such as emmer and einkorn, are higher in antioxidant activity than modern wheat and quite high in lutein, a nutrient necessary for eye health. Beyond the health advantages of any individual heirloom grain is the benefit of eating a variety of grains. Just as eating a variety of vegetables is important to health, so is eating a variety of whole grains. Brown rice, whole wheat bread, and oatmeal may still be the standbys of your whole grain offerings, but mix it up with heirloom grains, and you’ll excite the taste buds of your dining customers while also improving their health. That’s why heirloom grains are a trend that’s here to stay, not simply a passing fad.

H E I R LO O M

In fact, many campuses now have student groups, like the Gluten-Free Badgers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, that provide support and resources to students and faculty while also educating dining services on ways to provide more gluten-free options. Campus chefs can turn to heirloom grains to satisfy their needs while creating delicious, upscale dishes for all students. To make sure that students eating a gluten-free diet get the nutrients they need, it is important for colleges to remind them that gluten-free does not mean grain-free.

41 C A M P U S D I N I N G TO DAY

population estimated to be sensitive to gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley and rye), most college campuses offer gluten-free options. North Carolina State University, for example, added two gluten-free stations to its Fountain Dining Hall when classes opened this fall. Many of the lesserknown heirloom grains are gluten-free, causing chefs and food developers to seek them out for gluten-free products. Research from Mexico shows that amaranth breads have a more even crumb and higher volume than most gluten-free breads.

G R A I N S

MO RE P EO PLE ARE EAT ING GLU T E N - FR E E . With about one percent of the

Black-Barley Paella

Stir in black barley, diced tomato, and tomato paste until well mixed. Cook for 5 minutes. Add boiling chicken stock a little at a time, stirring each addition constantly until the stock is almost absorbed.

H E I R LO O M

G R A I N S

Chef Chris Bybee, Sublime Catering, Longmont, Colo. Yield: 5 servings

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3 c. chicken stock 1½ c. white wine 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1 lb. boneless chicken thighs, diced 1 small yellow onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped ½ red bell pepper, seeded, ribbed and thinly sliced ½ green pepper, seeded, ribbed and thinly sliced ½ tsp. Spanish saffron 1 bay leaf 2 links dry-cured chorizo sausage, sliced 8 oz. black barley 10 oz. diced canned tomato 2 tbsp. tomato paste ½ lb. raw peeled shrimp ½ lb. mussels ¾ c. peas, fresh or frozen Salt and pepper, to taste ⅓ c. chopped Italian parsley, optional 5 croutons or breadsticks, optional

Cover the paella pan with aluminum foil and cook for 35 minutes until the barley is tender. Add the shrimp, mussels, and peas to the barley mixture and let cook, covered, for 5 to 7 additional minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and discard the bay leaf. Serve family style in the paella pan garnished with chopped parsley or in individual serving bowls with a crisp crouton or breadstick.

Instructions: Heat the chicken stock and wine until boiling. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan or paella pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the chicken thighs. Sear for 2 minutes. To the pan, add onion, garlic, bell pepper, saffron, bay leaf, and chorizo. Cook for 6 minutes or until vegetables are soft and chorizo is browned. Sunrich Naturals_NACUFS Ad_Fall-Winter_Final_SunOpta 9/15/11 4:52 PM Page 1

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2¼ c. water 8 oz. dry Chinese black rice ½ c. brown sugar 1½ c. coconut milk, divided 1½ c. diced grilled pineapple ¼ c. chopped cilantro 6 tbsp. toasted shredded coconut 1 tbsp. toasted black sesame seeds Instructions Bring water to a boil; stir in Chinese black rice. Cover; reduce to simmer for 17 minutes. Stir in brown sugar, incorporating well. Add ¾ cup of coconut milk; continue to simmer. When most of the coconut milk has been absorbed by the rice, remove from heat. Let rest, covered, for 10 minutes before service. Mix grilled pineapple with chopped cilantro; reserve. Place ½ cup ring mold of Chinese black rice into an individual bowl or on a plate. Pour ⅛ cup of coconut milk around the mold. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of toasted coconut on top of the coconut milk. Top rice with ¼ cup of diced pineapple and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds. Remove the ring mold; serve. (This dessert can be served chilled if desired.)

Instructions: Bring water to a boil. Stir in wild rice. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes. Drain excess water and reserve the wild rice. In a large stockpot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add diced sweet potato and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the onion and garlic; sauté for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 quart of stock, cover and simmer until the sweet potato is cooked through. Whisk the sweet potato, onion, and garlic mixture to a smooth consistency. Add the remaining stock and crimson lentils and simmer until the lentils are dissolving (about 20 minutes). Whisk until the lentils have thickened the soup. In a separate pot, heat the remaining olive oil and stir in the chopped kale. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add to the soup along with the cooked wild rice. Adjust flavor with salt and pepper before serving. Garnish with croutons if desired.

G R A I N S

6 c. water 8 oz. grade A wild rice ⅓ c. extra-virgin olive oil, divided 2 lbs. sweet potato, peeled and cubed 1 c. chopped onion 1 tbsp. chopped garlic 4 qt. chicken or vegetable stock, divided 8 oz. crimson lentils 4 oz. kale, stems removed, chopped into 1-inch pieces Salt and pepper, to taste

Michael Holleman, Indian Harvest Yield: 6 servings

H E I R LO O M

Michael Holleman, Indian Harvest Yield: One gallon

Coconut Black Rice with Grilled Pineapple

43 C A M P U S D I N I N G TO DAY

Sweet Potato & Crimson Lentil Soup with Wild Rice & Kale

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Whole Grain Arroz con Pollo

Khorasan Wheat, Artichoke & Fresh-Tomato Frittata

Michael Holleman, Indian Harvest Yield: 6½ cups

Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, CHE, Dean, Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, Chicago Yield: 3 12-in. frittatas (18 servings)

½ c. canned diced tomato 2½ tbsp. canned diced green chile ⅔ c. coarsely chopped onion 5 garlic cloves, peeled ⅓ c. packed chopped cilantro ½ tsp. ground cumin ¼ tsp. allspice 1 tsp. vegetable oil 2½ c. chicken stock 8 oz. uncooked whole grain blend 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces Instructions: In a food processor or blender, combine tomato, green chile, onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and allspice. Purée. In a stockpot large enough to hold all of the chicken stock, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the purée to the pot and cook, stirring until excess moisture is cooked out. Add salt and stock to the mixture and bring to a boil. In a half hotel pan, place whole grain blend, chicken pieces and stock mixture. Stir well to combine and distribute the chicken. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in a 350°F oven for approximately 70 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the oven and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir well before serving.

8 oz. khorasan wheat 6 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 3 medium onions, chopped (about 3 c.) 3 to 6 garlic cloves, minced 4½ c. quartered artichoke hearts 30 large eggs at room temperature 2¼ tsp. salt Ground black pepper, to taste ½ c. + 1 tbsp. whole milk ⅔ c. + 1 tbsp. grated Parmesan 6 oz. Gruyère, grated 4½ tbsp. chiffonade of basil 4½ tbsp. chopped parsley 3 large tomatoes, sliced ¼-in. thick Instructions: Cook khorasan wheat according to package directions. Reserve. For 1 frittata: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add 1 cup of chopped onion and cook, stirring until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 1 to 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add 1½ cups of artichoke hearts and heat through. Set aside. Wipe out the skillet and dry. Beat 10 eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in ¾ teaspoon of salt, a generous amount of black pepper, and 3 tablespoons of milk. Stir in the reserved vegetables, 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, 2 ounces of Gruyère, 1 cup of cooked khorasan wheat, 1½ tablespoons Basil, and 1½ tablespoons of parsley. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet. (It should sizzle when a drop of egg hits the pan.) Pour in the egg mixture. Swirl the pan to distribute the mixture evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly while lifting up the edges of the frittata with the spatula to let the egg run underneath. While the top of the frittata is still wet, layer the slices of one tomato on top in a circular pattern. Reduce heat to low, cover the skillet, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan gently until the egg mixture sets. u

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nutrition

Reducing Sodium: THE NEW CULINARY CHALLENGE By Michele Wilbur, RD, CDN Nutritionist, Cornell Dining

W E L L N E S S

N U T R I T I O N

WELLNESS & T

o get an idea of the daily sodium intake of a typical college student eating three meals a day in your dining venues, imagine that one student selects: for breakfast, a sausage patty, a couple of pancakes, a banana, and scrambled eggs; for lunch, a chicken Caesar wrap, bag of potato chips, and diet cola; for dinner, General Tso’s chicken with rice, salad with light dressing, and a piece of chocolate cake. You and this student may both be surprised to discover that the total sodium intake on this day is 5,381 milligrams—more than double the amount recommended by the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010” for anyone of any age. Students and most Americans in general regularly consume more sodium than they realize. Many foods that are high in sodium do not actually taste salty, so most people are not aware of how much they are ingesting. The USDA Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion estimates that approximately 75 percent of sodium intake comes from packaged or processed food.

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Although salt and sodium are often used interchangeably, there is a difference. Table salt is actually sodium chloride; it is 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride. Salt’s ability to preserve food was once a foundation of civilization. It eliminated dependence on the seasonal availability of food and allowed food to be transported for long distances. Sodium is essential to the human body. It is used to transmit information in our nerves and muscles and helps maintain fluid in our cells, so we need a balance of sodium and water in our bodies at all times. Because the body cannot make sodium, we must ingest foods and table salt to ensure the required intake. We need sodium to be healthy; however, too much salt in the diet can create imbalances that have a negative impact on the body, such as elevated blood pressure and increased risk of heart attack and stroke (the first- and third-leading causes of death for Americans). According to recent estimates by the Center for Disease Control, nearly one in three U.S. adults have high blood pressure.

At Syracuse University, Ruth Sullivan, MSEd, RD, CDN, and NACUFS 20112012 National Nutrition Committee Chair, reports that a short- and long-term plan for reducing sodium resulted in new, revised recipes, including rice and vegetables with herbs (top) and lentil burgers (above). Photos courtesy of Syracuse University

Lowering sodium intake would lead to better health for most people. The New England Journal of Medicine estimates that if Americans cut 1,200 milligrams of sodium from their diets, new cases of heart disease would decrease by six percent, the number of heart attacks would decline by eight percent, and the annual death rate would go down by three percent. Additionally a study published in 2009 by the Rand Corporation reported that a reduction in dietary sodium consumption could save as much as $18 billion in national healthcare costs annually. Now that’s food for thought! In 2008, Congress asked for recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) regarding dietary sodium intake levels in Americans. In April 2010, IOM issued “Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States,” a consensus report calling for new government standards and proposing methods for adjusting sodium content in the food supply. The USDA subsequently issued an update of the “Dietary Guidelines for

Reducing sodium content in foods is a tricky business. Chefs and food manufacturers are understandably concerned about cutting sodium content in their recipes, which can be quite a complex process. The popular and particular taste of salt is responsible for balancing and blending flavors to achieve a certain overall flavor profile. Salt is also important in food preservation and processing. It is a tenderizer, controls ripening and fermentation, and reduces water activity that prevents spoilage. The following tips and strategies can help operators take steps to reduce sodium in foods served on campus: •S et standards for vendors and manufacturers to follow. Always ask for ingredients and nutrition fact labels when testing new products. Inquire about lower sodium products at the same price. Include sodium as a point of comparison between food products. •C heck the list of food manufacturers that have committed to NSRI. Companies you currently work with already may be offering lower sodium options. •A ssess your customers’ desire for lower sodium foods. Consider serving sodium-free spice blends or removing salt shakers from tables. Develop in-house sodium free seasoning blends to offer and use. •E ncourage staff to understand the importance of sodium reduction and include training to reduce salt use in food production. •W hen writing recipes, think about the role of salt in the item. Could it be removed completely, or how much is absolutely needed? Start with a gradual reduction in the recipe and set manageable goals, such as an initial 10 to 15 percent reduction of salt in a recipe and 25 percent less the next semester. •R educe breaded, crusted, and enhanced meats. Offer meat alternatives at the deli, such as hummus or veggie burgers. Serve smaller portions of deli meats on sandwiches. Grill, bake, or broil meats. Train staff to avoid over-salting meat for grilling. Marinate meat in oil, vinegar, citrus, or salt free rubs instead of ready-made marinades or dressings. • Consider making stocks with vegetable and meat scraps.

for a College Student BR E A K FAST: 1 sausage patty, scrambled eggs, 2 pancakes with margarine and pancake syrup, banana 1697 mg sodium

LU N C H: Chicken Caesar wrap, retail bag of potato chips, diet soda 2080 mg sodium

D IN N E R : General Tso’s chicken, white rice, salad with light ranch dressing, slice of chocolate cake 1604 mg sodium

TOTAL 5381 M G SOD IU M

W E L L N E S S

Many foods that are high in sodium do not actually taste salty, so most people are not aware of how much they are ingesting.

A TYPICAL DAY OF MEALS

47 C A M P U S D I N I N G TO DAY

Conforming to this recommendation represents a challenge on college campuses because many operators and culinarians rely on high-sodium processed foods. The good news is that many food manufacturers are responding to the recommendations by reducing the amount of sodium in their foods. In addition, the National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI), a public/private partnership, was developed to guide restaurants and food manufacturers in lowering the sodium content in their menus and foods. Retail stores are also taking heed. For example, Wal-Mart’s stated goal is to reduce sodium by 25 percent in most packaged foods sold on its stores by 2015.

N U T R I T I O N

Americans 2010,” which now suggests that all Americans reduce dietary sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day—the amount found in just one teaspoon of table salt. And for Americans 51 and older, African Americans, or anyone with hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, the guidelines recommend less than 1,500 milligrams per day.

N U T R I T I O N & W E L L N E S S

Wilbur discusses ingredients such as spice blends as substitutes for salt with Douglas Medeiros, cook (above), and (right) Cathy Holt, chef, and Gene Stephenson, cook. Photos courtesy of Cornell University

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•D ecrease use of sauces or dressings in recipes or serve them on the side. • Offer rolls and crackers that don’t have salt on top. • Use raw vegetables in place of pickles or chips as a side. • Provide plain steamed rice, potatoes, or vegetables as a side. • Rinse thawed seafood and enhanced meats. •S erve more fresh or frozen foods and fewer canned products. Push your vendors for lower-priced fresh or frozen foods. • Rinse all canned vegetables and legumes. • Replace bacon with liquid smoke. • Stop salting fries. •T ry yeast or hydrolyzed vegetable proteins. Nutritional yeast has a salty taste and is used frequently on popcorn or in vegan dishes as a salt replacement. • Cut soy sauce with water. • Don’t add salt to boiling water. • And taste, taste, taste! References: National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: www.nhlbi.nih.gov New England Journal of Medicine: www.nejm.org Institute of Medicine: www.iom.edu/ Rand Corporation: www.rand.org National Salt Reduction Initiative: www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/cardio/cardio-salt-initiative.shtml

SODIUM REDUCTION TRAINING at

CORNELL DINING

The culinary staff at Cornell goes through extensive training throughout the year. For the past two years, staff has been trained to be more thoughtful about salt use in recipes. Although it will not be cut out completely, salt is used more sparingly and conscientiously. In a recent training session, culinary leads were asked to sample different types of salt and comment on each type’s taste and level of saltiness. They reviewed food sources of sodium and were given recipes for salt-free marinades and rubs. They responded enthusiastically to the training. At the beginning of the semester, cooks started to create infused oils, vinegars, and other salt-free rubs in their kitchens. Cornell Dining’s chefs are starting to use less salt when writing new recipes. They have been evaluating what salt adds to current recipes and how much salt can be eliminated. Although fresh herbs have always been used, some chefs are starting to grind their own spices, which lend a deeper flavor to the recipes. And fresh herbs are now showing up in new places, such as salad dressings, sandwiches, and pizzas. Given the challenge, the culinary staff has been having fun finding ways to reduce the salt. u

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2011 NACUFS

C O N F E R E N C E

NATIONAL

his past July, hundreds of NACUFS members descended upon Dallas to eat, drink, and be Texan for the association’s 53rd national conference—Reinvent Your Future.

Throughout the conference, attendees heard from inspiring speakers, attended innovative educational sessions, and enjoyed incredible cuisine and entertainment—all under the massive, awe-inspiring roof of the Gaylord Texan resort. As is NACUFS tradition, the association also took the opportunity to recognize and honor award winners at several events throughout the conference. (More on the award winners can be found on the following pages.) Before heading home, attendees two-stepped to the Circle R Ranch for the closing event, “Boots, Chaps, and Cowboy Hats,” which featured a Texas-style barbeque, live band, and even a mechanical bull for those brave enough to hop on.

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conference

Hats off to the 2011 National Conference Committee for an outstanding job and a truly Texas-sized conference!

NACUFS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

JOE SPINA

ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT

uring the General Membership Assembly at the national conference, NACUFS Executive Director Joseph Spina, PhD, CAE, announced that after more than two decades with the association, he will retire effective December 31, 2012. “Without a doubt, Joe is leaving some big shoes to fill,” said Nona Golledge, NACUFS president and director of KU dining services at the University of Kansas. “His leadership has been instrumental in the tremendous growth and success of the association. He will be missed.” Spina is only NACUFS’ second executive director, joining the association in 1990. During his tenure, the association culture evolved from one based

C O N F E R E N C E

2010-2011 NACUFS Board of Directors

almost exclusively on volunteers to a collaborative approach using volunteers, professional staff, and outside consultants. “By maximizing the expertise of each of these groups, we have been able to significantly expand the association’s programs and services, especially in regard to professional development, research, and benchmarking,” said Spina. He was recognized by NACUFS for his outstanding service to the association with the Richard Lichtenfelt Award in 1997.

OFFICERS INSTALLED

This fall, the NACUFS board of directors began the search for the association’s next chief staff executive. Additional information can be found on the NACUFS website and regular updates will be sent to the association membership during the process.

Timothy Dietzler

President 2011-2012 Nona Golledge

University of Kansas President-Elect

Villanova University Secretary/Treasurer (re-election) Rich Neumann

Ohio University

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THANK YOU TO THE

2011 NATIONAL CONFERENCE SPONSORS

C O N F E R E N C E

DOUBLE DIAMOND

DIAMOND

GOLD

Basic American Foods Elite Global Solutions Hobart Hormel Foods Corporation Kellogg Company Kraft Foods, Inc.–Foodservice Division Lactalis Foodservice Nestle Professional Peet’s Coffee & Tea Performance Food Group Porter Khouw Consulting, Inc. Premier Alliance Tyson Foods, Inc. Ventura Foods, LLC

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SILVER

PLATINUM

Agilysys American Pride Seafoods AquaHealth, Inc. Asian Food Solutions, Inc. Avendra, LLC Barber Foods Blue Bunny Brakebush Brothers, Inc. Campbell Soup Company Coca-Cola North America Computrition, Inc. Deep River Snacks Jennie-O Turkey Store The Original Cakerie Otis Spunkmeyer, Inc. Pacific Natural Foods Pinkberry Rich Products Corporation Signature Apparel Starbucks Coffee Company Tasti D-Lite Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. Webb Design

PRE-CONFERENCE N EI G H BORH OOD MARKET RETA IL WORKS HOP Convenience Store Decisions Einstein Bros. Bagels Florida’s Natural Growers Foodservice Management The H.T. Hackney Company J & J Snack Foods PepsiCo Foodservice Sushi with Gusto Talenti Gelato e Sorbetto Whole Harvest

PURCH AS ING WORKSHOP

2012 NACUFS NATIONAL CONFERENCE JULY 11-14, 2012 Be sure to join your association friends and colleagues in Boston next year for some Revolut!onary Thinking at the 2012 NACUFS National Conference. Learn more at www.nacufs.org/conference.

Agilysys HPSI Purchasing Services J & J Snack Foods Pasco Food Service Equipment Talenti Gelato e Sorbetto

The 2012 National Conference Committee entertains and encourages the crowd to join them in Boston next July.

C O N F E R E N C E

Annie’s, Inc. Aurora Information Systems BSI, LLC Burger King Corporation The CBORD Group, Inc. Chick-fil-A, Inc. Copper Mountain Beverages Good Source Solutions InnovAsian Cuisine Ent, LLC J & J Snack Foods Kettle Cuisine King & Prince Seafood Corp. Kozy Shack Enterprises Lotus Bakeries North America mtvU Robert Rippe & Associates, Inc. Torani/R. Torre & Company Twinings of London Viking Seafoods, Inc. Vulcan Hart Wholesome Sweeteners

I 53 C A M P U S D I N I N G TO DAY

BRONZE

R E C O G N I T I O N

INDIVIDUAL HONORS

THEODORE W. MINAH DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD Sister Maureen Schrimpe University of Maryland

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RICHARD LICHTENFELT AWARD Lisa Krausman University of Northern Iowa NACUFS Staff (not pictured)

Recognizing Excellence

DARYL VAN HOOK INDUSTRY AWARD

Elisa Verhille Go RED Food Service Consulting and Connections, Inc.

IN COLLEGIATE DINING

Collegiate foodservice is a demanding profession worthy of special attention. Each year, the many NACUFS awards and recognition opportunities celebrate success in culinary arts, menu design, merchandising, marketing, nutrition, and service to the association and the industry. NACUFS congratulates the 2011 recipients highlighted on the following pages.

DISTINGUISHED LIFETIME MEMBER AWARD

Jane Grant-Shambaugh Concordia College (retired)

Northeast Region

Brittney Stuard, Colorado State University Paul Mineau, Montana State University

Virginia Dunleavy, Rhode Island School of Design Gina Guiducci, Brown University

Mid-Atlantic Region

Pacific Region

Blake Widdowson, University of Richmond Kimberle Badinelli, Virginia Tech

Jim Cacciatore, Azusa Pacific University Darin Schluep, University of California–Davis

Midwest Region

Southern Region

Zia Ahmed, The Ohio State University Jeni Ross, Brian Reichert and the Iowa State University Dining Staff for the 2011 Midwest Regional Conference

Shirleta Benfield, University of Oklahoma Susan van Gigch, University of Georgia

STUDENT EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

James Turner, Ohio University

CL ARK E . DEHAVEN SCHOL AR SHIPS The Clark E. DeHaven Scholarship Trust, established in 1990, honors Clark E. DeHaven, NACUFS’ first executive director. Its purpose is to provide merit scholarships to students at member institutions who are committed to pursuing careers in accredited programs in the foodservice profession or related areas. The program has awarded more than $200,000 to more than 60 recipients since 1992.

2011 RECIPIENTS

Douglas Manfrin Hocking College

Vanessa Liu University of California, Berkeley

Emily McCandless Michigan State University

Ashlinn Kipp Miami University

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Continental Region

Gretchen Strathe Kansas State University

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REGIONAL PRESIDENTS’ AWARDS

CULINARY CHALLENGE

R E C O G N I T I O N

The 11th annual Culinary Challenge showcased the skills of chefs at member institutions in an exciting live-action competition presented at the NACUFS National Conference. The contestants, chosen in regional culinary challenges, each had 60 minutes with an additional five minutes for plating, to produce four portions of a creative entrée using beef tri-tip as the mandatory ingredient, with side dishes and sauces to create a nutritionally balanced plate.

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Kris Saradpon, chef at San Diego State University, was awarded first place in this year’s competition. Saradpon won the challenge and a gold medal from the American Culinary Federation (ACF) with his dish, “The Tri-Tip Trio.” The beef tri-tip was highlighted and prepared three different ways: raw and finely chopped; seared as a steak; and cubed and braised like a pot roast. Each preparation had its own accompaniments including Dijon mustard and micro greens; mushroom duxelle, batonnet zucchini, caramelized red onions, and a crunchy potato gaufrette; and hand-mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, a rich brown sauce, peas, and tournéed carrot. Receiving second place and an ACF gold medal was Lauren Anne Stevenson of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, with her dish, orange ginger marinated tri-tip beef with a soba noodle salad and emulsified wasabi-cucumber vinaigrette. Sarah Finster of Rice University took home third place and an ACF gold medal for her dish, pan-seared beef tri-tip over braised beef, sautéed black beans served with caramelized plantains, tournéed carrots and chimichurri sauce. An ACF gold medal was awarded to Sarah Melo of Brown University. ACF Silver Medals were awarded to Anne Jacobsen from the University of Iowa and Brian Kearney from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Three certified executive chefs judged the competition. Judging criteria were based on the taste of the finished product, the demonstration of cooking skills and culinary techniques, and the practice of organizational skills, including sanitation principles.

Kris Saradpon (above) puts the finishing touches on his winning dish (left). 2011 Culinary Challenge contestants, from left: Anne Jacobsen, Lauren Ann Stevenson, Kris Saradpon, Sara Melo, Sarah Finster, and Brian Kearney.

C-STORE BEST IN T HE BUSINESS AWARDS

THE HYBRID STORE Winner: Woods Diner, Binghamton University INNOVATIONS Winner: Vista Market, California State Polytechnic University-Pomona NEW STORE DESIGN Winner: M arket at Global Village, Rochester Institute of Technology Honorable Mention: Uncle Harry’s, Duke University MARKETING YOUR RETAIL VENUES Winner: Market at Munger, Stanford University Honorable Mention: n uCuisine Retail Locations, Northwestern University UPDATING YOUR EXISTING C-STORE Winner: Eagles Nest, The College at Brockport Honorable Mentions: T he Market, Central Michigan University POD Market in the Cellar, Birmingham Southern College

NUTRI TION AWARDS BEST LOCAL FOODS RECIPE

This biennial contest recognizes and encourages the use of locally produced foods in the menus of member institutions by showcasing the efforts of those that use local ingredients. 1st Place Illinois State University

Apple cider-brined roasted chicken 2nd Place Ohio State University

MOST INNOVATIVE NUTRITION PROGRAM

This annual contest recognizes colleges and universities that have implemented a unique and effective nutrition program during the year. 1st Place Southern Illinois University—Carbondale

“Paint Your Plate! Incorporate the Colors of Good Nutrition” 2nd Place University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Basmati rice with squash and tempeh

“Double Your Consumption of Fruits and Vegetables…for a Lifetime of Great Health!”

3rd Place Northwestern University

3rd Place University of New Hampshire

Local pasta bar

“Eat Right. With Color.”

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CARING FOR YOUR RETAIL CUSTOMERS Winner: B oilerCrossing/BoilerJunction, Purdue University

R E C O G N I T I O N

Recognizing leadership in product mix, marketing, layout, design, and great new ideas, the C-Store Best in the Business Awards competition provides an opportunity for college and university campuses to share stories of their latest improvements and highlight their retail and convenience store best practices.

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One of the most prestigious competitions in collegiate foodservice, the Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards contest is a highly competitive peer recognition program. The awards recognize exemplary menus, presentations, special event planning, and dining concepts, and provide an avenue for sharing ideas and creative presentations. Judges spent several days at the NACUFS office in Okemos, Mich., poring over more than 150 entries for this year’s contest. In the end, 68 gold, silver, bronze, and honorable mention awards were presented to the “best of the best” in the contest’s six categories. The grand prize winners were announced at the association’s national conference in Dallas and are featured on the following pages. 2011 dining awards judges (from left): Dan Yerigan, Mike Martin, Robert Landolphi, Amy Crump, Karen Nelles, Meredith Statler, Jill Irvin.

The 2011 Grand Prize and Gold award winners with Janet Paul Rice, NACUFS president, and Meredith Statler, 2011 Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards chair.

2011 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY Case Western Reserve University’s (CWRU) Leutner Commons reopened in the fall of 2010 on the heels of a comprehensive $7.5 million renovation. Leutner Commons serves as a true centerpiece of CWRU’s all-you-care-to-eat dining program, which is provided by the Bon Appétit Management Company. The renovation project was initiated and planned with coordination between officials, Bon Appétit Management Company, and designers from the California-based design firm EDG Design. Also involved in the collaborative process were many CWRU students who got involved by forming various focus groups and planning committees and gave valuable input in everything from dining chairs to the selection of a color scheme to be featured in the updated facility. Added to the Commons were a total of 10,500 square feet of space, a high-tech study room, a 24-hour student lounge with a two-story fireplace, all new furniture and flooring, and an entirely new facility sound system. One of the remodel’s main features is a state-of-the-art “Grand Island” to showcase meal production and encourage student dining engagement. Many of the new features in the dining hall were built using environmentally friendly and repurposed materials per the sustainability initiatives of Bon Appétit management and Case Western Reserve University.

SMALL SCHOOL

Gold Concordia College Silver Hendrix College MEDIUM SCHOOL Gold Case Western Reserve University

Silver Cleveland State University Bronze Kansas State University Honorable Mention Azusa Pacific University LARGE SCHOOL Gold University of Michigan

Silver North Carolina State University Bronze University of Georgia Honorable Mention University of Rhode Island

R E C O G N I T I O N

GRAND PRIZE:

CATEGORY WINNERS

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RESIDENTIAL DINING CONCEPTS

2011 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNERS SMALL SCHOOL

RESIDENTIAL DINING— SPECIAL EVENT

Gold Alfred State College

Bronze Ferrum College Honorable Mention Marist College Concordia College MEDIUM SCHOOL Gold SUNY at Cortland

Silver University of San Diego

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Silver Bryn Mawr College Hendrix College

Bronze Southern Illinois University– Carbondale Honorable Mention University of North Carolina– Wilmington LARGE SCHOOL Gold Virginia Tech

Silver Ball State University Bronze University of Georgia Honorable Mention Virginia Tech Ohio University

GRAND PRIZE:

VIRGINIA TECH On the evening of April 8, 2010, guests to Virginia Tech’s D2 Dining Center tumbled down a rabbit hole to a fantastic Wonderland filled with culinary delights, elaborate settings, and favorite characters inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic story, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Guests were treated to an elaborate Victorian feast with both traditional fare and dishes paying homage to the story. Desserts in varying sizes created the illusion of guests changing size as Alice did in the story. Costumed characters added a magical touch as they played games, served food, held a mad tea party, painted white roses red, and explored the elaborate garden. Theme meals such as the Alice in Wonderland dinner often play a large role in the success of Virginia Tech’s residential dining program, providing a welcome break from routine, increasing head counts, exposing guests to unusual fare, and adding value to dining plans. The Virginia Tech D2 Dining Center enjoyed great success in hosting this event, which was intended as a special appreciation for their customers. The Alice in Wonderland dinner was an over-the-top spectacle of lavish food and drink, amazing atmosphere, and whimsical games not soon to be forgotten by all of its attendees.

2011 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

RETAIL SALESâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; SINGLE CONCEPT

CATEGORY WINNERS SMALL SCHOOL

Gold Rhode Island School of Design

In the fall of 2010, University of Illinois Dining Services opened 57 North. The new venue is a convenient campus dining spot as well as a comprehensive retail outlet for day-to-day convenience products. Dining selections at 57 North include made-to-order dishes as well as freshly made to-go dishes with a focus on healthy and sustainable ingredients as well as inspiration from ethnic dishes and flavors. Aside from these meal-centered options, the venue carries a variety of other food products including frozen foods, beverages, and prepackaged snacks. In addition, 57 North carries common convenience items, household products, toiletries, and school supplies. 57 North is named for Interstate 57, an expressway leading towards the city of Chicago, from where many of the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s students hail. The newly constructed Student Dining and Residential Programs Building, which houses 57 North, is the first building built by University of Illinois Housing in more than 40 years and is silver LEED certified.

MEDIUM SCHOOL Gold Azusa Pacific University

Silver Messiah College Bronze Cleveland State University Honorable Mention Johnson & Wales University LARGE SCHOOL Gold University of Illinois University of North Texas

Silver Miami University Bronze Brown University University of Cincinnati Honorable Mention University of Oklahoma

R E C O G N I T I O N

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

Bronze Concordia College

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GRAND PRIZE:

Silver Hendrix College

2011 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNERS MEDIUM SCHOOL

RETAIL SALESâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;MULTIPLE CONCEPTS/MARKETPLACE

Gold Brock University Silver University of Dayton

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Bronze Azusa Pacific University

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LARGE SCHOOL Gold Miami University

Silver University of Washington Bronze University of Colorado at Boulder Honorable Mention University of Rochester

GRAND PRIZE:

MIAMI UNIVERSITY The Bell Tower Place at Miami University is a multiple service and format dining venue located at the heart of Miami Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residential campus. Attached to a residence hall, the Bell Tower Place operates on a continuous schedule, offering breakfast, lunch, dinner as well as latenight service. A marketplace environment, customers have access to a wide variety of self-service, prepared-to-order and packaged foods. Some favorite Bell Tower Place selections include fresh deli sandwiches, individually prepared stir-fry and pasta dishes, Chicago- and gourmet-style pizzas, steaks, hamburgers, and chicken. To add variety, the venue offers an espresso counter and smoothie bar complete with fresh bakery items.

2011 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

BROCK UNIVERSITY In the fall of 2010, Brock University hosted the General Brock’s October Soirée, a black-tie fundraising gala. The aim of the fundraiser was to commemorate the university’s namesake, Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, who was portrayed by an actor who hosted the event. Brock University’s catering department was entirely responsible for the meal and menu development for this successful and glamour-filled event. The evening’s events were a modern celebration interwoven with themes of the early 1800s, when Brock was a British commander during the War of 1812. Attendees enjoyed performances by artists and students from the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. Brock Dining Services, in partnership with Sodexo Canada Limited, is the exclusive food provider at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, serving more than 17,000 students, faculty, and staff each day. Brock University’s catering services works to incorporate the latest culinary trends into their planning, such as farm-to-table, artisan sandwiches, and healthy baking. They have a wide variety of services to accommodate a wide range of events, from morning breakfasts to elite black-tie galas.

SMALL SCHOOL

Gold Washington and Lee University Silver Hendrix College Bronze Ferrum College United States Military Academy Honorable Mention Roanoke College MEDIUM SCHOOL Gold Brock University

Silver Azusa Pacific University Bronze University of Northern Colorado University of Dayton Honorable Mention Kansas State University LARGE SCHOOL Gold Iowa State University

Silver University of Connecticut Bronze Syracuse University Honorable Mention Miami University

R E C O G N I T I O N

GRAND PRIZE:

CATEGORY WINNERS

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CATERING— SPECIAL EVENT

2011 LOYAL E. HORTON DINING AWARDS

CATEGORY WINNERS SMALL SCHOOL

Gold Hendrix College Silver Concordia College

R E C O G N I T I O N

Bronze College of Saint Benedict

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MEDIUM SCHOOL

Gold Northern Michigan University Silver University of Nevada, Reno Bronze Azusa Pacific University Honorable Mention College of the Holy Cross LARGE SCHOOL

Gold University of Kansas Silver University of Akron Bronze Syracuse University Honorable Mention Villanova University

CATERING— ONLINE MENU

GRAND PRIZE:

UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS In the 2010-2011 school year, the University of Kansas’ Dining Services showcased an extensive and comprehensive online catering menu. The KU “Catering Guide” is an annual publication created by KU Catering, an extension of University of Kansas’ Dining Services. The Catering Guide can be viewed online in an easy-to-use, aesthetically pleasing “flip book” format and hosts are able to select package menus or create their own meal for an event. KU Catering worked to make their offerings very customizable, tailoring menus to work for almost every service level and budget. More than 75 percent of the menu offerings are able to be made in-house at an event, allowing the hosts increased flexibility in choice and scheduling. KU Catering’s goal is to make each event it hosts something special and uniquely memorable. Some of their metrics of success include high employee retention as well as positive post-event customer satisfaction analysis.

2012 AWARDS & CONTESTS Gain recognition for your program by entering the association’s annual contests. Start getting your entries ready—the deadlines will be here before you know it! NEW FOR

2012!

R E C O G N I T I O N

Entries are due January 13, 2012. Learn more at www.nacufs.org/sustainabilityawards.

Student applications are due February 15, 2012. Learn more at www.nacufs.org/dehaven.

Registration is now open for regional competitions. Learn more at www.nacufs.org/culinarychallenge.

Entries are due March 9, 2012. Learn more at www.nacufs.org/cstoreawards.

Entries are due April 27, 2012. Learn more at www.nacufs.org/nutritionawards.

Catering—Online Menu entries are due March 30, 2012. Entries for all other categories are due April 13, 2012. Learn more at www.nacufs.org/diningawards.

Individual Honors

Nominating one or more deserving colleagues for a national recognition award is one of the best ways to say “Thank You” for their service to the association. Nominations for the Theodore W. Minah Distinguished Service Award, the Distinguished Lifetime Member Award, and the Daryl Van Hook Industry Award are due January 31, 2012. Student Employee of the Year nominations are due March 30, 2012. Learn more at www.nacufs.org/individualhonors.

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C AT E R I N G C A M P U S D I N I N G TO DAY

Expectations EXCEEDING

CAMPUS CATERING STEPS UP ITS GAME – Donna Boss Contributing Editor

C AT E R I N G

atering is a significant and exciting business on college and university campuses today. A review of catering department websites and printed materials tells an unprecedented story of the many services available to increasingly sophisticated clients—everything from planning, counseling, and customized menus to perfect campus settings, themed décor, and impeccable delivery. Every year campus catering departments improve and expand the services they offer, and savvy clients continue to expect more. Simply meeting expectations in today’s competitive environment is okay, but okay is not good enough. Exceeding expectations is the norm. Taking the leap into this higher level of service requires exceptional creativity and keen attention to detail. The rewards for success are high, as is the cost of failure. When catered events go well, dining services earns a prominent reputation that opens doors for future business. If events fall short or are mediocre at best, campus catering acquires a tarnished image that may take years to erase and enormous effort to rebuild.

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67 Bringing in much needed revenue is another motivator to succeed. Gone are the days of unlimited budgets, so campus catering must work with clients to meet their tighter financial requirements without compromising the quality of services. In this issue, we highlight a wide variety of solutions to the complex challenges facing campus catering. We hope they spark ideas for your department so you can continue to exceed expectations and reach the greatest success. u Above: An unexpected appetizer features watermelon cubes with blue cheese and prosciutto, all tied with a leek. Left: Reinvent the lazy Susan by filling cylindrical glass containers with flowers and serving sushi on rectangular plates. Photos courtesy of Meryl Snow, Catersource Consultant

CATERING: CASE STUDY 1

CATERING ‘UNDER THE GUN’ C AT E R I N G

AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

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By Colleen Wright-Riva, Director of Dining Services, and Carlotta Botvin, Special Events Sales Administrator, University of Maryland

Whether the University of Maryland has an unexpected visit from a dignitary, a spontaneous celebration of a successful collaboration, or an occasion to pay tribute to the loss of a campus humanitarian, our catering department must respond quickly and at the last minute. We have learned how to put together events in a short period of time or, in other words, cater under the gun.

A QUICK RES PONSE & COLLABORATION A tribute to a deceased benefactor illustrates how we must work together in these timerestricted circumstances. Robert Smith was a highly successful real estate developer and philanthropist in the Washington, D.C. area. His love for the University of Maryland is evident in the buildings named in his honor: the Robert H. Smith School of Business and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, named for his artist wife. Many months after Mr. Smith passed away, and with only two weeks’ notice, the Smith family and the university decided to host a tribute event, held on Sunday, May 16, 2010. Our catering department, Good Tidings Catering, was asked to oversee both a 500-guest tribute held at the university’s Performing Arts Center and an intimate dinner for 20 at the president’s residence immediately following the tribute.

Good Tidings 301.314.1100 catering@dining.umd.edu

The Good Tidings Catering team worked directly with the president’s office, the Smith family, and the Office for University Advancement to manage campus logistics, menu details, room arrangements, and décor. Given the turnaround time, most of the details were firmed up at a single meeting on May 4 with Patsy Mote (then first lady), her assistant, the catering chef, and the special events manager—all while sitting at the dining room table in the president’s residence. The Smith family, while involved in determining the date for the tribute and a few of the program logistics, was not involved in menu selection. Since Good Tidings Catering staff has worked with the president’s office on many other occasions over the years, a menu tasting was not requested. A great deal of culinary license is a beneficial result of the long-term campus collaboration we have developed over many years.

HIR IN G A N OU TSID E R E N TA L COM PA N Y Table settings and room décor ideas were also discussed at this comprehensive meeting. Once there was agreement among the stakeholders, the catering team decided to use the services of an outside rental company that agreed to deliver custom tables, chairs, linens, and china and assisted with room set-up on the Saturday before the event. This allowed enough time for correcting any mistakes and completing pre-set details, but was not so far in advance that it was disruptive to normal activities at the president’s residence. The special events

Photos courtesy of University of Maryland

A STAG I NG AND PREP C HA L L ENGE The president’s residence does not have a catering kitchen, which requires staff to work creatively. They used the family kitchen for staging, a 10 foot by 10 foot tent set on the patio for break-down, and a small basement kitchen with refrigeration for salad and dessert plating. Hot foods were prepared offsite at the main catering kitchen and delivered finished to the residence several hours before the guests were due to arrive. The staffing for this important dinner included nine people: an events manager, a chef, a bartender, three servers, two back-of-house team members, and one driver. The total cost for the event was $90 per person, which may seem a bit high for the usual campus event, but not when acknowledging the many contributions over the years of such a generous campus partner. The 500-person event and the following intimate dinner were well received by guests and campus administrators. The Smith family was very appreciative of the high level of attention to detail displayed by the catering team and was very happy with the menu selections.

• Recognize the importance of the comprehensive meeting with the client (here, the president’s office). • Develop a strong, ongoing working relationship. This is crucial so you can work together quickly and efficiently when the need arises. • Think quickly. We had to make a brisk assessment of which resources were needed and where to get them. • Recognize how important rental companies can be in helping your onsite team transform physical space into a vision, especially when time is a rare commodity! • Communicate, communicate, communicate! Staff management must be impeccable in their clear communication and follow-up. u

To celebrate Mr. Smith’s love of art, catering staff created a beautiful table with artistically designed platters and plates, and colored glassware.

C AT E R I N G

Using a professional design rental company was the essential key in helping quickly transform a rather business-like room into one that had the intimate feel of a small restaurant. The decision to place a tent of sheer material around the room and add long white lacquered tables with a center trough for candles and flowers helped to set the tone of the evening. In addition, to celebrate Mr. Smith’s love of art, a beautiful table was created with artistically designed platters and plates, and colored glassware.

LE SSON S LE A R N E D

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manager also completed a pull sheet of items needed from our own warehouse so our team could assemble equipment and supplies for the Saturday set-up.

CATERING: CASE STUDY 2

CELEBRATING AN EPIC 375th ANNIVERSARY AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY C AT E R I N G

By Crista Martin, Director of Marketing and Communications, Harvard University Hospitality and Dining Services

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Every quarter-century, Harvard marks its founding with a grand celebration. This time, it specifically celebrated the men and women— students, faculty, staff, and alumni—who comprise its broad community. Harvard University Hospitality & Dining Services (HUHDS) and its Crimson Catering division contributed to the epic 375th anniversary celebration on October 14, 2011, with events that merged history with contemporary culinary arts and entertainment.

PLANNING & STAGIN G T HE EVENT More than a year ago, Harvard’s university marshal convened a committee to begin planning a mammoth party to be second only in scope and scale to the university’s annual commencement. The original vision was to stage a dinner under the stars in Harvard Yard, a 25-acre grassy area that sits in the center of campus. As conversations progressed, a new vision emerged: Harvard College and the various professional schools (more than a dozen) would host local parties for the immediate community, and participating groups would later convene in New Harvard Yard (near the freshman residence hall and Widener Library, where the annual commencement takes place) for a universitywide evening of dessert and entertainment. That is exactly what took place on October 14. For Harvard College undergraduates, the preparty was held in their small house dining halls,

where HUHDS served a historically-themed dinner. In the planning stages, a team from HUHDS turned to the Harvard Library Archives to better understand what was served at the college from its founding in 1636 through the centuries that followed. Armed with historic menus, receipts for goods, and countless other documents that offer insight into the menu, Chef Martin Breslin, director of culinary operations, and a student committee developed a bill of fare and accompanying explanations for the resulting menu. HUHDS also used its historical research to build both a context for the menus and a timeline of dining at Harvard through the centuries. Cultural and historic trends that influenced the menu, such as British trade and tax, seasonal availability, and Colonial allegiance with France, were presented in the weeks leading up to the event. Juxtaposed against a history of Harvard, a 10-foot-long timeline featuring images from throughout the years was displayed in dining halls. Meanwhile, the university’s central administration staff attended a light dinner party in the campus’ primary office building, where they feasted on small bites from stations hosted by food vendors set up in its main concourse. Professional schools also hosted parties, from modest hors d’oeuvres to a more complex Oktoberfest theme. These parties, however, were a prelude to the big event—a four-station dessert-themed party that drew nearly 10,000 people. For this, HUHDS and Crimson Catering developed a menu to bridge past and present, calling on and featuring a number of key friends and partners. “We wanted to showcase prominent alumni in foodservice, some of

A 4,000-portion red velvet cake, baked by Harvard alumna Joanne Chang (’91), pastry chef and owner of Flour Bakery and Café in Boston, was constructed in Harvard Yard in the shape of an “H.” Employees from local neighbor and chocolate maker Taza demonstrated the extraction of the “liquor” from cocoa beans amidst a HUHDS-created buffet of chocolate fountains, brownies, truffles, and a decadent homemade hot chocolate. The ice cream station featured homemade ice cream from nearby Richardson’s dairy, and students from the popular Science & Cooking class demonstrated how liquid nitrogen-based ice cream is made and provided samples for guests. And the apple station, located near the site of the original orchards that dotted Harvard Yard, featured Roxbury Russet apples—the original New England apple—and a cider press demonstration led by Dr. Eric Chivian, a Harvard faculty member, 1985 Nobel Peace Prize winner, director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment, and an heirloom orchardist. In addition, guests enjoyed Harpoon Brewery’s 1636, a beer typical of what might have been brewed in the one-time campus brew house. When alumnus Yo-Yo Ma played “Happy Birthday to You” on his cello, and the H cake was ceremonially cut, more than one year’s worth of planning and coordination came to fruition. “What a perfect way to celebrate an anniversary and remind all of us of Harvard University’s heritage,” says David Davidson, managing director of HUHDS. “It was an extraordinary demonstration of teamwork from our crew, and we were thrilled to help shape this great community-building event.”

Planners meet in Harvard Yard (above), the site of the event. Dining staff work in the Kirkland House kitchen in 1936 (below left and right).

LE SSON S LE A R N E D •M eet regularly. Building on past large-scale events, the planning committee met regularly to coordinate details such as the countless rentals, station and direction signs, lighting, ticketing, marketing, press, composting, and staffing needs. •D istribute responsibilities. “We couldn’t have done it without everyone taking on specific tasks and seeing them through to fruition,” says Meehan. “We needed so many areas of expertise that everyone had to play a part. So my job was to keep all the moving parts aligned and everyone informed.” •C onsider the challenges. Apply the lessons learned from previous events. “Do walkthroughs and create detailed maps of the event space, so everyone will know where to go on the day-of. Have a rain plan. You may never need to use it, but you’ll be glad to know it’s there,” says Meehan. u

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Harvard’s friends and neighbors in the artisan food business, and some of the groundbreaking academic work which centers on food,” says Madeline Meehan, formerly director for Crimson Catering and now the managing director for Harvard Campus Services’ Events Management.

C AT E R I N G

Photos courtesy of Harvard University Hospitality and Dining Services (HUHDS)

CATERING: CASE STUDY 3

CREATING CREATIVE TIEREDPRICED MENUS & SERVICES AT UMASS C AT E R I N G

By Brenda Ryan-Newton, Catering Director, UMass Catering, University of Massachusetts

Tiered menus were created to give our customers choices. The more choices we present to our customers, the more delighted they seem with our services and feel we are catering to their needs. We succeed when our customers are happy. When considering and designing menus and services of different tiered pricing, on-campus providers of catering services must know their customers—what they like, what they need, their style, their expectations and, most important, what they are willing to pay and what your competition is doing. Keeping current with market trends in our business is crucial because what is hot today is cold tomorrow. Customers look to us for guidance. We offer culinary excellence and impeccable service, and we need to deliver it at different tiers to keep a multitude of customers happy!

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WHY OFFER T IER E D PR IC E D MENUS & S ERVICE S

Pizza is a favorite on the Express Grab and Go menu.

Over the years our campus departments have faced continuous and numerous financial budget cutbacks and underfunding, all of which have impacted our catering sales. For instance, departments that may have had weekly lunches now have been forced to cut back to weekly breaks. In our department, we felt one of the best ways to be sympathetic and still continue to capture catering revenue was to be creative in how we approached and marketed our standard menus. What better way than to create tiered-priced catering menus and delivery services to enhance our catering offerings.

SE LE C T ION S OFFE R E D UMass Catering offers four tiers of catering: • Catering by Design. Our full-service catering meets the needs of customers who need to provide a high level experience to their guests. Customers can order plated or buffet service. • Light and Elegant. Our casual dining catering offers minimal waitstaff and linen service. Menu items are preset for guests’ served buffet- or reception-style. • UMass Express Menu. Our newest and most successful tier of catering serves breakfast, lunches, and dinners delivered free of charge anywhere on campus. It was developed to compete with our off-campus competitor and generate revenue that best fits the needs of our budget-conscious customers. Customers call or fax in orders. Last minute orders are accepted at no additional charge. • Express Grab and Go. This offers “No Frills but Good to Go!” The menu is limited to a continental breakfast, a deli buffet, and pizza buffet. Customers call in orders and come to the catering office to pick them up and can take them anywhere on or off campus. Many customers make use of this service as an option for private parties. We must deliver an exceptional culinary experience to our customers with the service that they expect. Because we are conscious of our food and labor costs, our production cost is our first priority. Therefore, when deciding what to offer our customers, we calculate the costs of food and labor and price the options accordingly. For example, seared wild Alaskan salmon and medallions of beef tenderloin served with a pink peppercorn sauce are expensive to purchase and produce, so these

Turkey, bacon, and Swiss cheese is a popular ciabatta sandwich on the Express luncheon buffet.

C USTO MER CO MMUNICAT ION IS KEY We communicate with all of our customers through phone conversations or emails to get a idea of the intention of their event. We ask them about their budget, so we can appropriately suggest the best menu options to fit their event and explain in detail our pricing structures. Our sales staff is a vital part of this on-going communication process and so is our marketing material. We explain our tiered menus when soliciting business from campus departments and during meetings with the on-campus department event planners. We continually market ourselves as “flexible“ to meet customers’ needs. We emphasize that we will work with them to create a successful event that fits within their budgets.

FO UR DI FFERENT MENUS Each menu is designed to accommodate our customers’ needs based on the type of event and budget they want. In all but the Catering by Design option, customers can mix and match more expensive and less expensive

items. We lowered our minimum guest requirement to accommodate our customers’ budgets. We hope our flexibility will assist us in retaining customers and promote word-ofmouth marketing on our willingness to assist our campus friends in this economy.

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items are offered only on the Catering by Design menus. When developing menus we utilize local products as often as possible (if the price is within our or our customer’s budget) in order to increase our positive relationship with the local community, which in turn increases our visibility and results in increased revenue. In addition, certain items that require plated service will be offered only in the Catering by Design menus.

This grilled chicken Caesar salad sandwich with a fruit cup, chips, a cookie, and beverage is an Express option for the UMass salad box lunches.

LE SSON S LE A R N E D • Flexibility is a must. It is important to listen to your customers and give them options to meet their needs and budget. • Communication is crucial. When offering tiered-priced menus and services, your customers must be made aware of what services they will be receiving. It is important that your sales staff make every effort to go over customers orders with them by personal phone calls and emails and follow up about what to expect from the tiered catering so they are not disappointed when they arrive at their event or receive their orders. • Carefully price out the cost of food and production. Just as customers shouldn’t be surprised when they receive the menu and services they ordered, the catering manager and chefs shouldn’t be surprised when they review their catering expenses and put together budgets. u

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Photos courtesy of UMass Catering

The Express luncheon buffet also features hearty wraps with fresh ingredients and flavors.

CATERING: CASE STUDY 4

REMAKING THE CATERING DEPARTMENT AT NORTHERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY C AT E R I N G

By Stephanie Raboin, Marketing Manager, Dining Services Northern Michigan University

R E M A K IN G T HE C AT E R ING D E PA R T M E N T In an effort to create better hospitality events for the Northern Michigan University (NMU) campus and community, NMU Dining combined dining services with conference and catering. The goals are to increase productivity, enhance the end product for customers, and expand our catering business.

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“Part of our business strategy was to create a unique identity for our university conference and catering service,” says Greg Minner, director of dining services. “By establishing Simply Superior Catering and Events, we solidified our catering as a unique business. This new identity separates our catering from being solely recognized with university dining.”

T HE PR OC E SS & C HA LLE N GE S The transition started in June 2010 and is an ongoing process. Our five designated areas for improvement were communication, marketing, policy/procedures, training, and new image development. The people involved include the director of conference and catering, the dining services director, director of residential dining, corporate executive chef, marketing manager, marketing assistants, webmaster, operations managers, cooks, baker, catering attendants, hosts, and hostesses.

Simply Superior Catering and Events’ menus feature salads and desserts, all with fresh fruits and vegetables. Guests remember these eye-catching presentations.

One of the main challenges was gaining recognition for the new identity. Conference and catering had been an established entity for more than 35 years. Initially, customers perceived Simply Superior Catering and Events as a new business, but we needed them to realize we were an updated conference and catering business. We introduced new menus, improved customer service, added more options for planning and coordinating events, and implemented an online registration program.

Photos courtesy of Northern Michigan University’s Simply Superior Catering and Events

•W e launched a new website and entered it into the NACUFS Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards contest. We proudly won gold in the category of Catering—Online Menu for medium schools. • Th e director of Simply Superior Catering and Events receives phone calls and emails daily on the ease and accessibility of the website and layout of the new menus available in the office and on the website. •W e created a customer database and comment card gallery to log comments and a process for giving feedback to the kitchen, catering attendants, and operational managers. •W e developed a binder with new policies for professional attire and dress code. Operational managers started wearing new uniforms this October. • Th e staff is better trained than ever. Operational managers trained all staff members in Training Intervention Procedures (TIPS), and each person has been ServSafe certified. •M arketing of the new identity continues. Catering trucks wrapped in new graphics and a future open house will market Simply Superior to the campus community and others outside the campus. •C atering has increased by 4.3 percent since the new brand introduction.

•T o better serve your customers, make sure the communication stream is open between your sales, food preparation, and service teams. •R eview your delivery methods (such as quickserve, catering, and pick-up), your packaging, and menu design. Collect comment cards from customers at each event. •M ove into the academic realm at your university. Our catering management team makes presentations to business classes where students are studying event and planning management. We teach students about the workings of our catering process and our daily dining operation. We work with class members to plan their own event so they get a realistic glimpse of a full-time job on this career path. •U se your university catering program online. By combining our dining and catering programs, we effectively use an online Web registration system to organize ordering of bakery items that are now created in house. Customers are notified by catering and pick up their orders in our catering office. Using an online registration system, we sell products to students, parents, and our campus community for celebrating birthdays, finals week, or “just because.” See www.regonline. com/celebrategoodtimes. u

Bright graphics on Simply Superior Catering and Events truck displays menu items and the logo, which serves as advertisement and positive public relations (left). Table decor transforms this room into a celebration venue (middle). The new catering office conveys an upscale, contemporary message to customers about the services offered (right).

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RESULTS

LE SSON S LE A R N E D

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Another challenge was coordinating the process of communications between the sales and services teams. It is important to relay customers’ exact needs, and this information needs to flow from the customers to our sales team and then to our service team.

Shoestring

CATERING

ON A

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Campus dining leaders are becoming quite inventive in cutting catering program costs while still fulfilling the needs of their customers.

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STUDENT-LED FU N D R A ISE R In April, a group of students with a budget of $500 asked me to help them raise money for a YWCA project. The auxiliary manager gave permission to host it with dining services, which provided free space. The students had received food donations from various vendors, and our chef generously agreed to prepare the meal. The college’s culinary arts department let us borrow china and dinnerware. The students planned to set up, clean up, and serve the 100 invited guests themselves. I gave them ideas about centerpieces they could make on their own. The students opted out of decorations and instead rearranged the furniture to make an attractive lounge. They advertised the event by hanging posters and word-of-mouth communication. An event of this size would typically cost about $2,400, but the students spent only $400 and raised $964 for the YWCA. Getting people and other departments involved was critical. Buy-in from everyone and a belief in the cause was vital for this shoestringbudgeted event to be successful. —Angela Majors, Salt Lake Community College

A LIT T LE CREATI V IT Y Pick up your average wedding magazine off the newsstand, and you might think that this celebratory day must start with a $20,000 budget. Here at Connecticut College, our wedding catering tends to be for staff or the children of staff, and most are looking for a more reasonably priced way to celebrate their special day. The college allows employees to use the spaces here free of charge, eliminating the cost of renting a banquet hall. We also

By Lisa White

encourage clients to utilize the talents of their family, friends, and our existing event décor to help make their day special. When funds are limited, we have found many ways to give clients what they want while still saving costs. In June, we celebrated the wedding of our conference coordinator’s son with a casual, garden-themed celebration. We ordered a case of limes, and the family created beautiful centerpieces. All food was on stations and seating was not assigned, so silverware and glassware did not need to be set at places. This saved labor and provided a clean, serene look and feel to the entire room. For favors, instead of an item preset for every guest, the groom’s mother created a wonderful, whimsical candy bar. Guests had fun helping themselves throughout the night, filling little gift bags inscribed with the names of the bride and groom and the wedding date. For many people, their wedding is the largest event they have ever planned. With a little creativity and some flexibility, an ingenious catering organization can offer an amazing event while still keeping an eye on the bottom line. —Merrill B. Collins, Connecticut College

elements of our catering events so customers can opt out to save on costs. For example, a meal may not include dessert. This provides added menu flexibility and an easily understood pricing structure. For new customers, the pricing program is easy to use because they can piece together the things they are looking for to meet budgetary needs.

Helping the Beef Cattle Short Course stay within budget allowed us to get our department’s name out to a new group of people. This expo was marketed by the Department of Animal Science on campus (we had no part in advertising for this event). This project involved several workdays of 15 or more hours for management and catering staff. Any other catering company would have charged well over $4.58 per person, but accomplishing the goal of providing support for a successful three days was more rewarding than the profit we received.

To develop this program, we established pricing zones for menu categories. The menu includes breakfast items, appetizers, salad, hot entrees, boxed lunches, and dessert platters. Customers can have the food delivered or pick it up themselves. The program is marketed through email promotions to faculty and staff. We also developed website banner ads and created brochures to hand out on campus. We built a kiosk in our food court for taking catering orders, and customers also can order by phone. We found it more effective to attack budget concerns on a program basis, rather than from an event standpoint. By evaluating our overall program, we figured out how to supply all the niche groups with their catering needs by leveraging the entire campus operations, including retail and residential departments.

If your catering department takes on very large groups at one time, use all the resources you have at your disposal. Give the group you are working with a donation, and you will be surprised at just how enthusiastic and energized people can become. For example, at Texas A&M Catering, we donate 10 percent of the events’ cost to the group that is assisting us that day. —Angela Riggs, Texas A&M University

—Cheryl Garner, University of California-Riverside

P RI C E-TIERED MENU

HE A D M AST E R LU N C HE ON S

We experienced a 25 to 30 percent reduction in our catering business due to the California’s budget issues. To cut costs with our catering program, we took a comprehensive approach rather than one focused on individual special events. We’ve created a platter box lunch program for students and staff with limited funding. Called Hub 2 Go, the menu has tiered pricing with a full range of items at different price points. To accomplish this, we disconnected many

edu hub2go.ucr.

We use a repertoire of lighter-fare items that are designed around the use of existing menu ingredients to offer a menu rotation that can be created at the last moment as needed for fundraising luncheons. We developed this rotation about two years ago and now do this for 90 percent of our headmaster luncheons. We started by talking with the headmaster and obtaining a list from him detailing what he wanted for his guests and what perception he wanted them to have of events. He wanted the luncheons to be attractive, healthful, and offer foods everyone would like. The headmaster has a limited budget 5766

(951) 827-

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The annual Beef Cattle Short Course is an exposition for the beef cattle industry that was held at our campus from August 1–3, 2011. We hosted guests over three days at four campus locations, providing three breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, and numerous snack breaks for exhibitors, guests, and participants. During the course of the three days, we served 14,575 people at a total cost of $66,734.25–a cost per person of $4.58.

C AT E R I N G

C ATTL E & CUT T ING COSTS

—Meredith Statler, The Lovett School

A GREEN T HEME

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for these events, and his administrative assistant determines the menu items that the guests prefer. This is a shoestring venture because we have to be creative with what we currently have in stock. We only order items for our menus and don’t keep large inventories. We have a rotation of wonderful desserts, which is another fun way to be creative. When operating on a shoestring, it’s best to use seasonal and local items.

We created a green-themed event on a shoestring. Based on the client’s budget of $9, a guest count of 850 guests (including the university president, vice presidents, administrators, faculty, and staff), and the high expectations of the staff council committee, we needed to design a menu and décor that was not costly but had a high visual impact. We needed a very limited menu so that we could control costs and still offer a wide variety of flavors. We worked with our facilities department and requested fresh-cut greens from campus to be used as decorations. The menu was designed to accommodate our green theme and low budget. Labor was eliminated as much as possible to keep costs down. Guests decorated their own cookies. A self-serve candy station complemented the theme and décor and decreased labor. We used our florist’s vases for candy station displays in order to cut back on rental charges. We also selected a variety of reasonably priced hors d’oeuvres. Holiday punch was substituted for bottled beverages, and peppermint hot cocoa and water were served from dispensers to create a festive, economical beverage station. —Joanna DiBianca, and Bonnie Marinelli, Villanova University

E XPR E SS C AT E R IN G FOR LE SS A catering express program is our alternative to full-service catering. This program is picking up service to meet the limited budgets of certain campus departments and student groups. Called Cougar 2 Go, the program accommodates our customers’ needs and budgets, and it keeps the catering business on campus. We established this program seven years ago, and now are in phase II. This involves putting all of our express menus online and allowing customers to order from our website. Our banquet manager usually refers all customers who are unable to use our full-service catering menu to Cougar 2 Go. The program is marketed through our banquet site, in our yearly banquet service open house, to all student groups, and to the student life department. In addition, Cougar 2 Go information is in all of our marketing publications. —Samuel B. Samaan, Azusa Pacific University

A ST U D E N T/ N ON PR OFIT M E N U We offer student organizations and non-profit groups in our community affordable menu options for their catering needs. Many times these groups don’t have a lot of money to spend on food, so we try to offer cost-effective options while still providing a customized, upscale event. The cost is $6.25 per person, which runs at about a 30 percent food cost for us. In addition, for events in our student union building (where our catering department is based) and a few other places on campus, we provide china and linen service at no additional charge. This has been an option on our menu for about five years. Our menu is posted online and we also have copies in the office and at various locations around campus. My predecessor started this menu, and I have tried to continue to provide it at an affordable price. —Shanna Smith, Murray State University

Before introducing our Self Catering Menu this fall, the catering staff conducted extensive market research to ensure we had the right mix of foods to meet the needs of the customers looking for this type of service. The selections include Sbarro’s pizza, continental breakfast items, sandwiches, reception platters, and sweets. We also offer the convenience of ordering for pick-up at one of four campus locations. The self catering menu is an easy, lower cost option for departments that need something quick or are on a budget. The menu is geared to provide a short lead time for most orders. Our new online ordering service launches this fall and we will work on marketing the new system, gathering feedback, and make improvements along the way. —Keone Weigl, Syracuse University

SEL F-SERVING IDEAS We pride ourselves on our high-end events featuring ice sculptures, chef display stations, passed hors d’oeuvres, and elegantly-served meals; however, we often work with groups that can only afford a low-budget event. Our menu planner offers many value-based menus, such as the South of the Border buffet, which includes make-your-own tacos and nachos with all of the requisite toppings, homemade cinnamon crispitos, and self-serve beverages. We also feature a self-serve mini pasta buffet that includes pasta with a choice of two different sauces, a house salad, garlic bread, and self-serve beverages. Another favorite with our student groups is our pizza buffet that comes with a choice of three different kinds of pizza, garlic breadsticks, a house salad, cookies or brownies, and self-serve beverages. The Flyer picnic—indoors and outdoors—is popular with all types of groups. We decorate to match the menu, often utilizing our red and blue Dayton

—Doug Lemaster, University of Dayton

PA R T Y T R AY OPT ION S When customers are on a limited budget, don’t know exactly how many guests will come, and would like a good variety, party trays are the best catered options. By offering one hot item (such as sweet ‘n’ spicy meatballs, glazed chicken wings, or mini eggrolls), an assorted vegetable tray with a ranch-style creamy dip, an assorted cheese tray with gourmet crackers, an assorted fruit tray with a whipped creamyogurt dip, an assorted cookie and moist chocolate brownie tray, and fruit punch, we can provide a wonderful variety at a low cost. We can also downsize the amounts of food for less than the number of guests expected. For example, if the number of guests expected is 75 or more, we can downsize the food amount to provide enough for 60 to cut costs. When party trays are served, guests often do not take many items from the trays, so it’s almost always a guarantee that there will be leftovers. Even though a customer might be on a limited budget and choose to include downsized items, we can still make the event look very fancy and special by setting up the buffet with risers to add height and dimension. When we use black to-go trays, I like to lay a black linen napkin in a diamond shape under the tray to create the illusion that the food is

not sitting on an inexpensive, plastic tray. For one event, we went out to our campus garden and gathered fuchsia-colored dianthus, dill blooms, basil leaves, thyme blooms, and yellow pear tomatoes. These added a beautiful effect to the trays and table. u —Alyson Seidel, Ferrum College

C AT E R I N G

SU Catering Services wanted to increase customer options for more low-key events. We noticed that an increasing number of customers were asking to pick up food for a breakfast or lunch meeting rather than have it delivered. They wanted SU Catering, but not the expense of delivery.

Flyers theme, which includes table decorations, pompoms, and UD letters, to liven up the room. We offer all of the above options to our clients for less than $10 per person.

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SEL F C ATERING L AUN C H

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PERKING UP

CATERING EVENTS

touch of color, an unusual garnish, a clever presentation—these elements go a long way to make catered events memorable. The pictures shown here appeared in “Style Me,” a presentation at the 2011 NACUFS National Conference by Catersource consultant Meryl Snow. These ideas may spark your imagination to envision events differently, define your style, and find dramatic new ways to impress your guests.

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1. Heirloom tomato soup shooters add color and intrigue to a party. 2. Spring rolls can become works of art by using fresh ingredients and delicately shaping the form. 3. An heirloom tomato shooter stands out with its radish stalk garnish. 4. A glass table atop fresh pears holds pear-tini cocktails. 5. A white mozzarella ball drizzled with balsamic vinegar adds an unexpected shape to a fresh salad. 6. Staff become design elements when they dress up and serve cheesecake lollipops. 7. A pear holds a card identifying a pear-tini cocktail station. 8. A slice of lime holds place cards and serves as a conversation starter. 9. Spinach and beet cubes are colorful accompaniments to crusted lamb.

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PERFECT

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Concordia College recently launched an online catering pre-order site, a tool developed by a programmer and former employee of the college. Customers can choose the items they are considering for their event and instantly receive a price estimate. They can put together as many sample menus as they like. When they have made a decision, they can submit their pre-order, and a member of the catering team contacts the customer.

“This has been a fantastic tool for us,” says Sabrina Zimara, marketing supervisor. “Our customers rave about the ability to have an instant estimate on multiple menu possibilities. The catering managers have significantly cut down on time they spend working with customers because the customers are more knowledgeable about what they want. Several people have told us they chose us for their event because of our website.” To view the application, go to www.ConcordiaCaters.com.

D E SIGN AT E D C AT E R IN G K ITC HE N AT U N IV E R SIT Y OF C A LIFOR N IA , SA N D IE GO In order to provide customers with the highest quality food, the University of California, San Diego built a kitchen exclusively for catering. Located on the first floor of the Housing Dining Hospitality office building at Revelle Campus, the facility’s development began in 2007 and was completed in January 2010. From January 2, 2010 until October 1, 2011, approximately 463,000 meals for 7,790 events (the equivalent of 40 to 50 events daily with an average of 60 guests per event) were prepared in the 9,000-square-foot kitchen. Using this new facility, catering produced meals for 3,000 attendees at the National Association of College and University Residence Halls’ conference in June 2010; served 1,200 attendees from more than 300 countries at the

Online ordering at Concordia College generates business for the catering department, which provides food and décor for events such as this wedding. Photos courtesy of Concordia College

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O N L I N E ORDERING AT CO N CO R DIA COLLEGE

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In order to provide customers with the highest quality food, the University of California, San Diego built a kitchen exclusively for catering.

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Clinton Global Initiative University in March 2011; and provided meals for 5,240 guests attending convocation in September 2011. Average prep time per meal was 12.5 minutes, according to Steve Casad, director of dining, retail, and conference services.

KEEP I N G CATERING I N -HO US E AT SANFORD MEDI C A L CENTER Sanford Medical Center Food Services in Fargo, ND, hosted its second annual catering fair for customers in May. Named Catered A’ FAIR, the event presented menu items and services in a classic county fair theme. “This type of event helps us roll out new catering options for our customers,” says Lisa Gibson, director of food service. Customers include medical vendors presenting educational sessions in any Sanford Medical Center building in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Under a vendor catering program started nearly four years ago, they are required to purchase food for their events from Sanford Food Services. “This program was developed and implemented out of concerns for patient and customer safety, because many outside caterers were not following hospital protocol,” Gibson says. Since the program started, it has generated more than $800,000.

Key features of the event included table dressings in familiar fair themes, such as the 4H booth, the stockyards, and everything-on-astick. The budget for the event was just $250 for materials and food cost. Most of the props were purchased or borrowed for the event, keeping the actual cost for the event below budget. “We invite every medical vendor and internal customer that placed an order with us in the past six months to make them aware of all the new items that we added to the menu,” Gibson says. “We received many positive comments regarding the event. They were able to see what the items on the menu looked like, and they were even able to sample some new items. It was a fun, interactive afternoon for everyone.” u

The second annual catering fair, with a classic county fair theme, allowed staff to roll out and introduce new catering options for customers. Photos courtesy of Sanford Medical Center

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At UCSD, a 9,000-square-foot catering kitchen allows staff to support small and large events serving thousands of guests. The interior décor provides staff with a cheerful work environment. Photos courtesy of Webb Foodservice Design

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Catering

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WOWS!

By Donna Boss, Contributing Editor

When campus catering businesses set out to wow their guests, they pull out all the necessary stops to create synergy among the decorations, food, and service. The results can be magical, memorable, and make a significant contribution to maintaining a stellar reputation. A CHILDREN’ S BE N E FIT BY UNIVERSIT Y OF M IC HIGA N CATERING One of the University of Michigan’s most memorable catered affairs was for the Griese/ Hutchinson/Woodson Champions for Children’s Hearts Gala benefiting C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. More than 800 guests were served a plated meal at the Al Glick Field House on May 14, 2011.

The menu was prepared from: • More than 400 pounds of beef tenderloin trimmed and cut to make 831 filets; • 320 pounds of chicken breast, about 856 total pieces; • 270 pounds of fingerling potatoes; • 185 pounds of mixed vegetables; • 10 gallons of herb vinaigrette; • 10 gallons of veal demi glace; and • 6 gallons of Chimichurri.

For the University of Michigan’s Children’s Hearts Gala, staff impressed guests with a 1,300-pound ice carving (left) and logoed chocolate desserts (middle). Staff included 74 student servers, 16 chefs and chef interns, and two managers (right).

Photos courtesy of featured institutions.

Staffing for the event included 74 student servers, 16 chefs and chef interns, Tammy Richter, a catering manager from the Michigan League, and Carr. If all this isn’t impressive enough, Carr explains, “All three catering units were up and running that night and combined to handle two weddings, two bar mitzvahs, and a special dinner at the same time we were taking care of this one!”

To stage the event, the catering staff used 15 hot boxes running over 20/20 amp circuits. Service required 870 dinner plates and 81 six-foot round tables set for 10. A total of 951 temporary/server hours were logged on the day of the event. “A highlight of the presentation was a customcarved ice bar created by University Catering chef John Merucci,” says Chris Carr, director, University Catering, University Unions. “The bar featured a carved Mott Children’s Hospital logo along with the University Catering logo in maize and blue and was scaled to function as a beverage service counter. In order to transport the bar, it was crafted using five separate ice blocks each weighing 300 pounds. The finished, after-carving product weighed approximately 1,300 pounds.” “As a final touch, lights were placed at the base of the bar to enhance the design. It was a festive and rewarding night and all 90 University Catering staff enjoyed being involved,” says Keith Soster, foodservice director, University Unions.

An open house went a long way to acquaint potential customers with the catering services offered at University of Colorado at Boulder’s University Memorial Center (UMC). Customers included university administration, staff, departments, student groups, community members, private clients, and clients planning weddings and other family occasions. “We’re in the process of re-imaging our operations,” says Robin Margolin, director, UMC Food Service. “At the open house, we wanted to showcase our new menus, brochure, venue space, and our new style. This is a way to connect with our customers and give them an opportunity to meet our staff, including our executive chef, pastry chef, and catering sales staff.”

An airy room with natural light and an elegant table setting sent a positive message to open house guests about UMC’s re-imaging and new services.

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The fieldhouse provided an open venue for the event (top). The plated entree featured tenderloin, chicken breast, fingerling potatoes, and mixed vegetables.

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A N OPE N HOU SE AT U N IV E R SIT Y M E M OR IA L C E N T E R BY U N IV E R SIT Y OF COLOR A D O’S U M C C AT E R IN G

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The open house was held August 10, 2011, from 1:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. in UMC’s multipurpose room and gallery, a new, smaller venue that is now available for functions. Approximately 10 representatives from catering sales and the marketing department served as hosts.

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Working with a $1,500 budget, UMC’s catering staff displayed affordable options for budget-conscious clients. “We featured selected set menus from our new menu as well as non-alcoholic specialty drinks and desserts,” says Margolin.

• Artisan: Mini sandwich with tomato Florentine soup, smoked salmon with herb cheese and cucumber, and turkey and Jack cheese on mini rolls. • China Feast: Szechuan soup, Szechuan beef and a tofu dish with garlic, onion and ginger in a sake, sesame and soy sauce. • Taste of India: Mango chutney, spicy East Indian garbanzo and potato stew, and chicken tikka masala. • Buff on the Go Lunches: Caprese baguette with sun-dried tomato pesto, and baguette with ham, brie cheese, spinach and apples.

This has been successful and helps us to compete with outside caterers. We have shown that we can be as creative as they are, while also being cost effective—with the added bonus of keeping the dollars on campus! Pre-set menu options with ethnic themes included: • Art Gallery: Cajun Alfredo pasta with blackened chicken, braised beef short ribs in a local stout beer, Chinese chicken salad on mixed greens, and butternut squash risotto with root vegetable hash.

Hors d’oeuvres included blue cheese-infused biscuits topped with apricot and raspberry jam and beef and gorgonzola crostinis, and a dessert wall showcased the new dessert shots (inexpensive, two-bite desserts). “We had many surveys returned because guests were given a handmade truffle (in a compostable box) and a chance to win one of our preset buffets for 10 for their department,” Margolin says. Displays showed a full range of high- to lowend, zero-waste service ware options and examples of high- to low-end tablescapes.

The open house featured new menus, specialty drinks, and desserts. Campus administrators were among the guests who attended the event (left). A Taste of India showcased spicy East Indian cuisine (right). Serving dishes made for eye-catching displays.

Reusable decorations highlighted the theme of each buffet. “We purchased some inexpensive, easy-to-move furniture in order to be able to brand our Wall of Desserts feature,” Margolin adds.

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“The open house was special because most oncampus caterers don’t take the opportunity to re-brand their service,” Margolin says. “This has been successful and helps us to compete with outside caterers. We have shown that we can be as creative as they are, while also being cost effective—with the added bonus of keeping the dollars on campus!”

THE G O URMET GALA AT I OWA STAT E UNIVERS IT Y

For dessert at the Taste of Ames, a lemon custard Napoleon was offered, in addition to hazelnut triangle torte and tres leches.

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In previous years, Special Olympics Iowa hosted a Taste of Ames event that allowed restaurants from the Ames area to showcase their food. In 2010 and 2011, Special Olympics Iowa took a different approach and featured gourmet food items in the ambiance of a highclass event. The theme became The Gourmet Gala to represent the new emphasis on special events with top-notch menu options.

Guests had an opportunity to mingle with the chefs and watch them prepare gourmet menu options. Held in June 2010 and May 2011, 100 people attended the events, staged in the Iowa State University Alumni Center. The events raised more than $24,000 for Special Olympics the first year and $36,000 the second year. C AT E R I N G

Staffing included seven chefs, six chef’s assistants, and eight students. “Guests had an opportunity to mingle with the chefs and watch them prepare gourmet menu options,” says Nancy Levandowski, director, campus dining services. Decorations prepared by Special Olympics Iowa included table tents, menus, and displays featuring Special Olympics Iowa and its athletes. A local ice sculptor donated an ice bar with the Special Olympics Iowa logo.

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At the Alumni Center, one of the entrees featured pork tenderloin (above). Staff interact with guests while serving culinary creations (right).

The menu was a collaborative effort by the chefs: • For hors d’oeuvres, chefs Everett Phillips and Thierry Bourroux prepared lamb chop macadamia with mint crème; shrimp and scallop ceviche; Thai sushi, green curry nectar, and organic vegetables; and tofu stacks. • Chef Jeremy Bowker created seared Pacific salmon with liquid Brie and strawberry balsamic reduction; eggplant Parmesan; oven-roasted shallot and tomato fondue, and balsamic reduction with Parmesan tuile. • Chef Jeffrey Arthur prepared Maine lobster pancakes with pea shoot salad and gingercarrot emulsion, and beet and goat cheese Napoleon. • Chef Kevin Streiff prepared pork tenderloin with peach salsa and honey ginger glaze, and sun-dried tomato and white bean ravioli with a feta tomato sauce. • Chef Torin Munro created Iowa Black Angus beef tenderloin, seared au poivre vert with chèvre pesto and alfalfa sprouts, and tomatillo gazpacho with charred sweet corn and Oaxaca cheese. • Chef Ed Astarita wowed the guests with his lemon custard Napoleon, hazelnut triangle torte, and tres leches desserts.

The budget was approximately $5,000. “Finding an organization to donate the venue due to budget constraints presented a

challenge,” says Levandowski. “The solution to utilize the Alumni Center came as a result of partnering with the ISU Alumni Association.”

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Decorations prepared by Special Olympics Iowa included table tents, menus, and displays featuring Special Olympics Iowa and its athletes (left). A local ice sculptor donated an ice bar with the Special Olympics Iowa logo (above).

C AT E R I N G

MONTANA FEAST A N D PARTY BY UNIVER SIT Y OF MONTANA DINING

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When three international groups—the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society, the Association for the Study of Food and Society, and the Society for Anthropology of Food and Nutrition—came together for their joint annual meeting, University of Montana’s (UM) catering department presented the Saturday evening gala held on June 11, 2011. Although the original guest count was 150, participants had the option to add the event up to the last moment, and 285 guests attended the dinner at the UM University Center ballroom. The $3,000 event required 17

front-of-house staff members and 11 kitchen staff members. The dinner highlighted The Big Sky Country conference theme, which focused in part on Montanans’ challenges with their food and agricultural systems. “We brought the great Montana outdoors inside,” says Patrick Browne, executive chef. “The desired location for this event was off-campus at the PEAS Farm; however, we were unable to serve alcohol there, so we moved the location to the University Center ballroom.” In addition to non-alcoholic drinks, local beer and wine were offered. When planning the event, catering staff wanted to build on the previous days’ dining experiences. Three key features were incorporated into the event: a menu prepared from local food, connecting Montana agriculture to the conference theme; a presentation/service format featuring all action stations; and the socioeconomic benefits of supporting local food systems, illustrated by the UM Farm to College program. To bring the ambiance of the great Montana outdoors inside, the setting was designed with a river flowing through the middle of the ballroom, starting with a mountain forest and ending at the prairie on the far end of the

Stations, such as the Forest dessert station, featured foods from Montana regions. The menu board was positioned for guests to see as they entered the venue. The logo emphasizes the collaboration between people to develop partnerships and policies.

Some restrictions were placed on the menu. Selections had to include dishes that would satisfy the 36 vegetarians and three vegans attending the conference. Catering staff was given a list of food allergies and specific items to avoid or for which to offer alternative options, including mushrooms, gluten, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, peanuts, shellfish, avocado, black pepper, bananas, soy, coconut, mold (cheese), cucumbers, bell peppers, and eggplant.

The groups came together through a collaboration between UM and Montana State University Academic Affairs Departments in conjunction with University Dining Services (UDS). “Based on past conferences, the planners didn’t think they would sell out the final dinner,” Browne says. “UDS made a concerted effort to sell ourselves during the entire conference to ensure the final dinner would have major attendance and attendees would not want to miss this final event. We are confident that this group would be more than excited to have a [UDS-catered] conference at UM.”

Décor such as a mountain forest and pine trees brought the great Montana outdoors inside.

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• River: Salad (fennel, red onion, snow peas, citrus, and asparagus) with croutons and a sherry vinaigrette, steel-cut oats, and seared demi-cured Montana rainbow trout with chimichurri. • R anch: Cowboy beans, leek fondue, smoked flank steak, and sautéed Montana (harvested or grown in Montana) mushrooms. • Farm: Local grains, vegetables, cheeses, seared romaine, and lemon emulsion or roasted pepper coulis dressings. • Forest: Brioche pain perdu with apricot ice cream and honey caramel, basil shortbreads with balsamic macerated rhubarb, and Douglas fir sorbet (vegan and gluten-free).

C AT E R I N G

room. Four action stations displayed specific foods found in Montana’s topography:

TEN TIPS FOR BANQUET CATERING By Paul Fairbrook, NACUFS Distinguished Lifetime Member

Following these basic tips will make the difference between so-so or excellent banquet service.

C AT E R I N G

RULE #1

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Select ingredients and menus that will retain their quality with the type of serving equipment you have available. Keeping hot and cold food at proper temperatures during service is crucial. Make sure your staff knows how to use the equipment properly. Test out the equipment before the banquet to make sure it works properly at the point of service.

RULE #2

Keep hot food in the ovens or steam kettles until the very last minute. If you have to transport food in pans out of your own kitchen and there is an oven in the place where you are serving, place the pans in those ovens until it is time to dish up.

RULE #3

Cover pans with both plastic and aluminum. If there is no oven at the place of service, cover the pans with plastic wrap and aluminum foil before placing the aluminum pan covers, and transport these pans in insulated carts or containers.

RULE #4

Heat your dinner plates. Nothing will cool your food more quickly than an unheated dinner plate. A cold plate will actually draw the heat from the food, whereas a heated plate will act as an insulator. If you don’t have a plate warmer, run the dishes through the rinse cycle of the dish machine. If the plates are too hot for handling with bare hands, give your servers white cotton gloves.

RULE #5

Use plate covers and tray stands. In four-star hotels, servers bring out about eight plates (I prefer six) with plate covers on oval trays, place the trays on tray stands very close to the tables to be served, and remove the covers at the last minute. If possible, use other managers or banquet captains to remove the plate covers and assist the servers. This helps with timely service and helps managers supervise effectively. That’s the way hot food should be served at banquets!

RULE #6

Don’t rely on canned-heat containers to heat the food. Do not expect miracles from canned-heat containers. Keep pan covers over food items on a buffet line until the moment before guests go through the line.

RULE #7

Add hot gravy and cold garnishes at the last minute. Some chefs, when forced to pre-dish plates and place them in heated carts, add the gravy and the garnish when the food is pre-plated. This is a serious mistake. When served, the gravy is not boiling hot and the garnish is wilting. The preferred method: Place pre-dished plates in heated carts without gravy and garnish; add boiling hot gravy and fresh garnishes after removing the plates from the carts.

RULE #8

Know how long coffee remains hot in your serving containers. Coffee in small insulated pots stays hot for about 30 minutes and coffee in pump pots stays hot for about one hour. Rather than trust the manufacturers’ claims, you must know how long coffee remains at the proper heat in the containers you use. Replenish containers with hot coffee as needed.

RULE #9

Soup should be served only from a soup tureen at large banquets. It is not realistic to expect soup to stay really hot if it is dished up in individual soup bowls in the kitchen, carried into the dining room, and served to guests at their tables. Place a tureen on a portable cart or a tray stand and dish it up at each table.

RULE #10

Never be satisfied with the way you are doing things and always try to do them better.

I predict that if you follow the above rules and if you provide your servers with white cotton gloves, you will receive lots of compliments, your reputation as a quality caterer will soar, the morale of your staff will rise, and you will be proud of your accomplishments. You may think some of these tips seem old-fashioned, but proper service practices never go out of style. u Paul Fairbrook is the author of Catering on Campus—A Handbook on Catering in Colleges and Universities.

“This event’s set-up took about three days to transform the gym into a dining room,” says Adam Bradberry, catering chef. Decorative highlights included handmade stone coasters depicting four campus landmarks and hybrid rose centerpieces with tabletop trees and glass candle holders. A grand piano and risers for singers and musicians was a focal design element. The meals were prepared in Evans Hall under the supervision of Bradberry and his culinary team and transported to the gym in bulk in hot boxes. “Service was intense,” Bradberry says. “We used all members of dining services to set up eight lines of cooks to plate up the meals. Plating 400 meals without a proper kitchen was a challenge, in addition to keeping food hot and cold.” ADVERTISEMENT

Chef Adam Bradberry supervises staff as they prepare pan seared petite filet of striped bass, Asian autumn slaw with butternut squash and ginger puree, Parmesan bruschetta (left). For dessert, pastry chefs created deconstructed Black Forest cake: vanilla bean panna cotta, Bing cherries, and chocolate sour cream cake (above).

C AT E R I N G

Washington & Lee University’s dinner to kickoff a $500 million fundraising campaign for the university’s buildings and programs was a night to remember. Held in October 2010 at Doremus Gym, the 400 guests included alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of the university.

On the menu was pan seared petite filet of striped bass, Asian autumn slaw with butternut squash and ginger puree, Parmesan bruschetta, ale-marinated, coffee-tomato braised beef short ribs, locally produced Wades Mill grits, and apple and cabbage compote. For dessert, pastry chefs created deconstructed Black Forest cake: vanilla bean panna cotta, Bing cherries, and chocolate sour cream cake. Beverages included non-alcoholic drinks and Huntley’s whiskey punch, a signature drink. u

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C A MPA I GN KICK-OFF GALA EVEN T AT WASHINGTON & L EE UN I VERSIT Y

From

TENNIS SHOES

Black Tie

N AC U F S

E D U C AT I O N

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Preparing Staff for VIP events By Lori Mason NACUFS Director of Education

ne of the unique challenges in collegiate catering operations is the likelihood that your catering service staff consists primarily of student workers much more comfortable in blue jeans and tennis shoes than with the formal attire and protocol that might be required for a university VIP event. Complicating the situation further, campus foodservice staff often turns over from year to year, making training a critical and continuous process. Joel Brown, senior events coordinator at West Virginia University, describes his staff as “100% student-based, with only a few exceptions during months that the students are not on campus.” He says, “This creates some unique situations that private caterers don’t have to deal with.”

“We begin each event with a server meeting that outlines the purpose of the event, what we’re trying to accomplish, who the audience is, and any international or other protocols that might apply.” Robin Yorty, executive director of university events and chief protocol officer at West Virginia University, joined Brown in sharing their experience in training student workers to handle high-level VIP events at the NACUFS-sponsored interest session during the 2011 Catersource Show in Las Vegas. “Our audience often includes international visitors, campus donors, and other VIP guests. Although we have gone from a campus president who desired a traditional, formal atmosphere to the more laid-back style of entertaining desired by our current presidential family, we still need to provide a high standard of service,” says Yorty. The key is in how they prepare and train their staff. Working closely with the foodservice and culinary creations departments at WVU, Brown and Yorty provide detailed training on the basics of proper serving and etiquette protocol. “We begin each event with a server meeting that outlines the purpose of the event, what we’re trying to accomplish, who the audience is, and any international or other protocols that might apply,” explains Brown. When appropriate, they also set up a sample table to show the exact table set-up desired. In some cases, they have students serve each other at this table to get comfortable with the specific service or protocol necessary for a particular event. Brown says, “For a recent international audience, the cultural protocol was to serve on the right and from the right hand. We gave our service staff an opportunity to practice this ahead of time so that they would be more comfortable and less nervous during the actual event.” “We also treat our catering service staff well,” says Brown. “If we’re giving a gift to our guests, we give the same gift to our service staff when possible. Last year we created a unique lapel pin for the VIP guests at each home football game. Servers who worked a particular game received the same pin as the guests. Staff members who worked every event in the season ended up with a limited edition set of the pins. This is a small token, but it makes the service staff feel valued.” “There is a different level of expectations from our guests, and many of our students wouldn’t be able to relate to what we’re doing on a VIP or donor level if we didn’t take the time to explain it to them,” says Yorty. “By training our staff to understand our expectations and why we have them in place, we increase their comfort level, and it shows up in better service to our guests.”

E D U C AT I O N N AC U F S

“By training our staff to understand our expectations and why we have them in place, we increase their comfort level, and it shows up in better service to our guests.” “We continually ask ourselves what we can do to improve—to put that edge back on the knife—to help us move forward in a good direction that we’re already moving in, but making sure we continually improve,” Yorty says. Brown agrees and says that his goal is to make every event unique by continually thinking outside of the box. “Getting away from set menus and custom-tailoring both the menu and the service options can make the job less standardized and therefore more difficult to train and monitor,” he says. “But high standards, effective training, good communication, and strong campus-wide partnerships make the transition from tennis shoes to black-tie a success on our campus.” u

Each year, NACUFS collaborates with Catersource on educational programming for their annual conference. Join NACUFS for the following programs during the 2012 Catersource Conference & Tradeshow: • NACUFS Interest Session: “It’s Not Easy Being Green! But Successful Sustainability in Collegiate Catering is Worth the Effort” • Roundtable Discussions: “Catering with College Spirit” Catersource is offering a special discount for NACUFS members: register using code NACUFS12 and receive a rate of $625 before Jan. 31 and $799 until the show. Register online at www.catersource.com/ conference-tradeshow/show-partners/NACUFS. Also save the date for a catering pre-conference event featuring Catersource speakers, July 10-11, 2012, before the NACUFS national conference in Boston.

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Catering staff and guests at WVU events are also encouraged to interact with each other. Name tags include the student servers’ home towns, which often opens a dialogue. “We encourage our managers and guests to think of our students not just as student workers, but as future engineers, doctors, and teachers, which makes service a more personal interaction,” explains Yorty.

NACUFS

calendar

N AC U F S

C A L E N DA R

DECEMBER 2011

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30 30

2012 Membership Renewals Due Deadline for National Officer Nominations

JANUARY 2012

13 Sustainability Award Entries Due 13 Host School Application Deadline for Foodservice Management Internship Program 20 Student Application Deadline for Foodservice Management Internship Program 25-28 Foodservice Directors Symposium 31 Deadline for National Recognition Award Nominations

FEBRUARY 2012

15 Student Application Deadline for Clark E. DeHaven Scholarships 26-29 Continental Region Conference

MARCH 2012

4-7 Midwest Region Conference 7-10 Mid-Atlantic Region Conference 9 C-Store Best in the Business Award Entries Due 9 Application Deadline for Summer Institutes 11-14 Northeast Region Conference 20-22 Southern Region Conference 25-28 Pacific Region Conference 30 Deadline for Student Employee of the Year Nominations 30 Loyal E. Horton Dining Award Entries Due, Category 6

APRIL 2012

6 Deadline to Register for Operating Performance Benchmarking Survey 13 Loyal E. Horton Dining Award Entries Due, Categories 1-5 27 Nutrition Award Entries Due

MAY 2012

6 NACUFS Reception at NRA Show 8 NACUFS Interest Session at NRA Show 31 Registration Deadline for the National Conference

2012 Membership Renewal Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss out on all of the great benefits NACUFS offers that can help you advance your program and your career. Renew your membership by December 30! www.nacufs.org/renew

IF ONLY FOOD SAFETY WERE THIS EASY.

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Hormel Foods is committed to food safety. To learn more about the issue—and our solution—visit

hormelfoodservice.com/foodsafety

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