Campus Dining Today: Spring/Summer 2014 | A Sense of Place: Creating Community on Campus

SPRING/SUMMER 2014

A Sense of

Place:

Creating Community on Campus page 63

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

• Halal Dining

• 2014 NACUFS National Conference • A Taste of Home ...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. ©2014 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 Associate Editor Contributing Editor

Rachel A. Warner Jennifer Trayan Donna Boss

Editorial Board Jennifer Gilmore, North Carolina State University Christina Voyles, University of Montana Lisa Snider, Foodservice Rewards Rachel A. Warner, NACUFS

NACUFS BOARD OF DIRECTORS President

Mark LoParco, University of Montana

President-Elect

Zia Ahmed, The Ohio State University

Past President

Timothy Dietzler, Villanova 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

Greg Minner, Purdue University

Southern Region President

Susan Van Gigch, University of Georgia

Continental Region President

Byron Drake, University of Montana

Pacific Region President

Peter Curry, University of California–Santa Cruz

2014 National Conference Chair Sr. Maureen Schrimpe, University of Maryland Industry Advisory Council Chair Rob Geile, Ali Group North America Guest Director

Christine Berro, Michigan Library Association

Executive Director

Gretchen Couraud, 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 45 Halal Dining

COVER STORY

The University of Northern Colorado adds a halal dining station in response to student requests.

48 2014 NACUFS National Conference 63 A Sense of Place:

Creating Community on Campus

65

Nourishing Students in Multiple Ways

College and university foodservices work hard to make dining hall tables more like the family dinner table resulting in improved levels of student comfort and satisfaction.

69

Designing Environments for Student Community Building

A Sense of

Explore successful strategies that encourage students to use college and university dining facilities.

78

14

Place:

A Taste of Home

Learn how food plays a role in making students feel at home, whether home is nearby or across the globe.

Creating Community on Campus

63

SPRING/SUMMER 2014

69 D E PA R T M E N T S 8 From the Editor 10 Leadership Agenda 12 Executive Director’s Perspective 14 Campus Dining by Design

Creativity and innovation shine in these featured campus dining renovations.

32 What’s Hot on Campus

Colleges and universities are making their mark in unique ways.

82 NACUFS Calendar

32

45

FROM

I

E D I TO R

remember entering my freshman year at Michigan State University with myriad emotions. I was excited, nervous, curious—even a bit terrified. I had always been pretty independent, but at 17 years old, I had never really been away from home for an extended period of time. There I was, at one of the largest universities in the country, without any real clue what to expect from campus life.

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the editor

RACHEL A. WARNER

Without a doubt, the dining halls on campus played a large role in my social integration to campus. While walking through Berkey Hall after my very first college class, Spanish 201, my classmate turned to me, introduced himself, and said, “Want to go to lunch?” We walked to the nearest dining hall to eat, and just like that, I had made my first new friend at MSU. As the weeks and months went on, more connections were cultivated at “the caf”—friendships that I still maintain today.

Very quickly, MSU began to feel like home. The university and its more than 40,000 students no longer felt overwhelming as the spaces I frequented became familiar. I belonged; I had a sense of place. I’m fortunate to live close to my alma mater, and more than a decade after graduation, that feeling remains when I visit campus. It helps that I also married a Spartan —we even got engaged and married on MSU's campus!

Editor Campus Dining Today rawarner@msu.edu

My time at NACUFS feels much the same. For the past four-and-a-half years, the association has felt like home to me. The many wonderful members welcomed me with open arms, and I began to care deeply about the industry and the passionate members that comprise NACUFS. As time went on, the lines between my work and my personal life blurred as I developed friendships that will last far beyond my tenure at the association.

The culture of NACUFS is what makes the association so special. Educational and professional development are critically important to our mission, but the association’s biggest value lies in its ability to connect collegiate foodservice professionals with one another and facilitate lifelong professional and personal networks. It’s through those networks that members develop a deeper affinity for the profession, the industry, and the organization. When members tell me, “I love NACUFS!” (and I hear it often) they really mean it. Despite meeting in a wide variety of geographical and virtual “places,” the sense of place and the feeling of community for NACUFS members is very real.

This is my last issue as editor of Campus Dining Today, and I can’t think of a more fitting topic for my final issue. Within, we explore the critical role campus dining departments play in helping to create a sense of place for students, positively impacting student recruitment and retention.

In some ways, I feel like I’m returning home as I enter a new chapter in my career. I will once again spend my days on Michigan State’s campus—this time as staff, joining the university as director of communications for MSU International Studies and Programs. I am excited for the new opportunity, but the decision didn’t come easily. My time with NACUFS has been incredibly fulfilling and I want to thank each and every one of you for helping me grow professionally and sharing your friendship. Naturally, I will miss the food. I will miss the dancing. But by far, it’s the people I will miss the most. I hope our paths will cross again and that I’ll always have an honorary place with NACUFS. u

Rachel A. Warner

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LEADERSHIP L E A D E R S H I P

AG E N DA

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agenda

s collegiate foodservice professionals, we are adept at creating a sense of place for the students we serve on our campuses. We provide a critically important social environment and, generally, are a hub of student life. Our staff creates a welcoming and comforting environment by providing warm, personable service, global cuisine, and wholesome options for our ever-increasingly food-savvy student guests. Our operations are learning laboratories where we engage students to discuss shared values such as sustainability, diversity, healthy lifestyles, and for thousands of students, we teach job skills and work ethic. Of course, there are many other contributions that we make in our quest to assist emerging adults become acculturated to campus life and beyond.

In a very similar way, NACUFS creates a sense of place for college and university professionals who have moved beyond campus life and are enriching their NACUFS President careers. I built my career by being mark.loparco@mso.umt.edu involved with the association, making connections, and seeking employment “We are looking at our opportunities through those contacts.

For many NACUFS members, their sense of place and value governance model as the first is cultivated in their home region. Although each region has a unique identity and culture, they are alike in that each creates best step to ensuring a vibrant, a vibrant atmosphere of camaraderie and sense of pride. One only needs to attend a culinary challenge to observe spirited regional loyalty, passion, and pride while supporting chefs successful future for NACUFS.” engaged in friendly competition.

MARK LOPARCO

At the epicenter of these dynamic and complicated systems and resources is our association staff. This capable team of professionals provides seamless support, continuity, and consistency as committee chairs and member volunteers transition to and from positions of leadership. Much like an airport control tower, the staff gathers and disseminates information, directs institutional and industry members to the appropriate resources and services, and functions as a critical communication center.

While we’ve remained successful for more than 50 years, the question before us is this: Can we sustain what we’ve created over the next 50 years? The answer is no, not without making some changes.

The fact is we are at the capacity of what the current structure, staff, and volunteer base can manage.

We’ve come to the realization that NACUFS must change, and we’ve started with our current governance model. Consider the governance process as fortifying the already-solid foundation upon which NACUFS was built. Remember, the NACUFS bylaws were created when avocado green was the rage in kitchens; now it’s time to upgrade to stainless steel.

If you’ve been following my blogs, you’ll know exactly where we are in our eight-step process to create a new governance model. You will also know why we’re looking at our governance model as the first best step to ensuring a vibrant, successful future for NACUFS. In April, the board of directors modified and approved the recommendations of the Governance Work Group, which we will unveil in the near future for discussion and input. I encourage all members to continue to ask questions, but more importantly, to know the facts about where we are in the process.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all members of the Governance Work Group for their contributions to this critically important process. This project is in capable hands and I look forward to updating everyone at the July General Membership Assembly, where we’ll “B’More Innovative” in Baltimore! u

Mark LoParco

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EXEC. DIRECTOR’S D I R E C TO R

perspective

A

E X E C U T I V E

ssociations create a sense of place for members in a number of ways.

One critical way is for members to become involved and volunteer in the association at various levels.

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GRETCHEN COURAUD

NACUFS Executive Director gcouraud@nacufs.org

The importance of volunteers in an organization such as NACUFS is readily apparent, but the roles of volunteers and association staff have changed as associations become more strategic in their governing approaches and as volunteers have less time. This is true across all types and sizes of associations. Volunteers still want to be involved, learn leadership skills, contribute to the organization’s mission, and network with their peers. But with less time to devote to managing an association, boards of directors are governing at a more strategic level and delegating management to professional staff. Volunteers continue to play key leadership roles leading by serving on committees and management consulting teams, and their expertise is critical in the development and delivery of high-quality content that is relevant in the industry.

Recognizing this evolution in association management, NACUFS has implemented a number of changes behind the scenes to strengthen the organization’s management practices and enhance the volunteer experience.

• We developed an annual operating plan for all departments, standing committees, and project teams.

This tool creates clarity for programming, dates, and deadlines. It makes volunteering easier and helps us build on our successes. Next year, our plan is to incorporate the regions in the planning process to enhance communication, calendaring, and coordination. Our institutional and industry members need to anticipate conferences, awards, and showcase dates and this coordination will make life easier for everyone. Our long-term goal is to develop a three-year operational plan tied to execution of the strategic plan that includes all of NACUFS national and regional events and activities.

• Similarly, we created an marketing content calendar that documents all our communications to members throughout the year. This has helped immensely with planning, and our goal is to eventually incorporate regional communications as part of a global brand strategy.

• We also revised the budget process and format. This step will help the board and committees evaluate data and variances in order to make data-driven decisions. Just as dining services operations on campus rely heavily on data-driven strategies, NACUFS will too going into the future.

• We are analyzing business and operational systems to better understand our member and volunteer profiles and our industry support.

• Each standing committee at NACUFS now has a staff liaison. This was put in place to facilitate communication, clarify roles and responsibilities and support our volunteer efforts.

• Finally, following governances changes, we look forward to implementing the recommendations of two project teams on volunteer engagement. We look forward to implementing an organization-wide call for volunteers that is an open, transparent process to recruit and involve members throughout the association.

While some bigger conversations regarding association governance are coming, it’s important to note these incremental changes are already happening to help move the association forward, and we’re starting to see positive returns as a result. The ultimate goal is to preserve the volunteer culture of the organization while providing a path for meaningful volunteer engagement—a path that helps individuals improve their leadership skills and advance within the organization through projects that ultimately provide member value. The bottom line is that good things are on the horizon, and members can feel secure that there will always be a place for them at NACUFS. u

Gretchen Couraud

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CAMPUS DINING

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CAFÉ JENNIE At Cornell University

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Photos courtesy of Cornell Dining

L

ocated on the upper level of the Cornell Store in the central campus, Café Jennie provides a unique dining experience to the university. Opened in October 2013, the café is a partnership between The Cornell Store and Cornell Dining. “As part of the Cornell Store’s comprehensive remodel, administrators wanted to offer an upscale dining experience with table service and design elements that would dovetail with the store, such as comfortable seating,” says Phillip J. Doane, marketing manager for Campus Life at Cornell University.

The café is a new build within store’s space, which contains a campus book store and retail merchandise. It is named for Jennie McGraw, the daughter of John McGraw, a wealthy industrialist and a founding Cornell Trustee. Upon McGraw’s death in 1881, she left the majority of her estate to Cornell. Funds were used to purchase the chimes for the library across from the cafe, establish an endowment for a student hospital, and build an addition to Sage Chapel.

Customers order food and beverages at a durable retail counter with a stainless steel core and shell interior. Counters are finished with contemporary exterior materials that complement the finishes in the surrounding retail store, such as quartz tops, wood veneer front panels and European-style hardware.

Roasted vegetable focaccia is one of the café’s most popular menu items.

Positioned on the building’s upper level, the seating area for this coffee shop/bistro is situated under skylights that allow in natural lighting. Designers intended this area to be a preferred place for students, faculty, and staff to gather, meet, and socialize.

The compact, high-volume retail venue offers beverages featuring Peet’s coffee and tea, pastries, and snacks from Cheesecake Factory, Jacqueline’s Gourmet Cookies (which are baked daily at the café) Sweet Sensation’s Bakery and products from Cornell Dining. In addition, Café Jennie’s menu offers steel-cut oatmeal, yogurt, wraps featuring Thai chicken and Brazilian ingredients, sandwiches such as beef brisket as well as roasted vegetable focaccia, and fresh greens topped with walnuts and bleu cheese and other salads.

Café Jennie also has a small convenience area for customers to pick up a ready-made sandwich or wrap, salad, dessert, and bottled beverage. The ready-made items that are exclusive to Café

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P R O U D M E M B E R O F N A C U F S & S TA R A WA R D S

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Library shelving and inspiring words contribute to the dining experience. The seating area for the cafe is located in the Cornell Author’s book section of the Cornell Store. Part of the seating overlooks the lower level of the store.

Jennie have their own distinctive CafĂŠ Jennie label. This market sells a variety of snacks, candies, and convenience food items from local and national vendors. One section is dedicated to local vendors selling jams, jellies, peanut butter, syrup, and salsas. The cafĂŠ coolers stock Cornell Dairy cheeses, milk, and ice cream.

Given the limited space, thoughtful planning was required to fit enough equipment into the space to offer a diverse menu. The mix includes blenders, soup warmers, a combi oven, ice maker, dishwasher, and coffee brewing equipment. Space was limited and the support equipment had to be fit and placed in precise locations with no margin for error.

Customers order food and beverages at a durable retail counter with a stainless steel core and shell interior. Counters appear like high-end, finished millwork yet provide the durability and superior structure of stainless steel. Contemporary exterior materials complement the finishes in the surrounding retail store, such as quartz tops, wood veneer front panels and European-style hardware. Counters are pre-wired with electrical receptacles to reduce construction costs and minimize installation time.

When developing the counters, designers identified elevations to determine where exterior finishes would be applied and illustrate special features such as door pulls, raised molding patterns, quartz counter top edges, back splashes, and where plastic laminate would be applied to exposed stainless steel counter components to soften the experience. Utility services and connections for built-in equipment also were considered.

Also within the dining space, other portable counters with plastic laminate and extruded aluminum corner guards for durability were used. For example, an attractive yet functional condiment counter is complete with a built-in trash chute and trash receptacle, and an elevated shelf for dairy pitchers, sugar packets, stirrers, napkins and counter top space for customers to place their beverages. A separate trash recycling cabinet was also designed with independent receptacles designated for compost, paper, bottles, and cans. The interior was enclosed for cleanliness and sanitation. In addition, other design elements include three-form decorative vertical panels with aluminum posts to conceal the back side of espresso machines. u

D E S I G N B Y

PROJECT DETAILS Hours of Operation: 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 7 p.m., Wednesday 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday Traffic: Approximately 480 customers/day Payment Accepted: Cash, credit cards, and a variety of Cornell Dining’s student, faculty, and staff debit meal plans Average Check: $5.19 Staff: 4 full-time employees (1 manager, 1 lead, and 2 staff) and more than 30 part-time students Seats: 72 in the public area Key Players: Director of The Cornell Store: Pat Wynn Facilities Project Management Team: Pat Redder, Christine Carstensen, and Brian Watson Director, Cornell Dining: Gail T. Finan

Assistant Director, Facilities and Finance, Dining and Retail Services, Cornell Dining: Richard Anderson Marketing Manager, Campus Life, Cornell University: Philip J. Doane Director of Culinary Operations, Cornell Dining: Steven Miller Café Jenny Chef: Jacob Kuehn Café Jenny Manager: Stephanie Ellis Senior Operators Manager, Cornell Dining: Murray LaLonde Project Architects: SWBR Architects, Rochester, NY; Kristin M. Schuster, AIA, CSI, LEED AP BD+C, associate, project architect Foodservice Design: The Sandstone Group, Multiteria; Michael Egan, chief director of design Equipment Dealer: B&W Supply, Ithaca, NY; Hoyt Benjamin, project manager, and Jennifer A. Wagner, contract manager/coordinator

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CAMPUS DINING

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HAMPSHIRE DINING COMMONS RENOVATION at UMass-Amherst

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Photos courtesy of UMass Dining

K

en Toong and Garett Distefano are known for setting ambitious goals for the UMass dining program. “Since 1999, student participation in the university meal plan has doubled, from 8,300 to 17,000,” says Toong, executive director of auxiliary enterprises. “Revenues have jumped from $28 million to more than $80 million, making UMass the second largest dining-services operation in the country. Each day we serve nearly 45,000 meals, or 5.5 million per year.”

It’s little wonder that ambitious goals were once again set when Toong and Distefano, director of residential dining, and their dining and design teams set out to transform the existing mid-1960s Hampshire Dining Commons (Hampshire) into an inspiring venue where food is the star. The mission: to be one of the healthiest and most sustainable dining operations in the nation.

Following a two-year, $15.5 million revitalization of the facility, the 46,000-square-foot Hampshire opened in August 2013 with retail and residential dining options. The main dining level provides daily services for 6,000 to 8,000 customers, mostly students living in adjacent residence halls. Seating capacity was increased from 550 to 650. In addition, the Hampshire Market, a retail concept located on the lower level, features gourmet coffee, gelato and panini sandwiches.

The imaginative design is economical and sustainable. Efficiencies are enhanced through shared prep spaces, back counters, serving counters, centrally located support, and reduced exhaust fans and ductwork. Serving staff become flexible, able to shift to areas where peak demand occurs. Customer queues are virtually non-existent.

The original Hampshire, which was constructed in 1966, had confined service areas with no open views. Concepts were built around a traditional straightline servery with little culinary flexibility.

“The renovated dining commons is next-

“Hampshire Dining Commons is one of two commons (the other is Berkshire Dining Commons) serving the Staff prepare Asian dishes at the Street Food station. Food at all stations is similar to southwest residential area,” what you’d find at natural foods stores: free-range eggs, homemade breads, sustainable says Toong. “In 2011 when we fish, some produce from nearby farms, some from five “permaculture” gardens funded received confirmation that

by Toong’s office (these earned recognition by the White House in 2012).

UMass would break ground on the new Commonwealth Honors College Residential Complex, we started planning the Hampshire renovation to accommodate 1,500 additional beds. We used the opportunity not only to give the facility a facelift but also to rethink how to make a dining commons better in every way.” During the nine-month construction period, Hampshire was closed.

BUI L DI N G AND DES IGN CH A LLE N GE S

The dining and design team faced several challenges. “Due to budget constraints the existing concrete building featured a central service elevator and back-of-house staircase that could not be moved,” says the project’s foodservice design consultant Lenny Condenzio, partner in charge with Ricca Newmark Design. “Exterior glass walls looking out on the campus surroundings left little option for the typical foodservice layout, which would inevitably block the view. The team did not want to distribute platforms throughout the footprint. The traditional ‘corralled’ dining environment, in which customers enter a confined control space, would appear too crowded, block visibility, and restrict access to the numerous platforms as diners emerged from the public stairs and elevators at the face of this building.”

“These challenges gave us an opportunity to develop a unique, fresh design concept,” says Toong.

Embracing the infrastructure of the building as it existed, the team started with the core service transition—elevator and stairs—debating how to place all 12 platforms back to back while accommodating the central core. First, they inverted the traditional “corral” layout, which has been a popular layout used for the past 30 years. Turning the corral inside out, they located the platforms on the outside of the skeleton rather than the inside. Condenzio’s early sketch from a prior master plan study offered a slightly erratic version of the idea, with angular “spokes” protruding from a unified central core. “That was still sort of the old thinking,” says Condenzio. “It was creating distinct separate zones for each one of the concepts, whether for Asian or pasta or deli.”

Condenzio recalls that Toong asked, “Why can’t we make this cleaner?” and drew a circle like a big round donut on the sketch. As the design developed, the circle became an oval. “I don’t think anybody else would have been brave enough to say ‘do that,’” says Condenzio.

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generation campus dining,” says Toong. The renovated facility, which is in the final approval stages of earning a LEED-Silver certification, features a contemporary New England theme with 13 flexible concepts contained in a first-of-its kind oval design in the U.S. that ensures more efficient traffic flow. Staff members perform just-in-time cooking in the 20,000-squarefoot, open, main level kitchen, making dishes every 30 minutes with more than 70 percent customizable to students’ desires.

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Toong also wanted the entire oval to be as open as possible so students could see activity and service on the opposite side of the oval. “That was quite a challenge, given the walk-ins, elevator core, and the occasional necessary walls,” says Condenzio.

P I E-SHA PED ZONES IN CENT R Ó FU SION

‘Given the ambitious food quality agenda, it was just as important for Bergmeyer to help the facility’s operators understand where not to spend money,” says the architectural firm’s website. “Leveraging the spartan beauty of the building’s structure, Hampshire’s simple palette of exposed concrete, raw steel, and reclaimed wood was driven as much by budget as by sustainability considerations. The aesthetic is contemporary New England, influenced by the aging agrarian structures dotting the surrounding landscape. The result is a dynamic, relaxed, destination experience where food truly takes center stage.”

STATI O N S, MENU AND EQUIPM E N T

With a merged front and back of the house, all cooking is display-style in front of the customer.

DiStefano says the just-in-time cooking and appropriate use of equipment increases flavor and reduces waste.

Ken Toong and Willie Sng confer during the grand opening. The Centró Fusion concept offers a true coming together of all sorts of culinary cultures. Hampshire’s oval servery allows a free flow around the dining commons. The oval design alleviates queuing and reduces food cost. Students’ have an open line of sight throughout the building; they can quickly view all options and can take smaller portions from a variety of stations. Photo courtesy of UMass Dining

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As a result, all distinct service points work in harmony with neighboring platforms and share support areas. Ricca Newmark named this new design concept, Centró Fusion. “It is rooted in the innovative idea of joining all the unique elements at the center around some common denominator, combining distinct zones into a unified, coherent central space,” says Condenzio. “Not only does this bring everything together into a center, it fuses all sorts of distinct cultures and senses, highlighting a varied and inspiring international menu where food is the star. From the entrance to the dining commons to the floor, diners are enticed by the smells, sights and sounds of a variety of healthy world cuisine.“

D E S I G N

“Having established the smooth oval shape, the central core was starting to overlap and zones were bleeding into each other,” says Condenzio. “The only way I could give each of the 12 service concepts its own identity and have them merge into a central core was to slice that oval into pie shapes. We then connected to the center by placing functional elements like walk-in refrigerators, pot wash area, janitorial closet, staging, and common prep in the core. I worked from the outside thinking about a pie, and worked from the inside thinking about how to best support each of the 12 concepts.”

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Wooden and metal tables are a mix of communal tables, both high- and low-tops, that can be adjusted for two to a dozen. Natural light adds a fresh, bright ambiance to the dining space.

Photo courtesy of Bergmeyer: Associates, Inc.; photography ©2013 by Richard Mandelkorn • Chef’s Table: Open continuously from breakfast to dinner. Features a variety of healthy world cuisine with locally and regionally sourced ingredients such as wild Alaskan salmon Escabeche with brown rice and Brussels sprouts, grilled chicken skewers with almond Romesco, and madeto-order Banh Mi. Equipment: two combi ovens, a rotisserie oven, and one double-stack steamer.

• Noodles: Customizable comfort food offering udon, pho, and others. Rice noodles are gluten free.

Equipment: noodle cooker.

• Stir Fry: Students select ingredients—proteins, seasonings, vegetables, sauces, and starches—that a staff member cooks to order. Equipment: two 100,000 BTU woks.

• Street Food: Showcases local flavors from the Mediterranean, Latin America and Asia featuring Indian Samosas, Mexican Tamales, Chinese Dim Sum, and Vietnamese Bahh-Mi. Items are served on small plates and reflect specific regions and cultures. Equipment: induction ranges and, in a prep area behind, two 100,000 BTU woks.

• Grill: Students choose customizable items for sliders, including traditional sliders, sliders made with a 70/30 mix of beef and mushroom, grilled chicken breast sliders, and Moroccan chicken sliders.

Also offered are grilled vegetables such as zucchini, carrots, green beans, and squash. Equipment: two charbroilers, two griddles, four high-efficiency, full-pot gas fryers.

• Produce: A showcase of local, regional and sustainable farming.

Offerings respect seasonality featuring a Mala Kumble and Subbaswamy, chancellor of UMass-Amherst, and Simon Stevenson, variety of composed and chef, begin the cutting of a cake showing the stations’ positions. made to order salads.

Equipment: four drop-in cold pans.

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•S ushi: Hand-crafted sushi rolls made to order. Equipment: three cold pans and two rice cookers.

• Sweet Treats: Elegant cakes, pastries, and tarts. All desserts are plated to order and served in small portions. Equipment: One 10-shelf combi oven.

• Vegetarian: Composed and customizable dishes with a wide variety of plant-based proteins.

Entrees include stuffed mushrooms with quinoa, sesame noodles, pea pods, and soft tacos.

Equipment: open 6-burner range with oven.

• Gluten Free: A variety of cravable menu items cooked to order.

• Trattoria: Dishes from Greece, Italy, Spain and Northern Africa are rich in fruit and vegetables.

Equipment: one double-stack deck oven and one pasta cooker.

• Tapas: In keeping with UMass Dining philosophy of “Small Plate Big Flavor,” this traditional tapas station showcases a variety of both hot and cold cuisine. Equipment: Six-burner range with oven and griddle with refrigerated base.

• Latin: Traditional Mexican, Cuban, Costa Rican, Argentinian and Peruvian fare. Equipment: one tortilla maker and one griddle with oven.

• In addition, makes fresh juice daily, using over 30 cases of fruit daily. Rather than soda, students may select freshly squeezed juices, infused water, fair trade coffee and smoothies. u

Hours of Operation: 7 a.m. – 10 p.m. with continuous dining Traffic: 6,000 – 8,000 customers daily Payment Accepted: Meal plan, cash, and credit cards Average Check: $11.50, AYCTE; breakfast, $8; lunch, $10.25; dinner, $13

Sous Chef: Anthony Jung Visiting Chef Consultant: Alex Ong Manager HDC: Joe Flueckiger Assistant Managers HCD: Keren Yu and Luanne Wu

Annual Sales Volume: $16 million

Assistant Director, Design & Construction Management: John Mathews

Total Project Cost: $15.5 million

Sustainability Manager: Rachel Dutton

Foodservice Equipment Cost: $1.9 million

UMass Project Manager: Bert Ewart

Staff: 20 to 30 per meal period Seats: 650 Key Players: Vice Chancellor Administration and Finance: James Sheehan Executive Director, Auxiliary Enterprises: Ken Toong Director Residential Dining: Garett Distefano Executive Chef: Willie Sng

Director of Finance: Claudia Brown Architects: Bergmeyer Associates, Inc., Boston; Matthew Hyatt, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, principal, lead architect, and Darryl Filippi, AIA, LEED AP, senior associate Foodservice Design: Ricca Newmark Design, Lenny Condenzio, partner in charge, Boston Equipment Dealer: Boston Showcase Contractor: Shawmut Design & Construction, Boston

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P ROJECT DETAILS

by design

CAMPUS DINING

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KERR CAFETERIA REMODEL at University of North Texas

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Photos courtesy of University of North Texas Dining

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niversity of North Texas’ largest dining facility, Kerr dining hall, located in Kerr resident hall, was long overdue for a remodel. “Our mission was to refresh the space to make it more comfortable and inviting until we redo the entire facility, including the foodservice in 2016,” says Ken Botts, special projects manager for the UNT food department. “The cafeteria looked like a cafeteria and we wanted to add more life to it so the atmosphere was as good as the food.” In fact, “It’s all about the food,” is the dining service motto.

The UNT special projects team worked with the Denton County Historical Society and the UNT historical society to create a design celebrating the history of Texas, the local community of Denton, and the university. The interior design is modeled after the historic Denton Square graphics, and also features famous UNT alumni and Texans, a history of Denton, and historical photographs.

Opened in August 2013, the 14,527-square-foot refreshed dining area occupies the same space as the original cafeteria that opened in the 1960s. This includes a support kitchen, which was not renovated as part of the front-of-house renovation. The only addition was equipment—two fryers, two combi-ovens, and a blast freezer— to facilitate catering production.

Serving nearly 3,100 customers daily, the AYCTE operation is also open to the public. In addition to serving food, Kerr is the destination for all weekend dining and is a five-minute walk from almost anywhere on campus.

While customers dine, they can learn about the history of Denton from a timeline comprising one wall.

The interior design features a brick façade with custom details that allow the service lines to resemble historic buildings on the old Denton Square.

The use of local, real brick provided a sustainable element to the design.

Custom neon and light boxes accent the service stations. Customized digital images are printed on the wallpaper and directly on screens that serve as alumni room dividers to make images larger than life.

Well-known UNT alumni, including Mean Joe Green and Don Henley, are among the images projected.

“The processes used were custom variations on multiple media that were created specific to this project,” says Botts. “Securing rights for images and getting our contractor to do the detail work on the façades was challenging.”

THE WIDEST FOOD VAR IE T Y ON C A M PU S

Kerr offers the widest variety of food on campus. Stations include: • Grill with hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken breasts, fried chicken fillets and legs, cheese slices, crinkle-cut fries and other potatoes, and freshly toasted buns.

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The larger-than-life portraits feature alumni such as Joan Blondell, a television and movie actress. Seating areas receive natural light from the arched windows opening to campus.

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• Sweet Annie’s dessert bar featuring various flavored muffins, cakes, apple crispitos, biscuits, Mexican cornbread, Parkerhouse rolls, and tres leche cake.

• Mac-and-cheese bar with five varieties daily.

• Salad Bar • Pizza/Pasta with multiple varieties daily.

• Homestyle with country-style cream gravy, French toast, fresh biscuits, hard cooked eggs, mini-Belgian waffles, potato pancakes, sausage and rice, sausage patties and links, scrambled and fried eggs, brisket, chicken tetrazzini, lemon peppered cod, Ruby’s BBQ sauce, and beef and chicken fajitas.

• Global cuisine featuring green pilau rice with cashews, grilled Indian chicken, Indian curry and coconut soup, Indian potatoes aloo saag, Indian-style spiced eggplant, Indian-style beef, and vegetarian entrees such as vegetable casserole, chilaquiles, and chili relleno casserole.

• Made-from-scratch ice-cream.

• Vegetables/sides served at stations include baked potatoes, fiesta corn, fresh guacamole, nacho cheese sauce, san juana Spanish rice, tortilla chips, vegan beans a la charoo, Zolla’s Guatemalan spinach, Scandinavian vegetables, and fried okra.

• Gluten-free menu items are available daily; students can visit the website and use the allergen filter function from the online menu program to identify gluten-free options.

The refresh continues to be well-received by customers who say they feel comfortable in the space and look forward to the menu variety. Now that the bar’s been raised in this facility, pressure’s on the others to keep improving as well. u

PR OJE C T D E TA ILS Hours of Operation: 7 a.m. – 12 a.m., Monday–Thursday 7 a.m. – 8 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. – 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday Traffic: 3,300 card swipes/day (second busiest café on campus); also open to the public Payment Accepted: Open to the public and accepts meal plans, cash, and credit cards Average Check: Cash customers pay $6.95 for AYCTE meal Annual Sales Volume: $4.26 million Meal Volume: More than 58,000 meals annually Staff: 125, mostly students Seats: 625 Remodel Cost: $125,000

Key Players: Executive Director of Dining: Bill McNeace Director of Dining: Shohreh Sparks Associate Director of Dining: Peter Balabuch Special Projects Manager: Ken Botts Lead Graphic Designer: Bryant Canzoneri Student Graphic Designer: Isabella Vasquez Foodservice Design: In-house Equipment Dealer: Pasco Brokerage, Inc., Denton

A touch of neon lighting brightens the grill stations.

Brick facade allow service lines to resemble historic buildings on the old Denton Square.

by design

CAMPUS DINING

Photographs courtesy of Bruner/Cott & Associates, Inc.; photographs ©2013 Rick Mandelkorn

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lumni Hall, a historical building in Vanderbilt’s north campus had been dormant for many years. It is a 1925 Tudor Revival building designed by Nashville architect Henry C. Hibbs as a World War I memorial; it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years, the building served as the student center until Sarratt Student Center opened in 1974. It also housed administrative offices.

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A renovation preserved the collegiate Gothic-style heritage of the building and created a unique student-oriented space to support the residence hall near alumni lawn. “Our initial study developed a reuse program to take advantage of this building’s central location while respecting its historical significance, details, and finishes,” says Bob Simmons, AIA, LEED AP, managing principal of Bruner/ Cott, & Associates, the project’s architectural firm. Vanderbilt’s development team, including administrators, faculty, staff, and students, concurred that the revitalized Alumni Hall would become a satellite center in relation to the other student centers on campus. The building is LEED Gold-certified.

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Opened in the fall 2013, the building’s renovation and addition is the first in the building’s 86-year history. The building’s unique combination of historic features and new contemporary materials and details include formal event space, high-tech classrooms, study lounges, performance space, a writing studio, an exercise room and faculty offices.

Below: Display cases convey fresh with the presentation of menu items surrounded by fresh greens. The organization of the equipment counter works well with the contemporary finishes and lighting.

Above: Bamboo provides a fresh, natural ambiance in the seating areas. During off-hours, the seating area becomes a study lounge that is highlighted by the back-lit supergraphic garage door panels. The seating area is defined by the wood-tile floor and wood ceilings that match the existing wood floors, ceilings, and wall paneling throughout the building. Existing leaded glass windows were restored to their original state.

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BAMBOO BISTRO at Vanderbilt University’s Alumni Hall

B A MBOO BISTRO’ S UNIQU E A D D IT ION

In addition, the building features Bamboo Bistro, a Vietnamese concept-themed café including 170 square feet for the café; 253 square feet of space for receiving, the loading dock and cooler; 142 square feet for dry storage; and 250 square feet for catering. Due to the small footprint available for the café, six employees prepare food to order and assemble it fresh in front of the customers.

Most of the prep takes place in the central commissary, where two employees prepare all the mise en place.

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"Bamboo Bistro fits nicely into the fabric of our dining program because it offers unique, authentic and delicious cuisine different from any other concept on the Vanderbilt campus in an environment that is conducive to student collaboration and conversation,” says Camp, director of campus dining.

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Bamboo Bistro, like all other dining facilities on campus, operates with a retail format, accepting meal plans as well as credit and debit cards.

“This is a beautiful concept with all fresh ingredients,” says Lenny Condenzio, principal in charge, Ricca Newark Design. “Preparation at the commissary was the only way to make this work.

Even dishes and smallwares are brought back to the commissary to be cleaned and sanitized.”

Serviceware does not require washing since it is disposable.

The Asian-inspired menu features noodle bowls, Asian salad bowls, banh mi-style sandwiches, and tea and other beverages such as water and bottled beverages. When customers look in a display case and grab-n-go cases, they see a variety of ingredients that can be served three different ways: in a baguette, wrap, or soup. Customers select their menu items and staff assemble to order.

SO LVING DESIGN CH AL LE N GE S

In the seating area, designers build a garage door with custom supergraphic-lit panels. When the café is open, only the bottom panels are visible; when closed, the lit panels provide the backdrop to the café’s seating area.

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From the reception area, customers can see Bamboo Bistro, which entices them to stop by for a meal. The space provides a variety of comfortable seating options including swivel upholstered chairs, benches, and a banquette, as well as outdoor seating located on the north and south terraces, which customers access directly from the café.

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“The challenge was to fit the garage door between the existing structure and the new ceiling, which was resolved with careful coordination of MEP/ FP and support system,” says Simmons.

“Also challenging was to the design of the custom panels to fit into an off the shelf garage door, as well as the wiring each of the panels into a moving door.”

For the interior, a variety of tiles complement the old, such as the wood floor tile as well as highlight the new, like the iridescent wall tile. Together they provide a rich palate both in color and texture.

For front of house counters, the finish materials are made with textured metal panels. This material was also used on other millwork pieces in the building.

Introducing new mechanical systems into the historic interiors provided a significant challenge for the architects,. “The firm’s solution was to add exterior additions on the rear façade, providing necessary mechanical, life safety, and accessibility improvements.” u

PROJECT DETAILS

Key Players:

Hours of Operation: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., Monday–Thursday 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., Friday

Associate Vice Chancellor: Judson Newbern

Traffic: 350 customers daily Payment Accepted: Meal plans and debit and credit cards.

Average Check: $5.90 Annual Sales Volume: $325,000 (projected) Total Project Cost: $11.6 million Foodservice Equipment Cost: $262,566 Staff: Six (with the support of two dedicated employees who prep at the commissary) Seats: 32 indoors and 62 outdoors

Campus Architect: Keith Loiseau Project Manager: Paul Marshall Director of Campus Services: Camp Howard Executive Chef: Bill Claypool Architect: Bruner/Cott & Associates, Inc. Cambridge, MA: Dan Raih, AIA, LEED AP, principal-in-charge; Bob Simmons, AIA, LEED AP, managing principal; Nurit Aucker, AIA, project manager; Dana Kelly, senior associate Interior Design: Bruner/Cott & Associates, Inc. Foodservice Consultant: Ricca Newmark Design, Lenny Condenzio, partner in charge, Boston Equipment Dealer: Dykes Restaurant Supply, Huntsville, Ala.

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WHAT’S HOT

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REFRESHING DINING CHOICES at Northern Michigan University and University of California-Riverside

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eeping customers interested in dining options is a full-time job at Northern Michigan University (NMU) and University of California-Riverside (UCR).

Grain and Veggie bar is among the newest refreshers at the Marketplace, one of Northern Michigan University’s residential AYCTE facilities.

The new bar operates for lunch and dinner in the Marketplace, which serves students from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. and receives about 4,000 swipes each day. Grain and Veggie Bar features more than 20 grains, vegetables, and dressings, all held in ambient and cold wells. Customers fill a bowl with ingredients such as quinoa, rice, black beans, corn, kale, edamame, and cilantro. “Guests can eat the ingredients as they are, follow a posted recipe at the station, or ask a staff member to sauté them on a four-burner range that sits directly behind the serving counter. Students can also take their ingredients to another station, such as the Mongo Grill, where they can request a staff member to add meat and noodles and prepare a dish on the Mongolian grill.

“For the new bar, we repurposed a pasta station, which was moved to another position in the Marketplace,” says Sharon Carey, director of dining services. “We were trying to offer options for customers on allergen diets who wanted to be sure their selections weren’t contaminated with nuts or gluten.”

The Grain & Veggie Bar consists of a counter with a well holding ingredient bins and a sauté range with pans that remain separate for ingredients in order to eliminate cross-contamination.

Photos courtesy of Northern Michigan

A Greek Salad is one of several dishes that students can put together using a recipe and ingredients at the Grain & Veggie Bar.

Grain and Veggie Bar includes a cold well to hold ingredients and a four-burner range with individual sauté pans to eliminate possible cross-contact of ingredients.

Carey reports that the “well-received” bar is staffed by one or two students who are supervised by three managers who oversee the entire operation.

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esigned to offer more affordable solutions on campus, the University of CaliforniaRiverside’s HUB2GO is a new boxed lunch and platters concept. “This provides our campus with an alternative to off-campus offerings from grocery stores and high-volume discount stores,” says David Henry, director of residential dining. “Branded boxes and branded delivery trucks provide a well-rounded and exciting brand.”

The boxed lunches, which can be ordered for 10 to 10,000, include a sandwich with hand-shaved meats or house-made chicken or tuna salad, bagged chips, a pickle spear, condiments, and a cookie.

Another popular offering are platters to go.

Varieties include Taco Bar Delight, Trio Cheers (Asian trio with meatballs, egg rolls, and pot stickers with dipping sauce), Big Bowl salads, and Make it a Pizza Party.

The fee structure at HUB2GO was recently changed to a tiered structure, Henry says.

Customers may order online, call in orders, or place them with a staff member at a kiosk in the HUB food court. Orders are picked up at the HUB. Deliveries will be made for orders of $50 or more. Each delivery is subject to a 20 percent service fee or more depending on location. In addition to the website, a delivery truck with the logo and menu offerings HUB2Go’s boxed lunches feature sandwiches, chips, a pickle, a cookie, and condiments. Photos courtesy of UCR provides ongoing advertising.

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The staff dietitian, Robin Rahoi, who was responsible for working up the concept for the bar, died tragically in a hit-run car accident before the bar was completed. Carey says the finished station was completed as a tribute to her.

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Right: Instructions help students navigate their way at the Grain & Veggie Bar.

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Left: To assist customers and encourage creativity in combining ingredients, dining provides recipes such as this one for a Greek bowl.

Food trucks are also welcome additions. “These offer our campus community exciting menu solutions, when and where they want, anytime they want,” Henry says.

Above: HUB2GO delivers to special events.

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“We’ve also just introduced Subway Caters, because the market for HUB2GO has been so strong,” says Henry. HUB2GO registers about $90,000 a year.

Subway Caters is expected to bring in about $10,000 this year.

Left: Culinary Chameleon’s bright graphics attract attention wherever it appears on campus.

Below: The Bear Tracks food truck offers Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, a variety of beverages, and packaged foods.

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Culinary Chameleon, which is found on campus Monday through Friday or during a special event, is 32 feet long, and 11 feet tall.

“This is really a kitchen on wheels,” says Henry. Equipment includes a four-basket double fryer, four-foot griddle, three-compartment sink, hand sink, threedoor full-sized refrigerator, single-door full-sized freezer, two-burner range, full-sized warming cabinet, pastry case, iced display case, refrigerated prep table, and a three-well steam table. The truck cost $250,000, about a quarter of the cost to build a typical restaurant kitchen.

The truck runs off a generator and much of the equipment uses propane gas so the truck can be of assistance during emergencies, as well as regular service.

“The Culinary Chameleon changes its colors by featuring new menu items on an ongoing basis,” says Henry. The menu includes burritos, breakfast burritos, salad bowls, quesadillas, tacos, sides, desserts, and beverages. “The truck will record $1 million in sales this year, setting a new record,” he says.

An online map shows the locations, so customers can find them during specified hours.

A clever, compelling dining website allows customers to vote for the next Culinary Chameleon featured menu item. Currently, the choices are nachos, hard tacos, enchiladas, and sopes. After pressing a button to indicate one’s choice, viewers can see how others have voted.

Another food truck, Bear Tracks, features Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf®, hand-crafted beverages, ice-blended beverages, pre-packaged sandwiches, salads, made-to-order parfaits, and specialty oatmeal such as Bananas Foster and berry crunch. Operating hours are 7a.m. until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday.

A third truck featuring soft-serve ice cream, the Moo Truck, will begin operating soon. A fourth truck is scheduled to arrive in August to focus on athletic concessions. u

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icross the nation, collegiate dining departments are teaming up with students to help people in need of food and nutrition. Two such initiatives are growing at The College of Wooster and Northwestern University.

At The College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, the Soup & Bread program allows students and members of the campus community to eat a basic meal of only soup and bread in exchange for dining services to donate money from participants’ meal swipes to local, national and international hunger charities. The College describes the program as “a way for students to demonstrate their commitment to action, social justice, and volunteerism.”

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Students enjoy their soup knowing that they are contributing to helping those in need.

Photos courtesy of The College of Wooster

Charles Wagers, director of campus dining and conference services, provides assistance from dining services to help maintain the Soup & Bread program. “In 2009 when Kittredge was closed, we moved the weekly meal to Mackey Hall, where increased student involvement was necessary due to the lack of dining staff at that location,” says Wagers. “Consequently, we increased our donations from $1.50 per diner to $3.00.”

When Kittredge reopened with limited staff in 2010, Soup & Bread moved back to this location.

“The need for total student volunteer staffing remained,” says Wagers. Since that time, weekly customer counts range between 100 and 200 each Friday.

The soup is prepared by dining services staff members in Lowry Center dining hall, the main dining service location, then delivered to Kittredge by dining saff. Student volunteers make sure the soup is stocked and clean up after meal periods.

Wagers and program coordinators work collaboratively to determine the menu mix and develop promotional theme days, such as Valentine’s Day, to promote the program’s visibility and popularity. For example, on February 14, 151 students attended the Valentine’s Day event featuring a menu of Italian wedding soup, vegan tomato basil soup with homemade herbed heart croutons and southwest soup with grains. Staff decorated with lit candles on red napkin centerpieces while the Soup & Bread student coordinators Hannah and Kate Redding decorated the dining room with Valentine’s Day decorations and provided romantic dinner music.

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Sponsored by the Office of Interfaith Campus Ministries, Soup & Bread is offered every Friday from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in Kittredge Dining Hall. The program is coordinated by a paid student intern who recruits and supervises volunteers from student groups, faculty, and staff of the campus community.

Volunteers work between 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.

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GIVING BACK TO THOSE IN NEED at The College of Wooster and Northwestern

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Soup and Bread has existed in various forms for more than 30 years. This past year was exceptionally strong, with numbers of participants growing from 60 to 70 students a week to 100 and 150. Donations so far this year total just over $7,000. Wagers expects participation to grow as the student coordinators continue to improve the Soup & Bread program by creating theme meals, instituting promotions like t-shirt giveaways and utilizing social media.

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Evangeline Smith (left) and Gillian Spangler, both class of 2016, test the soups of the day.

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t Northwestern University near Chicago, The Campus Kitchens program continues to grow.

Northwestern Dining serves approximately 3,000 to 5,000 meals per day. At the end of each day, dining sends its unused portions of food from each of its six dining halls, in addition to unused food from the food court in the Norris University Center, to Campus Kitchens at Northwestern University. In 2013, Northwestern Dining donated nearly 25,000 pounds of food, which were turned into about 600 meals served to the less fortunate in Evanston and Chicago.

This year, a new program component, Points for a Purpose, was launched. Started by two students, sophomores Bryan Berger and Dean Meisel, students can now donate meal points on their dining cards during the final two weeks of each quarter to Campus Kitchens.

“Bryan and Dean were standing in line to buy food at one of our cafes,” says Jason Sophian, marketing manager for Sodexo Campus Dining Services at Northwestern. “They heard a student offering to buy sandwiches for others because the student had points left on her cards at the end of the quarter. They approached Sodexo’s district manager and together with me, an electronic program was developed so students

Leftover food at Northwestern’s dining locations is donated to Campus Kitchens.

Photos courtesy of Northwestern University Dining

Eddie Skidmore, Sodexo’s area marketing coordinator, and Jason Sophian, marketing manager for Sodexo Campus Dining Services at Northwestern, prepare food for Campus Kitchens.

The program is advertised on social media, including Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as the dining services website. u

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“This is such a great way to bring our efforts with Campus Kitchens and the university a full 360 degrees,” says Sophian.

“It’s another way for students to contribute to the community’s hungry people.”

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At the end of the past quarter, 1,302 meal points were donated.

In total $2,548 was donated this academic year.

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can tell a cashier at any foodservice operation on campus that they want to donate points.

Cashiers swipe the cards and the $1 dollar equivalent per point is directed to Campus Kitchens.”

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WHAT’S HOT

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on campus

NON-TRADITIONAL SOURCING BLOSSOMS at the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of California-Santa Cruz

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inding new sources of organic and sustainable produce can be an arduous project on college campuses, but a successful effort is worth it in the end, like finding the proverbial pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Two west coast colleges have made such discoveries.

At the University of Nevada, Reno, Downunder Café, a resident dining facility, is now using certified crops from the university’s High Desert Farming Initiative. Multiple varieties of organic lettuce are grown in a 9,600-squarefoot facility with two greenhouses and eight hoop houses, located on the eastern edge of campus. Produce grown here has become an integral part of the dining menu. In addition to the farm, the initiative includes a wash and pack shed for trimming, washing, and packing produce for delivery to the university’s dining locations and local restaurants.

Students taste various lettuces at the hoop house. In the dining operation, students are intrigued with eating produce grown so close to the café, says Barbara Hanke, resident dining director for Chartwells. Photos courtesy of University of Nevada, Reno

“We’ve always been in favor of using locally grown produce and now, for the first time, we have a large enough source of certified crops to keep up with our needs on a weekly basis all year long.” says Russ Meyer, associate director for housing operations and dining services.

Dining’s objective is to enhance the dining hall’s sustainability profile by becoming a guaranteed outlet for the farm’s products. The initiative allows Downunder Café to offer guests the freshest table greens in Reno.

Currently, dining services uses about nine pounds of baby salad mix each day from Monday through Friday in Downunder Café, according to Richard Fenton, purchasing/ production manager for dining with Chartwells. “We expect to increase usage by three pounds in the future,” Fenton says. “It’s very well received by students because it is a very good product and they like the idea of using on-campus organic products.”

Each weekday, dining is currently using about nine pounds of salad mix grown in a hoop house.

“It’s wonderful to see the produce coming out of the An unheated greenhouse, known as a hoop house, grows lettuce used by UNR’s dining. hoop houses and onto the tables of the Downunder,” says Sam Males, director of the university’s Nevada Small Business Development Center, which worked in collaboration with Sen. Harry Reid and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to make the initiative possible. HUD provided $500,000 to help fund the project, which includes eight hoop houses, two greenhouses, and a washing/storage facility.

“Our goal is to be able to take 60 percent, 80 percent, and up to 100 percent of what the farm produces every day while school is in session,” says Meyer. “This will include seasonal items and smaller batches of vegetables that can be worked into our menus on the fly.”

In the future, crops may include squashes, carrots, heirloom tomatoes, and fresh herbs.

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t University of California-Santa Cruz, dining services has actively searched for new growers for nutritious, healthy, and eco-friendly produce. A source was found in a local aquaponics farm close to campus.

“This is one of the first companies to do large-scale aquaponics and move it from the backyard and hobby level to a scale that is useful to us because we buy in such large quantities,” says Candy Berlin, program coordinator for Santa Cruz dining.

“We think this is the most sustainable growing method available,” Berlin says. “The growing season here lasts only a few weeks. The yield is about 26 percent greater than conventional soil crop farming. All of the products here are grown in five percent of the water of conventional crop production no chemical pesticides, no runoff, and a controlled climate. Fish waste is used to feed the plants.”

H OT W H AT ’ S

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

The partnership between Nevada Dining, which is operated by Chartwells, and the High Desert Farming Initiative started in 2011. The objective is to develop and implement an educational program in sustainable farming systems specific to high desert climates.

The operation, located at the Agricultural Experiment Stations’ Valley Road Field Labs and Greenhouse Complex, provides research and hands-on educational experience to the university’s students and faculty.

H OT W H AT ’ S

The farm produces many types of lettuce, as well as other vegetables, berries, and melon.

Photos courtesy of University of California-Santa Cruz

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

40 This large-scale aquaponics producer reports a yield of about 26 percent greater than conventional soil crop farming.

The farm produces rex lettuce, bibb lettuce, oakleaf lettuce, sorrel, minutina, cress, radicchio, basil, bok choi, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, kale, chard, berries, melons and root vegetables.

Campus dining purchases vegetables such as bok choy, watercress, rainbow chard, and heirloom tomatoes and receives two deliveries per week. “This will help us meet our 40 percent real food goal set for 2020,” Berlin says.

“We worked with the company on its packaging,” says Berlin. “We didn’t want hard plastic clamshells and didn’t want to deal with waste diversion. Now they deliver in waxed cardboard cartons with liners. Of course, when produce arrives we inspect it to be sure it is in good condition.”

In the months since dining began using the products, Berlin says dining has found the products to be brighter in color than traditional products and maintain their freshness. u

WHAT’S HOT POP-UP DINNERS at University of Connecticut

on campus

“Students can really experience the culinary art of our catering staff,” says Dennis Pierce, executive director of dining services.

“Another purpose of our pop-up dinners is to give something back to the students on the meal plan, something different.”

“Pop-up restaurants have been popular since the turn of the century in Britain and Australia,” says Steve Wojtyna, general manager of catering. “These restaurants are an effective way for young chefs to gain exposure in the culinary field while using underused kitchen facilities. In recent years, pop-up dinners are happening in big cities nationwide and now, thanks to Dennis’ idea, they are here at UConn.” Wojtyna and the catering department plan the events, prepare the menus and supervise the onsite dinners.

The first pop-up dinner was held in October UCONN chefs, Alexis Saucier and Frank Cameron place bananas 2013 and the second on March 4, 2014. For foster on UCONN dairy bar ice cream. each, dining’s marketing department blasted an email message to students a week before the event. Interested students walked to the Union Central Exchange C-Store in the student union where they swiped their UConn ID card for the equivalent of one dinner and left their email address. A few hours before the event they received an email informing them of the location and the time. The guest list was limited to 50 people for the first dinner and 60 people for the second.

For the first dinner, a Halloween themed event, students met at the Shippee dining pit. Decorations created an elaborate, haunted-theme atmosphere. The plated dinner included a first course of sweet potato chipotle soup topped with tortilla strips and served from large pumpkins; a second course of roasted beet hearts served with goat cheese, toasted pumpkin seeds and topped with a bloody beet and raspberry vinaigrette; the third course of boneless chicken breast shaped into a hand with the fingerstips dipped into a hot sauce (resembling a bloody hand) served

W H AT ’ S

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

S

tudents at the University of Connecticut (UConn) looking for a culinary adventure have a new option. They can sign up for a pop-up dinner and only hours before the dining event learn its location. The menu remains a surprise until students arrive at the location.

H OT

Photos courtesy of UConn Dining

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Above: UConn chefs prepare Bananas Foster and cupcakes for Fat Tuesday dinner guests.

Left: One of the most popular dishes was a giant muffuletta, a large, round Sicilian loaf similar to focaccia piled high with a delicious combination of olive salad, mortadella sausage, salami, mozzarella, ham, and provolone cheese.

with pink mashed potatoes and grilled corn on the cob; and a fourth course of vanilla kiwi panna cotta shaped like a large eyeball and served with a chocolate-covered strawberry ghost.

For the second dinner, a festive Fat Tuesday feast and féte, 40 student participants met at the student union at 6 p.m. and were shuttled in busses to the Lodewick House, a private house on the outskirts of the Storrs main campus that resembles a Southern mansion. As they walked into the Mardi Gras-decorated home, dining staff handed students beads and masks, as well as menus for food stations located in the downstairs rooms.

The menu featured a garden vegetable display with Creole dip, a giant muffuletta, a large, round Sicilian loaf similar to focaccia piled high with a delicious combination of olive salad, mortadella sausage, salami, mozzarella, ham, and provolone cheese; chicken and sausage jambalaya with dirty rice and beans; seafood gumbo with jalapeno cornbread and hushpuppies; Bananas Foster with UConn dairy bar ice cream and King cake cupcakes; and hurricane punch. Following the New Orleans tradition, a small plastic baby was hidden in one of the cupcakes and the lucky recipient claimed a special prize—one dozen mini cheesecakes made by university catering.

The pop-up dinners are small in the scope of the department’s 4,900 events and $3 million in sales. “These are themed menus but not so high end to break the budget,” says Wojtyna. Most of

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the food is prepared in the catering kitchen in advance of the event and transported in hot and cold containers to the event site. If a menu item such as Bananas Foster is served, staff brings smallwares to prepare onsite.

W H AT ’ S

H OT

Decorations and party items also are selected with the budget in mine. For example, for the Mardi Gras event, says Wojtyna, “We catered an event for a fraternity, which bought the beads and centerpieces and left the items for us to use at another time, so we didn’t have to purchase them.”

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In response to participants’ positive response and expectation that more students will learn about the events via word of mouth, pop-ups will continue next year. Wojtyna hopes to stage two per semester, including one with a farm-to-table dinner on the university-owned farm. “These events tell our customers that dining is willing to go the extra step to please them,” he says.

Student participants offered enthusiastic responses: “Fun, change of pace, exciting, elaborate decorations, not knowing what the event will be but knowing it will be different, community atmosphere and feel like you’re dining with family, and impressed with venue, lots of surprises, and obviously a lot of work by the chefs.”

Videos of the two pop-up dinners may be found at: http://www.dining.uconn.edu/ catering.html. u

Cupcakes decorated in Mardi Gras colors wowed guests.

After a group of students raised concerns that the university was not providing foods that met their requirements, UNC’s Executive Chef Aran Essig began exploring options to accommodate their needs. The students were requesting halal meals that are permissible under Islamic law (halal is an Arabic word that means lawful or permitted). Upon seeing case of domestic lamb marked “halal certified,” Essig quickly realized that he had in fact already been serving halal meals without labeling them as such.

As a response to the students’ requests and to further diversify their dining options, the University of Northern Colorado set up a halal station in their Holmes Dining Hall, a facility that serves about 3000 meals per day. At the station, students find a wide variety of Middle Eastern entrees and sides served with Naan. Since opening, the Halal station has been successful, serving about 300 meals daily.

UNC Dining Mission Statement: Dining Services provides exceptional food and services to the UNC campus community and guests while promoting nutritional awareness and fostering culinary diversity.

“We try to meet the needs of all students,” explains Essig. “We hired a student who was familiar with the flavors of Middle Eastern cuisine and halal cooking, having grown up there himself. The student was instrumental in helping us get the station off the ground. After we set up the halal station, we asked for feedback and continued to refine the recipes served based on student comments.”

One of the most popular dishes at the halal station is Lamb Kofta in Tomato Curry Sauce. Another well regarded dish is Lamb Al Kabsa made with lamb top round.

“We now have a total of about 40 recipes in our halal recipe database and it is growing every semester,” says Essig. u

WHAT IS HALAL? Halal is an Arabic word that mean lawful or permitted. In the culinary world, that means food and food contact materials that are permissible according to Islamic law. The opposite of halal is haram, which means unlawful or prohibited.

For Muslims, the Halal or permissible items are: ·A ll vegetable materials except intoxicating ones; ·M eat from halal animals and birds slaughtered according to Islamic requirements; · Fish and most seafood; and · Milk and eggs from halal animals.

Haram items include: ·A lcoholic drinks and intoxicating drugs; · Pork and its by-products; · Meat of dead animals; · Blood; ·M eat of animals not slaughtered according to Islamic requirements; and ·P roducts that contain any of the above items.

While many things are clearly halal or haram, there are some things which are not clear and further information is needed to categorize them as halal or haram. Such items are often referred to as mashbooh, which means doubtful or questionable. Foods containing ingredients such as gelatin, enzymes, emulsifiers, and flavors are mashbooh, because the origin of these ingredients is not known.

Information courtesy of the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America (IFANCA), www.ifanca.org.

H A L A L

ocated in Greeley, Colorado, about an hour north of Denver, the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a diverse campus of more than 12,000 students. Dining services, led by director of dining services Hal Brown, is clear in its mission statement that it strives to provide a balanced menu with a wide variety of foods appropriate for the student population, including those with special dietary needs.

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

Halal Station L

S TAT I O N

University of Northern Colorado Adds

Lamb Kofta in Tomato Curry

H A L A L

S TAT I O N

Executive Chef Aran Essig, CEC, CCA University of Northern Colorado Yield: Halal, 25 servings (4 ounces each)

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6 lbs ground American lamb 4 eggs, beaten 1 cup heavy cream 3 cups bread crumbs 12 oz. onion, small dice 1 ½ Tbsp. ginger, grated 3 Tbsp. garlic, minced 2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped 1 Tbsp. cumin 1 tsp. allspice 1 Tbsp. cinnamon 2 tsp. black pepper 3 tsp. salt ½ tsp. ground nutmeg 3 pints sauce tomato curry (recipe follows)

Instructions: In a bowl, combine eggs and cream; mix with bread crumbs. Refrigerate 1 hour.

Sauce Tomato Curry: ¼ cup canola olive oil blend 1 lb. onion, chopped 4 ¼ oz. garlic, chopped Turmeric 1 Tbsp. cumin 2 Tbsp. cinnamon 2 Tbsp. ginger 2 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 Tbsp. paprika 2 lbs. tomato puree 2 tsp. cilantro, chopped 2 cups water 1 cup yogurt, fresh plain 1 cup heavy cream 1 tsp. salt

In a stock pot, heat the oil. Add onion; sauté until translucent. Add garlic, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, pepper and paprika; sauté briefly. Add tomato puree; simmer until the tomato puree reduces to half of its volume.

The tomato reduction should be thick and have begun to stick to the bottom of the pan but should not scorch.

In a separate bowl, mix lamb, onion, ginger, garlic, parsley, cumin, allspice, cinnamon, pepper, salt and nutmeg together; knead well. Add in egg mixture; knead well. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Form the mixture into 2-ounce balls; place on a sheet tray. Bake at 325°F to an internal temperature of 155°F. For the Sauce Tomato Curry:

Place the mixture in a blender; puree until smooth. Return to the pan; stir in cilantro. Add water to reconstitute; bring to a simmer. Add cream and yogurt. Season with salt; adjust seasoning as desired.

To serve: Toss the cooked meatballs with the sauce.

Recipe and image provided by the American Lamb Board

Lamb Al Kabsa Executive Chef Aran Essig CEC, CCA University of Northern Colorado Yield: Halal, 25 servings (4 ounces each)

H A L A L

S TAT I O N

6 lbs. American lamb top round 1 cup Saudi Baharat spice 3 oz .salted butter 5 oz. onion 3 Tbsp. garlic ½ cup tomato puree 9 oz. diced tomatoes 7 oz. carrot, shredded 1.5 quart vegetable stock, from scratch 2 cloves, whole 9 oz. Basmati rice 4 oz. seedless raisins 3 oz. almonds, toasted Instructions: Trim lamb; cut into 1-inch cubes. Season with Baharat spice; refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Strain off liquid to measure. Make sure there is twice as much liquid by volume as there is rice (for example, 1 cup rice = 2 cups liquid). Add the

47 liquid back to the pot along with the rice, adding additional liquid if needed. Bring to a simmer; turn low, cover and allow to simmer until rice is tender. Stir in raisins and almonds; fluff and cover. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Transfer to serving pan.

Recipe and image provided by the American Lamb Board

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

In a heavy stock pot, heat butter; add lamb and brown on all sides. Add onion; cook until slightly caramelized. Add garlic; sauté. Add tomato puree, diced tomatoes, carrot, stock and cloves; simmer until meat is tender, approximately 2 1/2 hours.

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C O N F E R E N C E

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For additional information and to register, visit www.nacufs.org/conference.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN BALTIMORE!

T

conference C O N F E R E N C E

he 2014 National Conference Committee and the Mid-Atlantic Region invite you to B’More Innovative this July in Baltimore, Maryland. An interesting and diverse city, Baltimore is known for its beautiful harbor, distinct neighborhoods, unique museums, and variety of activities.

Baltimore is a city that celebrates creativity, advancement, and learning. At the national conference, you will find a fantastic lineup of featured speakers, general sessions, and education sessions. From motivational stories about personal triumph, to enlightening insights on our food sources, to case studies and best practices from peers, you’re sure to find many new ideas you can implement at your school.

The conference committee has ensured that all conference attendees will get to see a true taste of Baltimore beginning to end, from the accommodations at the Hilton Baltimore, our headquarters hotel, to the annual golf outing hosted by the University of Maryland. Be sure to wear your school colors for our closing TailGreat event at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens.

JULY 8-12, 2014

THANK YOU TO THE 2014 NATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE Sr. Maureen Schrimpe, Chair University of Maryland Kimberle Badinelli, Vice-Chair Stanford University AV

Education General Sessions

Industry

Sponsorship

Stu Orefice

Colleen Wright-Riva

Kathleen Minnich T. Marzetti Co.

Orefice Consulting Group

Marketing

Transportation

Michelle Isham

Jimmy Stamey

University of Maryland Education Interest Sessions

David Friend

Scott Anderson

West Virginia University

Shepherd University

Food and Beverage

Culinary Challenge

John Johnson

Percell Green Messiah College Dining Awards

Maureen Volz Pennsylvania State University

Millersville University

Pennsylvania State University

Lynchburg College

Protocol

Cindy Alderson

Sr. Maureen Schrimpe

West Virginia University

University of Maryland

Treasurer

Volunteers

Registration

Carol Combs

Pat Benson

Joe Pesce

Millersville University

Potomac State College of WVU

University of Maryland

Showcase

Staff Liaison/Natl Conf

Golf

Blake Widdowson

Sandy Smith

Food and Beverage

Eric Filburn

University of Richmond

West Virginia University

Special Arrangements

Headquarters

Cindy Stearns

Michelle Moss Villanova University

University of Richmond

NACUFS

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

NATIONAL

CONFERENCE AGENDA

C O N F E R E N C E

Tuesday, July 8 First-time Attendees Orientation

Make the most of your first NACUFS national conference and kick it off at our first-time attendees reception where you can meet your national and regional officers and learn what to expect during the week.

6:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Golf Outing at the University of Maryland

Wednesday, July 9 8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Neighborhood Market Retail Workshop

(continued) 3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

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

8:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Neighborhood Market Retail Workshop (Pre-conference)

First-Time Conference Attendees Orientation

6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Theodore W. Minah Reception 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. Theodore W. Minah Dinner and

Award Presentation 9:30 p.m. – 12:00 a.m. Customer Appreciation Party

7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.

Awards Breakfast

Thursday, July 10 Steve Rizzo

Motivational speaker, comedian, and author, Steve Rizzo has been described as both an attitude adjuster and a seriously funny guy. Come learn that when SHIFT happens, your life changes.

8:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. General Session

Get Your SHIFT Together!

Steve Rizzo

10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. Super Sessions

Paul Andrew, Executive Coach, Speaker and Director of The Leadership Coach, LLC

The Future of Global Flavor

Hallmarks of World Class Teams

Gabby Quintana, Research Chef, McCormick & Company, Inc.

Flip the Fear

Betsy Craig, CEO and Co-Founder of MenuTrinfo

12:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Showcase & IICE Awards 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Culinary Challenge 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Industry Appreciation Reception/

Institute Connections

Note: Agenda is subject to change.

Friday, July 11 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Industry Partnership Workshop 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. General Session Sustainable Dining – One Meal, One Table,

Chef Barton Seaver

One Campus at a Time

Chef Barton Seaver

11:15 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Showcase & IICE Awards

2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Interest Sessions & Member Forums

On Campus Sustainable Food: Planning & Implementation

Implementing Employee Wellness Programs . . . .

The Right "Weigh"

Allison Lilly, University of Maryland

Janie Owens, East Carolina University Stephanie Sumner, East Carolina University

Innovative Operations in Student Dining

Ken Field, Purdue University Ken Mapes, Purdue University

Spoil 'Em Long Distance

Creating a Memorable Dining Experience through Marketing Communications

West Virginia University Serves Partnership Coffee

Lessons Learned from Year One of All Access Continuous Dining

B' More Heathy @ B' Plate

Barton Seaver is on a mission to restore a relationship with the ocean, the land, and with each other—through dinner.

Join Chef Seaver as he shares his insights on sustainable food, and learn how you can make a difference one meal and one campus at a time.

Lorri Bishard, Gettysburg College Deb Hydock, Gettysburg College

Christopher Howland, University of Massachusetts Josefine Nowitz, University of Massachusetts William Tripper O’Mara, University of Massachusetts

Jay Capron, West Virginia University David DiOrio, 19 Coffee Co. Bradley Wilson, West Virginia University

William McCartney, East Carolina University

Kevin Aiello, University of California – Los Angeles Peter Angelis, University of California-Los Angeles Linley Fleak, University of California – Los Angeles Dolores Hernandez, University of California – Los Angeles Guadalupe Morales, University of California – Los Angeles

Note: Agenda is subject to change.

Golf Outing

The University of Maryland golf course will host the 27th annual Jack Kemper Golf Outing. This classic treelined course provides a good balance between challenge and playability.

C O N F E R E N C E

Regional Breakfasts

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

7:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.

Retail Member Forum

C O N F E R E N C E

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52

New This Year

Be sure to check out the NACUFS Industry Innovation & Creative Excellence (IICE) awards. New and original items from industry partners will be featured in the convention center on your way to Showcase.

Sara Eberle, University of Northern Iowa Spiros Vergatos, Vanderbilt University

Food Trucks Member Forum

Kurt Kwiatkowski, Michigan State University

Senior Level Administrators Member Forum

Jon Lewis, Ball State University

3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

Allergen Awareness in the Food Service Industry

Meredith Austin, Tyson Foods, Inc. Lisa Eberhart, North Carolina State University Rob Geile, Ali Group North America Greg Hetfield, Hormel Foods Nancy Lane, Hubert Company Tom Lyons, Sysco Corporation Sister Maureen Schrimpe, University of Maryland, Jeffrey Weissinger, SUNY at Cobleskill

14th Annual Culinary Challenge

Cheer on your favorite competitor in the exciting live-action competition, as the six regional winners vie for the top prize and ACF gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Interest Sessions & Member Forums

Training Beyond the Dining Hall

Michael Betzold, Texas Tech University Dolores Gonzales, Texas Tech University

Cafeterias, Farms, and Food Security

Stuart Leckie, Saint Joseph’s College of Maine Michial Russell, Pearson’s Town Farm

Ida Shen, University of California - Berkeley Elisa Verhille, Go RED Food Service Consulting & Connections, Inc.

(Industry + Campus) xTrust=Mutual Success

Healthy Marketing for Healthy Student Bodies

Kathy Phan, University of Texas – Austin Darla Stewart, University of Texas - Austin Lindsay Wilson, University of Texas - Austin

Mindy Armstrong, FoodIQ Innovation Firm Brad Borchardt, FoodIQ Innovation Firm Alison Theureau, FoodIQ Innovation Firm

The Global Millennial by Food IQ and STARAwards

Seafood Supply Chain: Bringing Wild, Domestic Seafood to Campus Chefs

Sophie Waskow, Sea to Table

Note: Agenda is subject to change.

Commercial Kitchen Hoods: Energy Wasteland to Sustainability Dave Annis, University of Oklahoma Rich Catan, Halton Company Randy Lait, North Carolina State University Gary Petry, JMK Foodservice Consulting & Design David Chape Whitman, Ricca Associates Jeffrey Yawn, Georgia Southern University

Make time to browse through this year’s Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards entries to gather fresh ideas for your dining department at your college or university.

The awards will be on display Tuesday afternoon through Friday during our conference registration hours.

Board Plans Member Forum

Carol Petersen, University of Northern Iowa Joie Schoonover, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Catering Member Forum

Cathleen Chartier, The Lovett School

Contract Administrators Member Forum

Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards Display

Peter Napolitano, Binghamton University

4:45 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. General Membership Assembly 9:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. Club NACUFS

Saturday, July 12 8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

8:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.

Interest Sessions & Member Forums

Gluten-Free Boot Camp Rebecca Moreland, National Foundation for Celiac Awareness Linda McDougall, Swarthmore College

Theodore W. Minah Reception, Dinner and Award Presentation

Network with friends and colleagues as NACUFS Daniel Almog, Tapingo celebrates the recipient of Todd Millay, University of Arizona its most prestigious award.

Congratulate the winner Create Meaningful Social Gathering Places & afterward at the customer Grow Meal Plan Sales appreciation party.

Operational and Financial Impacts of Mobile Ordering

Kent Dahlquist, Kutztown University David Porter, Porter Khouw Consulting, Inc.

Environmental Responsibility: More than Buying Local

Culinary Expertise: Cost Effective Ways to WOW Customers

Terry Pelegrino, Robert Rippe & Associates

Daniel Grieve, Woodland Foods Bob LaPoint, Woodland Foods Jeff Troiola, Woodland Foods

Note: Agenda is subject to change.

C O N F E R E N C E

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

C O N F E R E N C E

Member Forums

Member forums were created to provide a platform for members in specific areas of interest to connect. Share your ideas and challenges with your colleagues in a roundtable format.

Foodservice Partnership Adds Value While Improving Student Health

Self-Evaluate to Innovate: Using CAS Standards for Assessment

Elevating "Healthy" Offerings in College & University Dining

Culinary Member Forum

HR/Training Member Forum

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

Wendy Booker

Wendy Booker’s mission is to educate, motivate, and encourage each of us to face our challenges in life and to push through and climb on. Learn about her story of determination, transformation, and triumph.

June Matthews, Brescia University College at Western University Anne Zok, Western University

Marybeth Drechsler Sharp, Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education Peter Napolitano, Binghamton University

Andrea Canada, SPE Certified Garett DiStefano, University of Massachusetts Nil Somnez, SPE Certified Ken Toong, University of Massachusetts Arlin Wasserman, Changing Tastes

Wade Garza, University of California - Santa Cruz

Debbie Laupp, University of Missouri

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Closing General Session The Three S’s

Wendy Booker 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Interest Sessions & Member Forums

Crafting the Pink Elephant in Sustainable Procurement

Gen Y Meets Steam Punk Café

B'More Safe with the Top 8 Allergens

Innovative Student Manager Training

B'More Innovative with Chef-Driven, Nutritionally Inspired Action Stations

Carla Iansiti, Michigan State University Todd Loeffler, Michigan State University Tom Lyons, Sysco Corporation

Russ Meyer, University of Nevada Susan Wilkie, Webb Design

Nancy Keller, Iowa State University Lisa Nolting, RD, LD, Iowa State University Alison Reall, Foodservice Express Division of Med-Diet, Inc.

Rich Neumann, Ohio University

Christopher Britton, Nestlé Professional Erin Gilgan, Nestlé Professional

Note: Agenda is subject to change.

Local Routes; Our Farm, Our Students, Our Future

Measuring the Customer Experience at University of Virginia Dining

C O N F E R E N C E

Chuck Couture, University of Connecticut Roselyn Lamont, University of Connecticut

Brent Beringer, University of Virginia Johann Leitner, Touchwork

Raising the Bar Using the Wisdom of Leaders

Nutrition Member Forum

Kathy Egan, College of the Holy Cross

Sojo Alex, Envision Strategies Gary Goldberg, The University of Akron Mary Molt, PhD, RD, LD, Kansas State University Tarah Schroeder, LEED AP, Ricca Newmark Design

55 Closing Event: TailGreat

Close the conference at our TailGreat—that’s tailgating

Marketing Member Forum

NACUFS style. Join old and

Michael Murphy, Georgia Southern University new friends at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the 2013 1:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards Luncheon Super Bowl champions, the Baltimore Ravens. You’ll play 6:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Closing Event: TailGreat at Ravens Stadium NFL-themed games, take a tour of the stadium, and feast on TailGreat fare. Top off the evening by dancing to our exciting dance band, Doctor’s Orders, or relax and take in the beautiful sight of the Baltimore skyline.

Conference Registration Hours & Show Badge Pick-Up

Pick up your conference registration materials during the following times.

Conference registration will be located at the Hilton: Tuesday, July 8

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, July 9

7:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 10

7:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Friday, July 11

7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, July 12

7:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (information only)

Show badge pick-up will be located at the Baltimore Convention Center, outside Exhibit Hall A: Wednesday, July 9

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Thursday, July 10

8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Friday, July 11

8:00 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.

Note: Agenda is subject to change.

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

picks

C O N F E R E N C E

BALTIMORE

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

56 Opened in 1981, the National Aquarium is world-famous and undoubtedly Maryland's leading tourist attraction. Whether you're an educator, a student or simply a visitor wanting to look at the magnificent exhibits, the National Aquarium in the Inner Harbor has a lot to offer.

Baltimore's Inner Harbor is one of the most photographed and visited areas of the city. It has been one of the major seaports in the United States since the 1700s and started blossoming into the cultural center of Baltimore in the 1970s.

This 18th-century brick fort defended Baltimore harbor during the War of 1812 and is the birthplace of the American national anthem.

Crab feasts are serious fun and you’ll never be far from a self-proclaimed master of the art of cracking the Chesapeake blue crab. Whether you turn to your server, caterer or the local two seats down, Baltimoreans will walk you through the art of prying crabmeat from its shells. Maryland crabs are at their most bountiful in the summer and early fall, and a traditional feast includes all of the trimmings from corn on the cob to ice-cold beers.

Top Broadway touring productions can be seen at the France Merrick Performing Arts Center at the Hippodrome Theatre, while the 1st Mariner Arena regularly fills thousands of seats for special events and concerts featuring stars such as Rihanna and Carrie Underwood.

This national museum and education center highlights the outstanding original works of art created by intuitive, self-taught artists.

STILL NOT CONVINCED? Take a look at last year.

Members gathered for Pancakes on the Plaza before the 2013 individual honors, Nutrition Awards, and Sustainability Awards were presented.

Six chefs competed in the 2013 Culinary Challenge where the mandatory protein was duck. Bryce Benes from Orange Coast College was declared the winner.

During her keynote speech, Dr. Temple Grandin focused on the importance of animal welfare and the significance of global food issues, providing data and insight that allowed members to realize the importance of ethical treatment and setting standards that can be measured.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THIS YEAR’S ACTION. Register by May 30 to receive the discounted rate for the 2014 NACUFS National Conference.

Learn more and register at www.nacufs.org/conference. Be sure to stay at the official conference hotels to receive your registration discount.

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We wrapped up the national conference with great food, a lumberjack show, fishing, and dancing to music from a live band.

General sessions, super sessions, and interest sessions allowed members to bring back ideas to implement on their campuses

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More than 50 colleges and universities were recognized with a Loyal E. Horton Dining Award at the Dining Awards luncheon.

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CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT

DAWN AUBREY

Associate Director of Housing for Dining Services The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH AS PRESIDENT-ELECT? As president-elect, I hope to continue the work of galvanizing the association; guiding NACUFS further along the currently travelled path of transformation from being a great organization to a remarkable organization that safeguards NACUFS future and positions the association for future growth.

TOP NACUFS EXPERIENCE • Governance Work Group member • Sustainability Awards judge • Campus Dining Today contributor • Interest Session presenter

WHAT ARE YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO NACUFS? My involvement with NACUFS began more than 17 years ago with my first Loyal E. Horton award submission which I am pleased to say placed. Currently, I believe my most significant contribution is as a member of the Governance Work Group which is developing a structure that will strengthen the association and ultimately lead to future growth by maximizing member value.

I have contributed my expertise through association articles, interest sessions, volunteering and serving on a variety of consulting teams. Most importantly, I avidly support NACUFS and have convinced several institutions that the value and significance of NACUFS is worth their membership to continue.

• W inner in Loyal E. Horton, Nutrition, and Sustainability Awards • Foodservice Management Internship Program

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE • Altrusa Foundation President • Altrusa Service Director • Simplot Advisory Board • General Mills Advisory Board • On Campus Hospitality Contributor & Panel • T astes of the World Culinary Conference Panelist • I nternational Sustainability in Agriculture & Food Sciences Conference Presenter & Contributor • A ssociate Director of Housing and Dining for a Big Ten University • Strategic Planning Teams • C onsulting for dining, housing, and non-profit entities

TIM BACKES

Associate Director of Business Operations & Campus Dining Services University of New Mexico

TOP NACUFS EXPERIENCE • N ational Conference Committee, New Orleans • Regional Conference Chair, Albuquerque • R egional Vice President; restructuring of regions III and VII into the Southern Region • R egional Information Officer; redesign of the Southern Region website.

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE • Corrales Mainstreet Inc; Officer • U NM Presidential Scholarship; Selection Committee • A ssociation of College Unions International; Pat Moonen Outstanding Service Award

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH AS AT-LARGE DIRECTOR? As at-large director, I hope to work with the board of directors and the governance work group on implementing the 21 performance requirements that have been identified for us to move forward as an organization. I will work to develop strategies and steps that will ensure that our volunteer base feels fulfilled about the work they are doing. I feel it is imperative that we work towards having a functional membership program plan.

This plan will communicate to the new, up-and-coming career employees what the benefits of their NACUFS memberships are and how they can make the most of their involvement. I plan forward to working with the membership leadership to regain lost ground and bring more members into NACUFS. As at-large director, I look to provide a balanced voice to the Board with balanced attention paid to each region to help lead the organization towards success.

WHAT ARE YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO NACUFS? Volunteerism is the one common thread I have experienced in the 21 years I have been a member of NACUFS. My initial experience was facilitating the Catering Workshop while working at UCLA in 1998. In 2004, I was elected as vice president of the Southern Region. Later that year, I received the President’s Award for my work on updating and consolidating the Policies and Procedures Manual for the newly created Southern Region. The following year, I served as the marketing co-chair for the 2005 national conference in New Orleans. Following up on that, I served as the conference chair when Albuquerque hosted the Southern Regional Conference. In 2007 I continued my volunteerism by accepting the position of information officer, where I was able to update the content and change the format of the regional website. Currently, I am the membership chair of the southern regional conference, where I have been working with the other membership chairs to explore new and innovative methods of recruiting and retaining member institutions.

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FOR AT-LARGE DIRECTOR

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CANDIDATE AT-LARGE DIRECTOR

JON LEWIS

Director BSU Dining Ball State University

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH AS AT-LARGE DIRECTOR? As your next at-large director, my focus will be: Assist in supporting the NACUFS culture by providing a historical perspective with 39 years of participation as a volunteer and officer.

I am not mired in past history; rather, I consider myself a positive change agent. We can honor the past while embracing new ways of thinking and doing.

Help with the decisions regarding a new governance model and then participate in the development of our next strategic plan.

After 50 wonderful years of NACUFS supporting the collegiate dining industry, it is time for productive change. I will help guide the decisions, including keeping some regional identity but not at the expense of limiting the overall changes that will be necessary in enhancing the value and productivity of our organization.

WHAT ARE YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO NACUFS? I have contributed to NACUFS as an active participant for more than 39 years including my first year as a NACUFS intern. My unique career represents the fullest NACUFS experience possible, having advanced from student employee to NACUFS intern and eventually to president of the national organization. My relationship with NACUFS is a true success story and testament to the role NACUFS can play in enriching and advancing a dedicated member's career.

As President in 2000-01, I helped shape two new NACUFS programs, the Culinary Challenge and the Marketing Institute. In addition, the Regional Boundaries Realignment took final shape under my leadership.

In 1997, as chair of the committee to study revamping the NACUFS regional infrastructure, I was instrumental in initiating the move from the 9 regional structure to the current 6 regional structure.

As secretary/treasurer 1995-1999, I was responsible for implementing a major change in the NACUFS Financial Reserves Policy, resulting in highly effective management of NACUFS’ assets.

TOP NACUFS EXPERIENCE • 2 015 Chair, National Conference Indianapolis Sponsorship Committee • 2012-15 Clark E. DeHaven Scholarship Trustee • 2 011 Chair, Midwest Regional Conference Sponsorship Committee • 2 009 Chair, National Conference Milwaukee Sponsorship Committee • 2001-02 NACUFS Past President • 2000-01 NACUFS National President • 1995-99 NACUFS Secretary/Treasurer

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE • M ember and Education Presenter for the National Restaurant Association • M ember, NAFEM; Awarded Doctorate of Food Service from NAFEM • P ast Member, Schwan’s, Tyson, and Otis Spunkmeyer Advisory Boards • P ast member, Culinary Management Committee for Basic American Food • C urrent President, Rotary Club of Muncie (we face and are working to solve challenges similar to those NACUFS is experiencing)

KEN TOONG

Executive Director of Auxiliary Enterprises University of Massachusetts Amherst

TOP NACUFS EXPERIENCE • 1 997: Attended first NACUFS National Conference in Buffalo • 2 012 – present: Information Officer of Northeast Region • 2 012: Co-Chair of the Sponsorship Committee for the National Conference • 2 012: Chair of Northeast Region Conference • 2 005: Co-Chair of Northeast Region Conference

OTHER RELEVANT EXPERIENCE • L ead the largest campus dining program in the nation with revenues over $80 million.

• C hair and founder of the 20th Annual Tastes of the World Chef Culinary Conference • 2 013 Silver Plate Winner • A dvocate and promote a dining program that is healthy, sustainable, and delicious • A dvisory board member for Foodservice Director Magazine

WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH AS AT-LARGE DIRECTOR? It’s an exciting time for NACUFS, campus dining and higher education. There are many changes filled with opportunities. Even though university enrollments are flat at most schools, many of us have experienced a positive growth in our business. On the other hand, for our customers, food matters; this is a pivotal time for our industry as we are in the midst of a global revival of food-conscious students. At NACUFS, our leaders and volunteers are busy in strategic planning and governance processes. In my opinion this is much needed as we strive to create value for members and be one of the premier associations in the nation. The new NACUFS mission statement says it all: “To support and promote excellence in collegiate dining.” If chosen as at-large director, I would offer my assistance to support and promote excellence to the members, to the board, and to NACUFS. It would be an honor and privilege to become the at-large director for NACUFS. My vast experience and diverse background, has prepared me for the position of atlarge director. The future is bright for NACUFS and all of us, as we continue to change for the better.

WHAT ARE YOUR MOST SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO NACUFS? I have been associated on the sidelines with NACUFS for the past 16 years; I was the past chair of two regional conferences and co-chair of the sponsorship committee for the 2012 National Conference in Boston and set a record in fund raising. Presently, I am the returning information officer for the Northeast Region and have rolled out 12 professionally designed newsletters by highlighting the accomplishments of universities in the Northeast Region and sharing information with each other. NACUFS is all about sharing. I am actively involved in making presentations at various national and regional conferences and have conducted several peer reviews and hosted many UMass tours for peer schools. I am also the host and the founder of the Annual Tastes of the World Chef Culinary Conference; each year more than 200 chefs and managers from NACUFS schools, have attended the conference and learned from the best in culinary arts, sourcing, sustainably and wellness.

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ADVERTISEMENT

CREATING COMMUNITY ON CAMPUS

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ost collegiate foodservice professionals understand that the importance of the campus foodservice goes way beyond simply nourishing students’ bodies with food. Increasingly, dining outlets are becoming an important piece in creating student communities on campus. In addition to the residence hall or apartment, the classroom and library, campus dining halls are a critical “third place” on campus contributing to student success.

Sociologist Ray Oldenburg discusses the importance of “third place” in his book The Great Good Place. Oldenburg argues that these places are essential to building and sustaining healthy communities, as they “host the regular, voluntary, informal, and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work.”

According to Oldenburg a "third place": Is free or inexpensive to enter; Is highly accessible (within walking distance); Has food and drink available; Is an environment that is welcoming and comfortable; Has people who regularly go there; Is a place where people can find new and old friends whenever they go there.

Sound familiar?

The following pages highlight colleges and universities who have embraced their role in establishing a sense of place for students on campus, using strategies in design, menu development, and customer service that are ultimately producing positive returns in student satisfaction and engagement.

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Each table at this University of Chicago’s dining facility bears the banner of the house it represents. Students can dine with faculty masters and resident advisors.

A study in the Journal of Foodservice Management & Education by Abigail BauerFinney, MPH, residence hall director at Central Michigan University and Sandra B. Procter, PhD, RD, assistant professor, Department Human Nutrition, Kansas State University, Manhattan, looks at “The Effects of Communal Eating on Perceived Social Support and Academic Success in First Year College Students,” pointing out the importance of social support for college students. (The Journal of Foodservice Management & Education is published jointly by NACUFS and the Foodservice Systems Management Education Council.)

Research, the authors note, shows that social support can be “extremely important” in enhancing the overall physical and mental health and well-being of students. Familial social support such as family-style meals can positively impact students’ academic outcomes and grade point averages.

The authors also cite studies showing that social support and interpersonal relationships can also enhance mental and physical health and well-being, and focused their study on the impact of two variables in the dining experience: frequenting the college/university dining facility and eating with others.

In the dining facility, each table bears the banner of the house it represents and students can dine there with faculty masters and resident advisors as they choose.

Often, freshmen walk into a dining hall for the first time tense, nervous and uncertain, wondering where to sit and if the students already seated will accept them. Creating a warm ambience with a dedicated table for the student’s residence hall or house and faculty and resident ‘masters’ present is one way schools are developing a dining environment that’s both home-like and welcoming.

The University of Chicago’s executive director of dining services, Richard Mason, calls the house table one of the key elements in dining, in that it both builds community and lets students know there’s a place for them at that table. The school serves some 3,000 students with active meal plans plus 300 to 400 others who live off campus. The university’s housing program, he declares, “creates wonderful communities for students from all four years plus resident advisors and faculty resident managers at the dorm level.”

In the dining facility, he explains, each table bears the banner of the house it represents and the students can dine there with faculty

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ollege and university foodservice departments are working hard to make dining hall tables more like the family dinner table. The results of doing so can lead to improved levels of student comfort and satisfaction that can even translate to higher grade point averages and other benefits.

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masters and resident advisors as they choose.

Menu options are part of the overall program to create a familial feeling at those tables and include many choices from gluten-free to vegetarian/vegan, Kosher and Halal stations, among others. “Anyone, regardless of dietary needs, should be able to eat at their house table, Mason declares. “It’s critically important to end the segregation of students with special dietary needs. For us, it’s about bringing everyone together and gathering and sharing.”

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facilities report to the residential master. “It’s amazing the difference the residential masters can make, because they’re there when a student may be in crisis," Van Dyke says.

The university serves 5,000 meal plan holders at “family dining tables” in their college, though they are free to eat in other facilities as well. “We cultivate the family atmosphere and the dining staff gets to know the students and vice versa,” Van Dyke, the director of residential dining explains. “Our chef embraces

"If students live and dine on campus, they have higher grade point averages and there’s a higher and quicker graduation rate."

At the same time, Mason’s culinary staff is sensitive to the needs of its diverse international student community, scaling recipes from its Caribbean and African students, creating a Lunar New Year festival and more. “Authenticity and respect are very important to us in engaging with students,” he points out.

Similarly, Yale University also operates on a house system, seeking to have its dining facilities be “the hub of education,” says Executive Director of Yale Dining Rafi Taherian, who transformed the university’s dining program last year with a new website and Stir, a new exhibition style Asian cuisine program in the Commons, partnering with a popular, local Asian restaurateur.

Each of 12 residential colleges has its own dining room, described by Taherian as “beautiful and reminiscent of Harry Potter’s school!”

There are no branded platform stations.

Some schools choose to create food courts reminiscent of a mall, he says. Not so at Yale.

“We have deans, masters and residential masters who live in the colleges and are responsible for their students,” he explains.

“Students learn better in a residential setting.

When you live in a college for four years, it becomes your home away from home.”

His colleague, Cathy Van Dyke, an associate master whose husband is a residential master, explains that the managers of the house dining

the flavors of the diverse community but offers comfort foods too.” Yale moved to 95 percent trayless dining, Van Dyke adds, because “it gets rid of that institutional feeling. The dining experience is very ‘home-y’ – they can’t use cell phones at the table and it’s very social.”

The students are encouraged, she adds, to take part in special interest groups within the dining hall, bringing together students from all four class years.

Yale is working to address late night dining, offering “little monotony breaker things like late night cocoa breaks.”

M A K IN G A N IM PAC T BE YO ND T HE D IN IN G HA LL Guy Procopio, director of culinary at Michigan State University, views creating a level of comfort for students as a combination of nurturing both the mind and the body. By way of example, he recalls a trip with his chefs to China to learn more about Asian cuisine and collect recipes. After a few days in a very different environment, he was “dying for something I could relate to,” until he came across a Starbucks. Its familiarity “made me feel more secure and at home.”

At home in Lansing, Michigan, he seeks to give students those feelings, providing, for example, lots of Asian snack items and foods for students. Procopio views the retail part of his dining operations as “our pantry, and the dining hall as the break room and kitchen.”

A study conducted the by the university in collaboration with Hormel Foodservice, he recalls, monitored what snack foods mean to students. “We learned how food creates and supports behaviors subconsciously. Our students can eat from 7:00 in the morning until midnight. We know college can be a big adjustment for them when they first arrive, both academically and socially. They have to

“Students brought us recipes from their families and we prepared them,” he says. “They selected menu items for the semester and we did a group of them each day. Then we let students sample them and pick three winners.

Those items were put on the menu for the rest of the semester.”

Students at Lebanon Valley College vote for their favorite recipes in the Taste from Home program.

negotiate with their roommate about how to share the walk-in closet in the dorm room.

Food helps with emotional support.”

Employment with campus dining services is also a factor in creating a sense of place for

He plans to continue the program again next year and beyond because “students loved and enjoyed it. We took their comments to heart and responded quickly to their requests, making changes to the menu.”

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During a recent semester at Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania, Metz Management General Manager Bill Allman recently launched a new program called Tastes From Home after doing research with students intended to make the dining hall better but also, to create a learning environment for students outside the classroom.

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“We monitor it, and found that if students live and dine on campus, they have higher grade point averages and there’s a higher and quicker graduation rate. I tell friends sending the children here to try to get them to live on campus for at least two years.”

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students. Procopio believes that in addition to the classroom, “a lot of out-of-classroom learning is critical to developing well-rounded students.” Students can learn a lot working and that can create a sense of comfort, he notes.

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The school, he says, serves 40,000 meals a day and employs some 3,500 students in dining services. He’s a firm believer in exposing students to a wide variety of foods from around the world. He’s monitored the correlation between a home-like dining facility and students’ academic performance.

“Our students tend to come in, especially at dinner, with groups of friends and there’s a lot of social networking. They spend a lot of time in the dining hall in the evening. I’ve seen research showing that students who

Even very large dining services operators are finding ways to give students an experience that makes them feel more at home. Lauren Heising, RD, coordinator for sustainable dining at the University of Colorado, whose residential program has 6,000 students, declares: “We need to give make sure they get what they need.”

eat together with friends tend to have better grades.”

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Involving students in various facets of the dining program such as the effort to cut waste and be more sustainable also draws students in and makes them feel a part of the school, he believes.

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With a growing number of international students, the University of Colorado ensures accurate labeling of items so students will be aware of what goes into their food.

The program offers a strong menu of allergyfree options. “We used to label vegan items and now we do that for vegetarian ones as well so students can find the lacto-ovo choices.”

With growing numbers of international students, the school also labels items containing both pork and liquor so students who don’t want those items for religious reasons will be aware of them.

“Our typical American student is an 18-yearold who’s grown up eating breakfast cereals, a whole variety of them, and to make them feel at home, we offer those. We also give them three kinds of cow’s milk – organic, 2 percent and chocolate – and they can also choose soy milk or rice milk.”

Comfort foods, new flavors, pizza and deli offerings are also part of the mix, she adds.

At Kansas State University, Derek Jackson, director of housing and dining services, customizes techniques, to make the school’s many international students and Americans alike feel part of the university community.

Students from Ecuador and Brazil have taken part in helping find condiments and spices used in the foods from their homeland, Jackson notes.

"We also give them the opportunity to be part of the planning and decisions for special meals that match their traditions and cultures. Some of our Educaorean students have worked in foodservice before and help us in our kitchens."

American students are also given the opportunity to bring "their Aunt Mary Jo's scalloped potato recipe to share," he observes, noting that "different meal periods have different textures. Dinner is when we ssee them sitting down with, socializing and engaging with others. That's when they linger longer in the dining hall." Those interpersonal connections, he believes, also help academic performance. u

STUDENT COMMUNITY BUILDING

UN I VERSIT Y OF W I SCO N SIN-STOUT ’ S MEMO RI AL CENTER “We’ve always felt that our place with students is to help them feel as though they have a place to go to and meet up with someone on our staff that they know,” says Ann Thies, director of university dining services, University of Wisconsin-Stout. “Dining services staff members see students for their entire stay on campus, which is why we have such an important role at the university.”

Thies explains that dining facility renovations over the past few years include providing many themed food stations as well as converting seating areas to include a mixture of booths, small and large tables with restaurant-style seats, and community tables. “We want students to feel they can eat together, whether they are alone or with large groups,” says Thies, “We don’t want anyone to feel out of place in any one seating arrangement.”

A variety of seating options at University of Wisconsin-Stout gives everyone a place to eat and socialize. Booths surround tables for more secluded dining, counters at windows provide options for sole diners, and the fireplace warms the room for everyone. Counters contribute a European-style, coffee-shop ambiance to the dining area. Photos courtesy of UW-Stout Dining

Food stations also give students a sense of place, of belonging. “At several stations customers can customize their dishes, so they feel they have a say in selecting their meal," notes Thies.

The efforts of the university to create inclusive dining spaces are paying off. In April, the Memorial Center at University of Wisconsin-

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ecent studies of college student retention reveal that students leave college because they don’t feel connected, not because of poor academic performance or money. Among the most successful strategies that encourage students to use college and university dining facilities is an environment designed with myriad food and seating options—a place where students want to spend their time and make connections. It is a destination where students can get away from their computers, interact with culinary staff, taste traditional and new foods, meet up with known friends and meet new friends, gather for meetings and events, and relax. Even when students study—using their computers, of course—they have opportunities to interact with fellow students and be part of campus life rather than be isolated in their rooms.

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Stout and Mackey Mitchell Architects of St. Louis received a design award from the Association of College Unions International for the Memorial Student Center’s $19 million renovation in 2011. The award announcement said, “It was transformed into a vibrant community facility with a town square theme giving the center four times the lounge space, open pedestrian corridors, a grand staircase, new glass-walled entrances and right new meeting and dining areas." Since the renovation, building traffic is up 21 percent to 765,000 people a year. Internal campus events are up 11 percent, with more than 9,800 event and meeting reservations a year. External events are up 21 percent, with more than 300 meetings, conferences, and other events a year. Daily food sales are up 25 percent. Food sales after 7 p.m. are up 63 percent, a reflection of "how the student body uses our building right up to our midnight closing time.” New and more flexible dining spaces were created by Robert Rippe & Associates of Minnetonka, MN.

GE OR GIA SOU T HE R N ’S NE W D IN IN G OPT ION S The reconstruction of Landrum, now known as the Dining Commons, and renovation of Lakeside Dining Commons transformed foodservice on Georgia Southern’s campus.

The new Dining Commons includes space for the post office, print shop, and administrative offices. The existing Lakeside dining commons was renovated and enlarged. The two facilities complement each other by providing alternative menu options at both sites.

Multiple food stations have been arranged to maximize efficiency, promote use, and provide a vibrant atmosphere.

“Since Georgia Southern University’s transformed Dining Commons debuted last fall, it has become the popular place to be,” says Albin Khouw, owner, Porter Khouw Consulting, Crofton, MD, which provided the foodservice design.

The student management team holds up a supervisor, conveying the message that dining services is a place students want to work. The large numbers of students employed by UW-Stout dining services—420 students—contributes to a campus focus on student engagement.

Left: Glass windows offers views of Georgia Southern’s Commons at Landrum, offer customers a preview of an interactive, lively space.

The existing Dining Commons, constructed circa 1975, was replaced with a new, 1,100 seat, 75,000 square foot facility located on the original dining commons site. “The preexisting building was no longer adequate to support the needs of the campus due to structural, mechanical, service and seating capacities,” explains Manny Dominguez, AIA LEED, director of design for Cooper Carry, the architectural firm in Atlanta, for the project.

(Cooper Carry was the associate design architect, with Cogdell & Mendrala Architects as the lead, responsible for leading the design

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“The Dining Commons and renovation of Lakeside Dining Commons, as well as the Anytime Dining program, have allowed us to offer our students the excellent food, the exceptional customer service, and the sense of community that we promise in our mission statement,” says Jeff Yawn, executive director of Eagle Dining Services at Georgia Southern. “It has been really cool to have students coming in for simple snacks, smoothies, and espresso drinks as well as complete meals. We have regularly seen students coming in just to hang out with friends and having the social interaction that students are not getting in many other places any longer. Students have responded positively to the variety of food selections and the ways in which they are now prepared and these components have certainly enhanced the sense of community we intended to attain from this project. Overall, it's been a blast and we are very excited about what the future has to offer.”

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Below: Customers sitting near the Signatures platform at Georgia Southern’s Commons at Landrum interact with one another while watching the culinary activity, which provides a sense of eatertainment.

Photos courtesy of Porter Khouw Consulting, Inc.; original photographs from Cooper Carry, the architectural firm

effort from conceptual design through design development phasing, including production of the BIM base model.)

At Lakeside Dining Commons, the building was designed to make reference to the architectural style of the main dining commons while responding to its unique site amenities. “The canted roof planes open to allow students to see and be seen while also responding to solar angles and campus nodes and pathways,” Dominguez says. “This project completely transformed the student dining experience, while providing maximum value through the judicious use of the existing structure, enduring materials and more sustainable systems. Lakeside Commons provides easy access to expansive menu options in a dynamic and comfortable and popular place to meet and eat at the heart of the campus.” continued on page 74

Open seating on two levels at Georgia Southern’s Commons at Lakeside encourages social interaction and gives customers a sense of belonging to a community.

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Louis Bieker, AIA, LEED AP, principal at 4240 Architecture, Inc., Denver, CO. His team designed Durrell Commons, featured in on page 74.

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n a world that is becoming more technology dependent, college campuses are building people places that nurture the mind, body, and soul. People places are designed to touch human level fundamentals such as nurturing the mind, so we create informal learning spaces; nurturing the body so healthy food is offered; and nurturing the soul, so people come together to be with their friends, make memories, socialize, and just be human. These places will matter more than they ever have, because with technology it’s so easy not to interact.

Today we’re creating places where people want to go versus have to go, which is a huge change from the past. People want to go to uplifting and dynamic places that activate the five senses.

Design in community spaces feature multipurpose and multi-function, cross-pollinating spaces. For example, corridors, hallways, and main streets, like those at Durrell Center at Colorado State University, deliberately force collisions between pedagogically different things. In years past, people would go in a door, then into a dining facility to get their food, eat, and then go to class. Now dining places have breakout spaces for meetings and special events. Wired lounge spaces allow groups to meet for informal classes.

Everything is together and adaptable, which is a big difference from the past.

A fundamental design principle at Durrell Center is the community heart aspect, which is the community engine behind whole residential district. Residents in the two giant resident towers need a place to go to feel like they are in a clubhouse and feel sense of ownership about their space.

In higher education, in the past, the efficiency of a building was measured by how much is classroom versus wasted space like corridors.

We call this assignable versus gross square footage. We don’t think of wasted space now; it’s all programmable space. That is a distinct advantage because that’s where the crosspollinating happens—the collision between different people from different cultures, different academics, and social and food.

For example, at Durrell Center, the main hallway is like Main Street of city where there’s life and activity. So, we placed chairs and tables in the hallways so people meet there, as well as in the other seating areas and rooms.

For us, the architecture is often a little bit more refined and professional and the furniture is more whimsical, more relaxed and informal.

Bold colors are bright, and lines of sight softer.

Furniture must be ergonomically comfortable.

And, furniture doesn’t just live in one space.

People should be able to pick it up and move it and reconfigure it so they can personalize their space.

When designing people places, considerations are given to the external environment. In Colorado and other states where there is a lot of sun and good weather, when bringing in light into a building, we must balance how much light comes in because some cultures love a lot of sunlight and some don’t. So we capture the sun for warmth and nurturing, but also harness and control the sun so it doesn’t create uncomfortable occupancy with too much glare. The high performance glazed glass is what we now use, which we didn’t have 10 years ago.

We’ve done reading on education and cognition and consider the material explained

by Dr. Howard Gardner in his book, Frames of Mind, the Theory of Multiple Intelligences.

We look at a student as someone who engages the world and achieves success through his/ her own skills and intelligences. Campus environments encourage this. These kids are smarter than we were when they come out of college. The facilities they live and learn in accommodate their every need and encourage them to be citizens of the world.

We believe that dining halls and student centers have become the social heart of campuses and provide opportunities on a variety of levels for students, faculty, and staff to come together and to feel part of and help build a community.

A contemporary notion is that college facilities are blended facilities. We’ve certainly seen that in residence halls, which often have dining facilities connecting them. And it is rare that a dining hall is just a dining hall; they have designated areas for exhibition cooking, retail operations within board operations, classrooms and study lounges.

Our designs are driven by what we know about trends, such as young people’s use of technology and eating habits. Designs are also driven by our clients’ issues about town and gown, historic preservation, fitting in with campus architecture, and so forth. Other factors are budgets, site size, and conditions such as existing buildings and environmental factors such as wetlands. Some clients want us to embrace the space vernacular from an external standpoint and add contemporary touches. We also consider the natural elements of the campus and its surroundings because people feel comfortable in their natural environment. During the initial design

So all the senses must be addressed—colors are a crucial point of confluence in creating a dining experience along with textures of fabrics, as well as visual and sound acoustics. Elements such as fireplaces (we now use eco-fireplaces because they are safe) can benchmark a cozy nook of the room, provide a physical divider between two rooms, and allow a view of both rooms. This contributes to creating a familiar type of living room environment where people feel comfortable, relaxed.

Other elements include high ceilings that help with acoustics and lighting, and we can bring in greater amounts of natural light with tall ceilings that are largely glass. We also want to incorporate a two-story space in a friendly way to allow people to be seen and see without feeling like they are in an overwhelming space. Environments must have spaces for everyone—males, females, loners, couples, and groups. Everyone must be able to find a spot to sit or spend time that they like.

O F

All institutions are generating revenue from their dining facilities and want them to be successful. Students who are happy at their schools, nurture great relationships, feel they belong, and have greater chances of becoming active and generous alumni.

Transparency is a factor affecting design.

Customers want to see where food is coming from and what food looks like before gets on plate, they want to see out into the natural environment and look in from the street.

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process, we conduct focus groups and often set up giant boards where students write what they want for food and seats and what they like to look at. We learn what they want in their ambiance. For example, students tell us buildings must pass the slipper test so they can keep their slippers on all day and not have to go out on cold or bad weather days.

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T

oday’s kids are far more sophisticated than generations of the past. They have high expectations, grow up knowing more about many different types of food and cuisines, travel more, and are better selfadvocates. They seldom eat just three meals a day; rather, they graze at six or seven meals, starting with cereal in the morning and ending with pizza at 1 a.m. They regard meals as social events and as opportunities to reinforce their sense of community and fellowship. The most successful colleges and universities understand these issues and want to provide the amenities that will attract new students.

P L AC E

Excerpts from an interview with Bob Simmons, Principal, Bruner/Cott & Associates, Inc., and Dana L. Kelly, senior associate, Bruner/Cott & Associates, Inc., Cambridge, Mass.. Kelly’s team designed Alumni Hall with Bamboo Bistro at Vanderbilt University, featured on pages 27-30.

continued from page 71

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COLORADO STAT E UNIVERS IT Y’ S DU R R E LL CENTER

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A renovation of a 60-year-old free-standing building on the northwest corner of campus overlooking the Moby Arena and mountain vista views serves residents at two adjacent residence halls and a nearby residence complex on this side of campus. The $9 million renovation was completed in the summer of 2013 and features seven interactive culinary venues, including an international station, made-to-order deli, pizza, and pasta/ noodle sauté bars. “One main goal with these platforms was to be interactive with the guest, from a build your own personal pizza, to a make your own pasta dish that we cook in front of you, to a build your own toasted deli sandwich,” says Mark Petrino, senior associate director of residential dining at Colorado State University.

“Throughout the building, the focus is on creating welcoming spaces that can be used for multiple purposes,” says Petrino. “The previously dingy, dark spaces were transformed to well-lit, open, fun and very modern activity spaces utilizing colorful furniture, which can be moved to retrofit spaces form multiple uses.”

“Further attracting students and other customers into the space are décor that incorporates words, images, and objects conveying messages of sustainability and multi-culturalism, creating spaces that are inclusive, engaging, and inviting, and communicate the values of CSU,” says Petrino.

“The old servery had straight serving counters, and the dining area was very dark because there were very few windows visible in these locations,” says Lona Homersham, project director for Ricca Newmark Design, which provided the foodservice design.

Architectural design was provided by 4240 Architecture Inc., in Denver.

Below: The entryway to CSU’s Durell Dining features a sculpture with words that reinforce the values of the university.

Above and Left: CSU’s Durrell Center’s seating accommodate 450 people. Designers removed the 10-top round tables and replaced them with intimate 4-tops, 2-tops, bistro seating, four different styles of booths, and a private dining room along with an outdoor 78-seat deck overlooking the mountains. Bright, cheerful colors and natural elements invite customers into this comfortable environment. Photos courtesy of CSU Dining and Ricca Newmark Design; photography by Paul Brokering Photography

C A L I FO R NIA STAT E UN I VERSIT Y-LONG BEACH ’ S PA RKSI D E DINING

The design offers seating areas with different characters and style, from more communal seating for groups and informal gatherings to individual bar seating for quiet types. An outdoor shaded dining area/lounge offers offer a greater variety of seating. The dining areas and platforms are with special characteristics by varying seating configurations, lighting, finishes, colors, and ambiance to create neighborhoods. Tile was used extensively for walls and counter fronts. Quartz countertops provide beauty and durability. “The idea is to create a home away from home for students and provide them with opportunities for gathering, meeting, and collaborating during meal hours and finding a space of their own—a place they feel represents them,” says Dyekman.

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Top: Restaurant-style seating at CUS-Long Beach’s Parkside gives students an opportunity to gather, meet, and collaborate while dining.

Bottom: Counter seating at CSU-Long Beach’s Parkside allows single persons and groups to sit close to the culinary staff and interact with them as they prepare food. Photos courtesy of Webb Foodservice Design

BOSTON COLLE GE ’S T HE C HOCOLAT E BA R Opened in January 2013, Stokes Hall at Boston College is the cornerstone of the university’s master plan. The 183,000-square-foot, neogothic building serves as a centerpiece for the humanities. Dining services operates The Chocolate Bar, an oasis of fine coffee and tea, as well as everything chocolate. Customers enjoy Peet’s coffee and tea, as well as a large selection of specialty drinks such as caramel mocha latte, quick espresso, iced vanilla hazelnut latte. And, of course, offerings include a variety of individual chocolates and chocolate pastries prepared and baked in the

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The new facility provides students with different types of food offerings such as pizza, healthy/vegan, open grill and comfort food. “This allows students to choose their dining experience for food and mood much like one would in an urban environment,” says Dyekman. All food is prepared in full view of the student at exhibition-style platforms promoting healthy options and fresh food preparation techniques. This interaction with culinary staff engages students and reinforces the sense of place in this dining environment.

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The 15,500 square-foot, fast-track remodel of the Parkside dining facility at CSULong Beach converted a plain servery-style dining hall into a more diverse and eclectic neighborhood like dining experience. “The new space deinstitutionalizes the student dining experience by creating a more comfortable, welcoming and home-like atmosphere,” says Mike Dyekman, FCSI, CFSP, senior project manager, Webb Foodservice Design.

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BC Dining’s bake shop.

“We’re contributing to the academic experience,” says Pat Bando, RD, associate vice president of auxiliary services. “In the 400-square-foot space with counters and equipment, we’re providing an opportunity for customers to smell and order lattes and cappuccino and select from decadent chocolatethemed desserts and pastries as well as gelato, to-go salads and sandwiches.

We believe this helps to enhance conversations among students, faculty and staff, which is a great service.”

Outside the bar, comfortable seating provides a comfortable ambiance for people to talk and study. In the hallway,

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76 Above: Attracting students to BC’s Chocolate Bar are indulgent pastries and pre-assembled to-go sandwiches and salads.

Left: The 450-square-foot counter and servery at BC’s Chocolate Bar records about 1,000 covers per day.

Below: Seating accommodates 60 people at BC’s Stokes Hall, which is adjacaent to The Chocolate Bar. Seating includes a mix of deuces, four-tops, and soft seating. Photos courtesy of Boston College Dining

ledges are built into the wall for seating.

“A sense of community is created by team members who fulfill needs of students and professors,” says Bando. “Our staff gets to know students and faculty by name—and they know if a person likes a cappuccino or macchiato. Customers like that that someone knows their name.”

Bando says that “students are on computers so much that dining brings them out for interaction. We’re the hub for networking, which students don’t even do in their dorms anymore. The staff here are not a bunch of monitors looking at each other; we’re faces.

And that’s good for students to see!” u

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One of the Brazilian cuisine options available to students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is a pork tenderloin chipotle dinner cooked in traditional spices. Photos courtesy of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

H

eading to college is often when a student leaves home for the first time, and it can be overwhelming in many ways. Fortunately, there is something that is a great unifier: food.

A TASTE

OF HOME

By Jennifer Trayan, Associate Editor

Because most students will be spending four or more years on campus, it is important for students to feel a sense of place at their college or university, and collegiate dining departments have a unique opportunity to make an impact by creating that sense of home through their menus. “Food is incredibly important to the college experience,” says Patti Klos, director of dining and business services at Tufts University. “It’s easy to be social and welcoming around the dining hall and around food.”

BE YON D HOM E ST Y LE “Home style” is a term often used to describe comfort food—food that makes people feel good. It’s simple and unpretentious; it evokes the feeling of familiarity amidst so much that is new.

As college campuses become increasingly diverse, so does the idea of homestyle. “To some it can mean meat and potatoes, but to others it can mean miso soup and sushi.

Overall, it’s food that makes people happy and brings people together,” says Eric Yung, executive chef at Miami University.

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Miami University also takes feedback from its students and incorporates that into food.

In addition to surveying students, dining services works closely with the residence hall association, student government, and many campus groups to ensure they are providing what their customers want.

“By finding out what students want, it gives our food built-in acceptance,” says Yung.

“We are listening to them, just as their parents would do at home.” There is also an avenue called Miami Expression which allows students to give feedback and receive an answer within a matter of hours and enables dining services to work hard to put students’ requests into operation.

W HE N HOM E IS AC R OSS T HE GLOBE Increasing numbers of students from all over the world are coming to North American colleges and universities, making diversity in menu planning and cuisines offered even more crucial. Providing a comfortable space and familiar food allows international students to feel included in a new setting.

The Kosher Deli at Tufts University offers lunch and dinner alternatives during the week for students who keep kosher.

Photo courtesy of Tufts Dining Services.

This year, the University of WisconsinMilwaukee (UWM) hosted a total of 53 Brazilian students as part of the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP), a program designed to allow Brazilian students to study abroad in the United States. This is the first year restaurant operations has partnered with the coordinators of BSMP to ensure a more inviting stay to the Brazilian

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Specialty burgers of different varieties give students options to try a new twist on something that may seem comfortable at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Photo courtesy of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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At Harvard University, a school that hosts students from across the country and the world, offering food that reminds students of home is a bit of a challenge. “It is important that we make our students feel that food familiar to them is represented,” says Crista Martin, director of marketing and communications. To that end, Harvard features Recipes from Home month, during which staff sends a postcard to families of students asking them to submit a favorite recipe which dining services can then incorporate into the menu. It allows for a personal connection to students and gives staff an opportunity to relate to students in a new way. In addition to Recipes from Home month, Harvard University surveys its students twice a year and allows them to choose themes and menus for events. “It’s easy to think, ‘This is how everyone eats.’ We make sure to have an ethnically diverse menu.

It serves as a reminder of all the places our students come from,” says Martin.

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Klos agrees that the term is evolving. “Home style is what makes a person comfortable, she states. “Chicken nuggets are still one of our top five sellers. However, we’re finding that students are following the trends online and on television. They want to eat healthier, they want whole grains, and they want everything to be natural; that’s what they’re finding comfort in now.”

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Students and families at Harvard University can submit favorite recipes that are then made in the dining hall for the student population. Photos courtesy of Harvard University Dining Services.

students. “In discussions regarding how we could get them to interact more with each other, professors, and campus life, an idea of a reception where we would serve all Brazilian food came to mind,” says Matthew Powers, executive chef at UWM. “I met with Brazilian students to discuss favorite foods, national dishes and other aspects of their culture.” As a result of these meetings, dining hosted two receptions with authentic Brazilian food, and a free cooking class for all residential students with a focus on Brazilian flavor.

“What we are trying to do with our involvement in this program is to try and provide a sense of belonging,” Powers continues. “Coming to a different nation and assimilating to the customs that are in place is quite a culture shock. By cooking authentic Brazilian food we provide a sense that they belong in our community and we care about them.” In addition to creating a sense of belonging, Powers and his team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison learned about a new culture and new cooking techniques, which Powers describes as “a winwin for our campus.”

In spite of being located in rural western Kentucky, Murray State University has a surprising number of international students;

approximately eight percent of the 11,000 student population is from outside the United States. While most students are from the Far East (particularly China and Korea), there are also a relatively large number of students from Saudi Arabia.

“To give them a taste of home, and to expose the rest of our students to different cultures, we feature menu items from different countries specific nights every week. Monday and Friday feature Korean cuisine, Tuesday features Japanese cuisine, Wednesday features Belizian cuisine, and Thursday features Chinese cuisine,” states Paula Amlos, director of dining services. “The recipes are provided by students from those countries who also prepare and serve the food.”

Some of the menu items featured at Murray State University include jerk chicken with Belize rice and beans, spicy squid, deep fried dumplings, garlic pork ribs, stir-fry, and Japanese fried chicken and rice. Not only does it make international students feel more at home, but it opens up a new world of flavors to local students, allowing them to try new things and aide in making their international colleagues more comfortable at the university.

ACCOM M ODAT IN G SPE C IA L D IE TS When a student has dietary restrictions, they may be hesitant to visit the dining halls on campus. They may feel like they don’t belong, that their food choices are limited, or that they are segregated to one part of the dining

“This is the beginning of a four-year relationship,” says Egan. “[Dining staff] are the people who will be preparing their meals for a long time. My job is to make sure the students know they have options and to reassure people at home that we do everything we can to make the dining hall a safe and comfortable place for their student.”

Egan provides students with a “grab-and-go” gluten-free station, dairy-free pizza, vegan cupcakes, and nut-free baked goods. There is a separate allergy kitchen and an “allergy-free pantry” which allows students to choose their own food. When there is a special event, Egan ensures there are options for food-allergic students and provides alternatives for typical “comfort foods” such as macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, and meatloaf. There are vegan specials and gluten-free pasta featured daily.

“We respect and recognize the variety of dietary needs,” says Egan. “With our website, mobile app, pocket cards, and more, we make the information easily accessible to our students so they know what’s safe and what isn’t.”

Klos also warns against altering ethnic food to make it too familiar for students. “Students can have a variety of foods accessible to them and we ensure our meal plans are accommodating. We are also very intent on not ‘Americanizing’ our food; we want to make sure we do everything as authentically and genuinely as possible,” she states.

Students involved in the Brazil Scientific Mobility Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were able to take a class in Brazilian cuisine and learned how to make foods such as empanadas.

Photo courtesy of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

DEVELOPING TH E RI G HT MENU

Another good strategy is to develop recipes that are inclusive to all kinds of students, from fans of ethnic foods to students with severe food allergies.

There are multiple factors to take into account when creating a menu that is the right fit for a campus, including student demographics and regional flavors. Presenting new and interesting dishes allow students to experiment and expand their palates, but it’s just as important to provide something more familiar.

“All recipes come through me before they hit the dining hall. If I am able to change something to make the food safer for my students, I take the opportunity. Eliminating even just one ingredient can make something suitable for everyone,” Egan says. u

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Yung agrees that balance is key. “When we plan our menu, we always have our students in mind. We want to attract them to their favorite foods, but we also want to encourage them to try something they’ve never had before. We also allow our students to have food ‘their way.’ They are able to customize their meal to fit their needs,” he states.

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MOCHA also notes that the number one fear of students with dietary restrictions when going away to college for the first time is social isolation. This often means they are more prone to take a risk when it comes to the food they eat. Kathy Egan, catering supervisor at the College of the Holy Cross, meets with students extensively before they come to campus to discuss their needs and what the dining hall can provide.

“Many times menus try to push the creative boundaries in food preparation, taste, and presentation, but I believe there will always be a place for simple, ‘homestyle’ food,” says Matthew Powers, executive chef at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

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hall. With food allergies on the rise (a 50 percent increase in the last 16 years according to Mothers of Children Having Allergies [MOCHA]), dining services has to take these dietary restrictions into account when menu planning, as students with food allergies and sensitivities have little freedom when it comes to choosing their meals.

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