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| A MESSAGE TO OUR MEMBERS: |
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As a reminder, all NACUFS N.E. newsletter submissions must be sent directly to nacufs@umass.edu - your submission must be sent to this email address to be included in the newsletter.
Submissions should be sent by the second Friday of every month, and will be published on the third Friday of every month. See the schedule below for details:
December 2016
Submission Deadline: 12/9/16
Publish Date: 12/16/16
January 2017
Submission Deadline: 01/13/17
Publish Date: 1/20/17
February 2017
Submission Deadline: 2/10/17
Publish Date: 2/17/17
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Reminder:
2017 Northeast Regional Conference Call for Programs |
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2017 Northeast Regional Conference Call for Programs
Do you have an inspirational presentation to share? Submit your program proposal for the 2017 Northeast Regional Conference! Take advantage of the opportunity to inspire your peers and share your operation's successes and lessons by presenting an education session at the conference.
Submit your proposal by January 9, 2017 to be considered as a presenter for the 2017 Northeast Regional Conference. For more information and to download the proposal form, visit the 2017 Northeast Regional Conference website.
If you have any questions please contact:
Lynn Cody, Education Chair
lcody@holycross.edu |
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Cuisine from Down Under Makes Its Way to UAlbany
 Authentic Australian cuisine made its way to UAlbany this fall compliments of Sodexo’s Global Chef program. Chef Rachael Swain was met with great enthusiasm as she worked her culinary magic at all four of the University’s uptown all-you-care-to-eat dining rooms in October. “The food is so interesting,” said junior Nicole Flacks. “I probably would never have had the opportunity to try Australian cuisine if not for the Global Chef’s visit today.”
Chef Swain prepared extensive menus for both lunch and dinner. The lunch menu featured mini snag rolls with caramelized onion (which she described as being similar to American hot dogs), Tasmanian salmon cakes with burst cherry tomato and broccolini salad, apricot chicken, and colcannon mash. She also challenged the students’ taste buds with vegemite and cheese pinwheels.
Roasted pork belly with tassie apple relish, honey lemon and thyme roasted carrots and parsnips, and fried tofu with kombu dashi were some of the dishes enjoyed during dinner. All events featured the classic Australian dessert, Pavlova.
To create that Down Under feel, the dining rooms were transformed to feature images of the Sydney Opera House, Uluru National Park, kangaroos, koalas, and boomerangs. The ambiance was further enhanced by playing contemporary Australian music including the iconic Men at Work’s song “Down Under.” “We wanted this dining experience to be truly special and to capture the uniqueness of the Australian culture,” said UAlbany Dining’s General Manager Jim Meagher. “Australia is not an everyday destination. It was great to see our students taking it all in and testing new flavors. It was definitely a culinary and educational adventure for all.”
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Binghamton University chefs again win Broome County's Fresh Food Face Off
 Broome County’s best chefs competed again this year in the 7th annual Fresh Food Face-Off, a friendly cooking competition using locally grown products and ingredients. As part of the competition, each restaurant is given a list of surprise items that come from local farms to use in their dish.
Chefs Sam Pfaffenbach, Rich Herb and Kara Perez of Binghamton University Dining Services took the People’s Choice award with their Southern Fried Baby Bella Mushroom filled with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and topped with a Roasted Garlic Cream, Sautéed Kale, and Roasted Beet and Maple Syrup Foam for dessert.
Chef Pfaffenbach said the award was "humbling." This year is the dining services' sixth time competing in the Face Off, and they have never gone home without an award in at least one of the categories.
"It's fantastic to be a part of this competition representing Binghamton University Dining Services and Binghamton University," Pfaffenbach said. 
“It was my first year participating in the event,” said Chef Perez. “I got the chance to meet a lot of interesting people and try a lot of delicious food from the other vendors. There was a great team atmosphere. It was just icing on the cake that we won the Taste of Broome County award. I would definitely love to be a part of that event again in the future.”
The event is sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to improving lives and communities through partnerships and collaboration that put experience and research knowledge to work.
Binghamton University named Ocean Hero by Marine Stewardship Council
Binghamton University has received the Ocean Hero Award by the Marine Stewardship  Council (MSC).
“It is a great honor to have the Marine Stewardship Council recognize Binghamton University for supporting our ocean ecosystem,” said Pete Napolitano, Director of Auxiliary Services. “We are proud to be a part of an organization whose mission is to safeguard our seafood supplies for future generations. Ocean-to-plate traceability is very important to our students.”
One of twelve campuses nationwide given the honor, Binghamton University received the Ocean Hero Award for its outstanding environmental leadership and support  of the MSC and its mission to address the problem of unsustainable fishing and safeguard seafood supplies for the future.
“We applaud Binghamton University’s contributions to healthy ocean ecosystems. By serving MSC certified fish and seafood in its facilities, Binghamton University is ensuring there will be plenty more for tomorrow,” said Maggie Beaton, Commercial Manager - Americas.
Binghamton University achieved MSC Chain of Custody certification in 2014 in its resident dining facilities assuring their customers that the seafood purchased there can be traced back to a certified sustainable fishery. It is the first Sodexo campus dining program in New York to achieve MSC certification and the first SUNY location to attain certification.
Recognized as the world’s leading certification program for sustainable, wild-caught seafood, the MSC works with leaders within the fishing industry and seafood supply chain.
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Great Halloween celebration for a good cause
Beyond haunted, Fright Night at C3 was a bloodcurdling experience that left guests screaming for more. It took the breath away form the participants who truly appreciate this nightmare, but your taste buds were thankful you in the morning.. 
Each food station inside C3 will displayed and served a variety of demonically delicious entrées, sides and desserts.
For this celebration, the dining center was be transformed beyond recognition with decorations, sound and special effects to enhance the concocted theme menu. The element of fear came as dressed actors from FrightWorld appeared and “attacked” other actors who were seated among regular guests.
As part of the activities, guests were encouraged to participate in Going Hungry is Frightening by bringing non-perishable food items to the event which will be donated to the Food Bank of Western New York/University Presbyterian Church Food Pantry. For each item a guest brings, they got to choose a key that unlocked a coffin in the hopes of winning one of two FrightWorld VIP packages.
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Autumn Harvest Dinner
by Ijeoma T Nwuke '20
Photo Tony Soto '18
On Thursday October 20th, Dartmouth Dining Services (DDS) hosted its annual Autumn Harvest Dinner at the Class of 1953 Commons. The all-you-care-to-eat venue was full of festive harvest-themed decorations, regional vendors and local farmers greeted students with a farmers’ market, where students could sample local products and ask questions of the vendors. The market featured items ranged from ciders, local sausages and maple kettle corn to artisanal cheeses from Grafton Cheddar and Jasper Hill in Vermont.
 Additionally, representatives from New Hampshire’s Walpole Creamery served up their super premium ice cream with warm mixed berry cobbler.
The menu featured many local and regional vegetables from various farms in the region. The bakery included many kinds of fresh bread such as apple cinnamon and pumpkin, along with a variety of flavoured whipped butters.
The dinner is not without challenges. Farmers’ produce is difficult to forecast with the region’s unpredictable October weather. An early frost sent us scrambling to replace the local tomatoes in some recipes, but other regional options were found. (Even though the 1953 Commons is located a few miles from many Vermont farms, only products from within New Hampshire can be labelled as local.)
The dinner, part of the “Food Week” activities helped to both support domestic producers and suppliers while bringing the student body together for one festive dinner where they can actually meet the people who are responsible for the region’s food production. As Dave Ouma, a Dartmouth ’20, said “almost the entire school was there at the same time. It was really fun and it brought the whole Dartmouth community together.”
Dartmouth College Launches Food Waste Audit
By Tony Soto '18
Through a partnership with the Dartmouth Sustainability Office, hundreds of pounds of food scraps were collected at this year’s Big Green Waste Audit.
The audit is part of a bigger effort by the college to educate and reduce the amount of food wasted at the Ivy League university. It is spearheaded by Dartmouth EcoReps, together with the college’s sustainability office with support from Dining Services.
As for the event, “The waste audit in ‘53 Commons is usually done once per term. It’s great data for the school to have and provides an inside look to the amount of food waste students produce.” Said Dartmouth’s Sustainability Office Intern, Charles Levy.
Food waste is something that affects everyone, and yet not many students realize the impacts of it. The amount of waste we produce and its management have major consequences down the line environmentally and socially, this event is about educating students on the impact of waste on the rest of the world, outside of their individual lives.
“I was surprised how guilty students felt, yet were still unable to come to terms with it. A lot of students, with food on their plates, would try to evade us and put their plates on the other side of the plate roundabout.” Said Levy.
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| University of Connecticut |
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UConn Dining Services Wins Several Environmental Leadership Awards
 The Environmental Leadership Awards (ELAs) presented by UConn’s Office of Environmental Policy, were created as a way to honor those individuals that have truly excelled in their efforts to contribute to environmental awareness and promote progress in our ‘green’ efforts. These individuals have worked with other groups to make real, immediate improvements in the sustainability of our campus and beyond.
A winner is selected for each of the major categories: Undergraduate Student, Graduate Student, University Faculty/Administrator, and Staff. There are also ELA awards given to UConn-Affiliated Groups (e.g., Clubs, Organizations, Centers or Institutes), Alumni, and Special Recognition/External groups and individuals who have made  significant contributions in executing major projects and initiatives for the University of Connecticut.
Presenting the awards was Dr. Gene Likens, UConn’s Special Advisor to the President on Environmental Affairs and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Dr. Likens, a world renowned scientist, discovered acid rain.
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| Fredonia State University of New York |
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FREDChef student cooking competition 2016
The Faculty Student Assocation (FSA) held its third FREDChef student cooking competition on November 16 th. Four teams of Fredonia students competed for the title preparing dishes with five ingredients that needed to be used in the final dish. Those ingredients were: boneless skinless chicken breast, heavy cream, diced tomatoes, grapes, and quinoa.
Teams consisted of students who had competed in prior competitions, along with friends that were excited for the challenge! The winning team was Ian Richardson, Philip Selstrom, and Chelsea May, who prepared a seasoned pan-seared chicken breast over a bed of basil infused tomatoes surrounded by thyme seasoned quinoa. The chicken was topped with butter roasted mushrooms finished with a garlic parmesan cream sauce, drizzled with honey grape balsamic vinaigrette.
Judges for the event included three students and two administrators. Michelle Guilford, two FSA Student board members, Jason Burgos, and Zach Beaudoin, Kathy Forster, Director of Residence Life, and Chuck Notaro, Interim Associate Vice President of Finance and Administration. Judged on flavor, originality, appearance, presentation, and consistency each dish was unique making it a close competition.
When asked about the FREDChef experience, Senior Philip Selstrom says “the thrill of FREDChef comes from the challenge of creating a dish with ingredients that don’t initially seem to pair well with one another.”
FREDChef is an annual event  organized by Dean Messina, Director of Dining Services, and Katie Thies, Special Programs Manager, both with FSA.
Photo: From left; Ian Richardson, Dean Messina, Philip Selstrom, and Chelsea May
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| Rhode Island School of Design |
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Empowering a Campus Community to Reduce Food Insecurity Amongst Students
You’ve heard the saying “pay it forward”, giving back, doing a good deed to meet a need. Inspired by Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) students, Swipe it Forward is a temporary assistance program, empowering Campus Partne rs to provide meal assistance to students in need.
Dining Services brought together campus leaders to develop a collaborative program, allowing students to donate one of their guest meals per semester to a bank of meals. The donating student requests to donate a guest meal, the cashier taps a donation button on the register, and the meal is moved from the donating student’s account into the meal match bank. Campus Partners designate meals to be provided for a student and Dining Services moves the requested number of donated meals into the account of the student to receive the meal.
We feel a great sense of pride in our community of partners and especially for the generosity of our students who continue to Swipe it Forward!
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The Marist College Valley Café on a Sellout Streak
 The Valley Café at Marist College is a weekly event celebrating global cuisines and cultures made with local ingredients. This semester the event has grown significantly, selling out the past five lunches including every event in the month of October.
Students, faculty, and staff attend The Valley Café by using a Dining Hall swipe to receive a ticket for the event, which is hosted buffet style in a separate dining room. Over the past five weeks, the maximum 150 tickets have all sold out within an hour of the two hour luncheon. These sellout themes have included menus for National Taco Day, Canada, Hispanic Heritage Month, World Pasta Day, and Greece. Favorite customer recipes included Beer Battered Fish Tacos with Jalapeno Crema, Elotes, Caramel Apple Lasagna, and a Salmon Sandwich with Maple Mustard Cole Slaw. Ingredients for the Valley Cafe recipes are sourced from within 200 miles from the college, as is over 52% of the food served by Marist Dining.
Now in its sixth year, The Valley Café’s increased popularity is a reflection of campus support for diverse menus and the integration of the event within Marist culture. Past semesters usually experienced one sellout at the most. The Marist Dining team is looking forward to seeing how long the current sellout streak will last.
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Fit Fuel by Robert Irvine
Celebrity chef and television star Robert Irvine visited the Xhibition Kitchen for a special Columbus Day cooking demo with our friends from Comcast XFINITY.
Chef Irvine was quick to interact with the capacity crowd – even before the event started! – and his thoughful and personal approach to a healthy lifestyle resonated with the students, staff, and guests in attendance. While bouncing back and forth from the audience to the kitchen, where he prepared a wild mushroom and butternut barlotto, Robert gave one of the most interactive XK demos we have ever seen. From taste testing olive oil versus grapeseed oil to teaching the proper pushup technique to a young soccer football fan in the audience, Chef Irvine was able to create a memorable XK event that will be hard to forget!
Random lucky winners in the audience received chef's knives and aprons from Comcast or a signed copy of Robert's book, Fit Fuel. Each guest in attendance received a personalized photograph of Robert while also getting the chance to take a photo with the star of the show!
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| Univeristy of New Hampshire |
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UNH Hospitality Services Beast Feast
The University of New Hampshire Hospitality Services hosted their annual ‘Beast Feast’ Halloween-themed dinner on Wednesday, October 26, 2016. With Halloween just around the corner, there was a spooky buzz in the air as all three dining halls prepared for the meal. Each hall was uniquely decorated and the Chef’s added their own creativity to the menu items. Holloway Commons had Harry Potter themes throughout, mixed with traditional Halloween decorations. Philbrook Hall took on an eerie graveyard theme, complete with dim lights and fog. Stillings Hall was covered in creepy cobwebs and ghastly ghouls.
Each dining hall served different menu items for dinner, but offered several universal food choices. There were chick en wing bars, aka ‘bat wing bars’. Also easy to spot was ‘Death By Chocolate’ chocolate cheesecake, ‘Ghastly Ghoulash’ vegan white bean and escarole soup, ‘Ribs of Frankenstein’ BBQ ribs, and ‘Maggot Mix’ mashed butternut squash. All menu items were given a creepily-fun name to add an extra scare. The dining halls were flowing with delectable desserts. Employees could be found sporting their costume of choice. The UNH Hospitality Services marketing team promoted an Instagram contest for guests to win a prize for the best costume to encourage participation. The gift card went to a student dressed as Rosie the Ri veter who used the hashtag #unhbeastfeast.
While the themed-dinner was targeted toward students, members of the public were also able to attend for an entry fee. Everyone loved Beast Feast, and UNH Hospitality Services can’t wait to serve up more Halloween fun for next year.
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| University of Massachusetts Amherst |
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All Treats and No Tricks Served at UMass Dining during Halloween
For the 15th year in a row, UMass Dining Services served up Sustainable Maine lobster and grass-fed steaks for its annual “All Treats, No Tricks” Halloween Dinner at all dining commons on Monday, Oct. 31.
Known as the largest Halloween Party on campus, more than 21,000 members of the UMass community took part in the culinary extravaganza and enjoyed more than 15,000 pounds of Maine lobster. The menu also featured baked macaroni and cheese, chicken chesterfield, and many other seasonal favorites.
A wide-array of entertainment was featured including table magic, fortune telling, pumpkin painting, a live DJ, and a make-your-own caramel apple station. For students and staff who decided to wear a costume, a contest was held awarding 1st, 2nd and 3rd place prizes for best costume.
“Our goal is to provide a fun-filled evening with entertainment, plus delicious and sustainable food to keep our students on campus and build a strong UMass community. The Halloween dinner is the most anticipated dining event every year,” said Ken Toong, executive director of UMass Auxiliary Enterprises. “There’s no better way to thank our students for their continued support of UMass Dining”.
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