Author: Desroches, Rebecca

Food Truck Returns with New Look, Name & Menu

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Photo cr: UConn Dining Services

After a short hiatus, the UConn Dining food truck will be returning to Fairfield Way with a new look, new name, and new menu for the spring semester.

The truck has been a part of UConn Dining retail operations since 2015 and the new look and name, Food For The Pack, radiates Husky pride!

The revamped menu (see below) is all about the American classic combo of burgers and fries! Stop by and try a burger from the menu and say “hi” to Chef Laura!

The truck operates weekdays on Fairfield Way (near the library) from 11am-4pm. Like many of our other retail locations, the food truck is cashless. The truck accepts Husky Bucks and credit/debit (Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, Discover).

If you are interested in reserving the truck for an event, please contact Truck Manager John Smith at john.smith@uconn.edu.

Dairy Bar Gift Certificates Available to Purchase Online

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Dairy Bar gift certificates make great gifts any time of the year and now you can purchase them online and have them shipped to yourself or someone else. Available in denominations of $5 or $10.

Gift certificates are also available to purchase in person at the Dairy Bar.

Online orders can only be processed during our hours of operation and will incur a $1 shipping & handling fee.

Purchase here: https://bit.ly/OrderUConnDB

Please visit the Dairy Bar website for current hours.

Student Developed Nutrition Bar Now Being Sold at the C-Store

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Reach Bar team: Eva Quigley (left) and Sophia Saul (right)Reach Bar is now being sold at the Union Central Exchange Convenience Store in the Student Union! UConn Dining is proud to support the UConn entrepreneurial team that created the Reach Bar – Eva Quigley (left), Natalie Lacroix, and Sofia Saul (right).
The Reach Bar is a vegetable-based nutrition bar and for every bar purchased they donate a meal to a child in a food-insecure home through a partnership with a Connecticut-based nonprofit.
The bar is vegan, gluten-free, kosher, non-GMO, and domestically produced, manufactured, and assembled.
Stop by to purchase a bar and support your fellow Huskies!
To learn more about their story, check out the article in UConn Today https://bit.ly/3o6QHQ1

In The News: CrossRoads is UConn’s first meatless cafe

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Susan Dunne, Hartford Courant

Each year, UConn’s Dining Services department queries students and employees about food preferences and sensitivities, to provide them with what they want and need. Ethan Haggerty, an official in the department, noticed something: “There are more and more vegetarians and vegans than ever before.”

On Aug. 30, the university opened the first dining space in its history with no meat on the menu. CrossRoads Café, in the Wilbur Cross Building where Wilbur’s Café used to be, is open to the public.

Haggerty, area manager for several campus cafes, said CrossRoads is not just for the plant-based crowd. He’s going after “flexitarians,” people who eat mostly vegetarian meals but occasionally eat meat or fish.

“They’re looking for delicious food and are willing to try plant-based options,” he said. “It’s all about giving people more choices.”

To read more…check out the full article here.

Plant-based Café, CrossRoads, Opens in Wilbur Cross Building

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UConn Dining Services’ highly anticipated plant-based café, CrossRoads, opened on Monday, August 30th, serving students, faculty, and staff.

Located in the heart of campus on the main floor of the Wilbur Cross building, adjacent to the Information Center, CrossRoads offers a unique menu of plant-forward options that will satisfy meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans alike. Many menu items are also gluten-free. The casual café serves ready-to-go salads and sandwiches made fresh on campus every day, desserts from the UConn Bakery, and build-your-own yogurt bowls.

The idea for CrossRoads began in October 2020, when UConn undergraduate Madelyn Pickett ’23 (ENG) emailed Dining Services with her proposal for a plant-based café. To gauge the interest of the campus community, Dining Services sent out a survey and received thousands of responses in support of the café idea. Although vegan and vegetarian fare is available in all the campus dining facilities, Dining Services saw an opportunity with this cafe to bring additional exposure and availability of the great-tasting plant-based products that are on the market to the flexitarians on campus, along with creating an education component on the health and sustainability aspects of a plant-forward diet. With full approval from the University, students then participated in a menu tasting in March 2021 at the Dining Services Innovation Lab with Robert Landolphi, associate director for culinary development and residential dining.

When it came time to create the branded look for CrossRoads, Dining Services continued with the idea of keeping elements of the Café centered around student involvement. Pickett turned to her friend and graphic designer Jared Beltz ‘23 (BUS). Beltz, a junior, is a digital media and design major at UConn and developed the Café’s logo, branding guide, and color palette.

The Café space was remodeled this summer with wood elements, plants from the UConn Horticulture Club, and campus photography, creating a natural and welcoming feel. High-top tables and a lounge area are available for dining and studying.

In addition to making plant-based options more accessible within the UConn community, the CrossRoads team strives to educate and raise awareness of the importance of sustainability. Through student leadership, the Crossroads Events Management Committee will coordinate and host events on a range of plant-forward topics. These areas include sustainable farming, alternative proteins, and nutrition.

CrossRoads is open to the public; hours Monday through Friday from 7:30am-3pm | Husky Bucks, Credit/Debit, Points, and Flex Passes accepted.

CrossRoads Café – website https://dining.uconn.edu/uc-cafes/ 

For press inquiries, please contact DDSmarketing@uconn.edu.

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In the News: UConn dining named a top power player

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UConn dining named a top power player

LISA MASSICOTTE

Chronicle Staff Writer

STORRS — Once again, the University of Connecticut Department of Dining Services has been recognized in Food Management magazine’s Top 25 College Dining Power Players.

UConn dining leaders are taking this recognition as an opportunity to show dining services does far more than just cook for students.

“We’re more than just dining services. Not only do we feed the students, we also take part in working with different departments to educate the students,” said UConn Associate Director for Culinary Development and Residential Dining Robert Landolphi.

Food Management magazine is a go-to resource for colleges and universities around the country to obtain and share information on campus dining trends, ideas and management strategies.

Read more of this article at https://thechronicle.com/stories/20210609DINING.php

Dining Executive Director Retires after 34 Years

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C. Dennis Piece, who most recently served as the Executive Director of Dining Services, announced his retirement in April.  Pierce has provided UConn with 34 years of devoted service and he will be greatly missed by students and colleagues alike.

A talented leader and accomplished food service administrator, his vision and expertise in college dining services has driven notable enterprise growth in resident board operations, retail, and the catering service sectors. His achievements have been featured in Food Service Director, Food Management, and Restaurant & Institutions magazines. He currently writes a column in Neighbor’s, a local regional paper, called, From the Ground Up, Buying Local in Connecticut, for which he has received two Connecticut Journalism awards. He has held the position of the President of the National Association of College & University Association, and has been the recipient of the Association’s Ted Minah award, the most prestigious recognition that the association offers. Topping off his foodservice career, Dennis received the Silver Plate Award for the College & University sector, Class of 2018, by the International Food Manufacturer’s Association.

Dennis’ attention to detail, while keeping the broader picture in mind, has been invaluable. His willingness to put in extra time and effort to help UConn meet the varied needs of students has demonstrated a commitment to excellence that we have come to depend upon.

A national search will be conducted in the fall to refill the Executive Director of Dining Services position.