Executive Chef Curtis Bangs was awarded a Northeast Region silver medal from the National Association of College University Food Services (NACUFS) Culinary Challenge for his exceptional dish: chicken roulade with purple pommes purée, sautéed carrots, and pâté cream sauce. The Culinary Challenge took place in Myrtle Beach Convention Center on the first night of the NACUFS Spring Conference.
Launched in 2001 and adjudicated by the American Culinary Federation (ACF), the NACUFS Culinary Challenge celebrates the exceptional culinary talent in collegiate food service. Each year, chefs create an original, nutritionally balanced dish featuring a designated protein, competing on organization, technique, and taste—all judged on a 100-point scale.
The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) announced UConn Dining Services as the recipient of a distinguished NACUFS Nutrition Award. Dining Services received gold in the category of Best Local Foods Recipe. The NACUFS Nutrition Awards recognize the outstanding nutrition and wellness programs implemented within collegiate foodservice programs to meet the needs of a dynamic student population.
The winning recipe, Chicken Sausage, Butternut Squash and Kale Hand Pies with Lemon Ricotta, is served at Whitney Dining Hall. Whitney is one of eight dining halls on the Storrs campus and features local, vegetarian, and vegan items. The farm-to-table initiative offers sustainable and local food items from a variety of local farmers and food producers including UConn’s Spring Valley Student Farm. UConn Dining is the largest consumer of locally grown produce in Connecticut.
“We are proud to have an administration at UConn that supports our involvement in NACUFS, and a team within Dining Services that believes in supporting local farming which strengthens our local community and economy” says Robert Landolphi, Assistant Director of Culinary Development for UConn Dining Services. “Most importantly we have a student body that dines with us daily and are willing to share with us what is important to them as they assist us in expanding our local and regional purchases.”
NACUFS member institutions across North America submitted entries in two categories — Most Innovative Wellness & Nutrition Program and Best Local Foods Recipe.
UConn Dining has received 21 awards from NACUFS in the last 15 years for recipes, dining hall renovations, gluten free options, culinary challenges, catering, and sustainability initiatives.
Want to try the hand pie recipe at home? Find a printable recipe and demo at dining.uconn.edu/recipes.
The National Association of College & University Food Services was founded in 1958 by a group of college and university foodservice professionals from across the United States. Since its inception, NACUFS has focused on its mission to support and promote excellence in collegiate dining by providing members with the programs and resources they need to excel, from benchmarking and best practices to educational programming and professional networking.
NACUFS institutional members range from private colleges to large public universities, including two-year and four-year institutions, spanning the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and beyond. Industry members include food and equipment manufacturers, distributors, brokers, foodservice support companies, councils, boards, trade associations, advisory commissions and other professional groups. For more information, visit NACUFS.org.
The University of Connecticut Department of Dining Services is honored to accept the Gold Medal for the Best Vegan Recipe contest from the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS). Dining Services has also won the gold award for our vegan recipes in 2018, and 2016, and bronze in 2020.
Our recipe submission, Cinnamon Chipotle Cachapas with Black Bean Avocado Salsa, and Pickled Red Onions, was part of the menu rotation at McMahon dining hall this semester and was showcased as part of a plant-forward event.
“We are proud to have an administration that supports our involvement in NACUFS, a team of managers and chefs that believe in sustainability,” says Robert Landolphi, assistant director of culinary development for UConn Dining Services. “Most importantly we have a student body that dines with us daily and are willing to share with us what is important to them as they assist us in expanding our plant-based cuisine.”
This is the second NACUFS award for Dining Services this year. In March, UConn Dining Chef Sean Hawkins received bronze during a culinary challenge at the NACUFS Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Regional Conference. Hawkins’ award-winning recipe for Herb Crusted Turkey Filet, coriander sweet potatoes, frenched green beans, and a leek cream sauce can be found at the link below.
Want to make it yourself? Find a printable recipe here and check out the demo with Chef Landolphi below. Find more UConn Dining recipes at dining.uconn.edu/recipes.
UConn Dining Chef Sean Hawkins had his recipe accepted into the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) Culinary Challenge. The competition took place on Monday, March 21st during the NACUFS Mid-Atlantic/Northeast Regional Conference in Norfolk, Virginia. Sean received bronze for his recipe Herb Crusted Turkey Filet, coriander sweet potatoes, frenched green beans, and a leek cream sauce. A printable version of his recipe can be found at dining.uconn.edu/recipes along many other Dining Services recipes.
Sean’s career has brought him full circle to UConn. He started off as a Windham Tech intern in our dining halls and then headed to The Culinary Institute of America. Click here to learn more about his journey back to UConn.
Congratulations to the following University of Connecticut Department of Dining Services staff nominated for Employee of the Year! We couldn’t do it without all of you!
David Therrien, Union Street Market
Yvonne Saucier, UC Cafes
Julissa Casiano, Whitney Dining Hall
Rosemary Alvarado, Gelfenbien Dining Hall
Carmelo Ramos, McMahon Dining Hall
Cindy Dancosse, North Dining Hall
Jing Yang, Northwest Dining Hall
Nanette Lutsky, Putnam Dining Hall
Carlos Libran-Sanchez, South Dining Hall
Lora Wasilefsky, Buckley Dining Hall
Angel Soto, also from Buckley Dining Hall, celebrates 40 years at UConn Dining!
Paul Sheran, UConn Catering
Kevin Ostrowski, Dining Administrative Office
Diane LaChappelle, Commissary Warehouse
Carlos Libran-Sanchez, South Dining Hall, is UConn Dining’s 2021 Employee of the Year!
The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) announced UConn Dining Services as the recipient of a distinguished NACUFS Nutrition Award. Dining Services received gold in the category of Best Local Foods Recipe. The NACUFS Nutrition Awards recognize the outstanding nutrition and wellness programs implemented within collegiate foodservice programs to meet the needs of a dynamic student population.
