Chef Profile: Crystal Russell

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UConn’s Bakery “Not Just Desserts” produces hundreds of thousands of desserts and baked goods each year – over 90,000 just in chocolate chip cookies! Pastry Chef Crystal Russell has been with the team since 2003 creating sweet treats for the campus community.

Crystal arrived shortly after she graduated from Windham Tech’s Culinary program where she had received the Baker of the Year Award – an award that hadn’t been given out in 3 years.

Over the last 16 years she has built up her skills with hands on learning from the bakery managers. What she loves most about her job is the freedom to experiment, create and seeing her recipes on a menu. Her favorite pastry to make at UConn is Danish because there are so many options with shapes and fillings.

Although she is creating thousands of sweet pastries each year, don’t count her out of the savory game! At home she is known to make a mean crab rangoon and beef wellington!

Dining Services 20th Annual Culinary Competition

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The Department of Dining Services will hold its 20th annual Culinary Olympics on Tuesday, January 14, 2020. The event will take place at the South Campus /Rome Ballroom located on the University of Connecticut, Storrs campus.

Feel free to attend all or part of this event and watch the Dining Services chefs exhibit their culinary skills! Free and open to the public.

The first event is the “Recipe Contest” that is scheduled to begin at approximately 8:30am on Tuesday. Recipes must be prepared on site for 12 portions, and must fall into one of the following categories:  Appetizer/Entrée/Dessert. Recipes will then be judged on the following criteria:  Clarity of Recipe/ Creativity of Dish/Cooking Techniques/Use of Ingredients/Taste and Texture.

9:30am-10:30pm – Chef Demo with Neil Doherty CEC, Corporate Executive Chef, Sysco Foods – Vegetarian Barbacoa Quesadilla & Plant Base Bibimbap

10:30am-12:15pm –  Recipe Contest Judging 

10:30am-1:30pm – UConn Bakery Demos and Displays – Stop by and learn the art of decorating from our professional pastry chefs and bakers. They will also have 20 cakes on display to commemorate the 20th year!

12:30pm – 4:45pm – Boiling Point –  This is our version of the “Iron Chef” competition that will involve teams of three chefs representing the different dining facilities within the department. Each team will be presented with a mystery box of ingredients, and using miscellaneous items from our pantry, prepare three different Tapas (small food or appetizer) on each plate. Teams will have 75 minutes to prepare their dishes for four judges.

  • Judge: Chef Christopher Prosperi, Chef-Owner, Metro Bis Restaurant.
  • Judge: Rand Richards Cooper, Novelist, Longtime Food and Travel writer and Food Critic with The New York Times.
  • Judge: Kristen Fritz, Public Relations, Strategic Marketing, Community Development, Social Networking www.eatin-ct.com/
  • Judge: Jeannette Punsoni Dardenne, Public Relations, Strategic Marketing, Community Development, Social Networking www.eatin-ct.com/

Award presentation immediately following Boiling Point.

For more information contact: Robert Landolphi, Assistant Director Culinary Development-Robert.landolphi@uconn.edu

Dairy Bar December Specials and Holiday Hours

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Stop by the Dairy Bar for our festive December specials!

Sundae of the Month: The Santa Sundae – Peppermint stick ice cream in a Santa hat waffle cone, fluffy whipped cream beard, a cherry nose, and chocolate candy eyes.

Milkshake of the Month: The Nutcracker  – Toasted Almond ice cream and Butter Pecan ice cream, swirled with caramel and topped with whipped cream, more caramel and a sprinkle of walnuts.

Peppermint Waffle Cone – Homemade red waffle cone dipped in white chocolate and candy cane pieces

Gingerbread Waffle Cone – Homemade gingerbread flavored cone dipped in white chocolate and sparkle sugar.

Ordering a custom cake or ice cream for those holiday gatherings? Make sure to order 5 days before pick up time. OR check our retail freezers for ready-to-go cakes and treats.

Dairy Bar gift certificates make great stock stuffers and teacher gifts!!

**During university closings and inclement weather the Dairy Bar may close for business.**

**Please call to check if we are open 860-486-1021.**

Holiday Hours:

Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24th: CLOSED
Christmas Day, Wednesday, December 25th: CLOSED
12/26-12/30 – Normal Hours: 11am-7pm
Tuesday, December 31st – January 6th, 2020 – CLOSED

Modified Hours:
January 7th – 11am-5pm
January 8th – 11am-8pm
January 9-17th 11am-5pm
January 18th – resume normal hours (11am-7pm daily through March 31st)

Spring Valley Student Farm Fall 2020 Housing App

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Spring Valley Student Farm (SVSF) sprouted in spring 2010 from a project planted by Residential Life. Since that time SVSF has blossomed into a year-round community for eleven student farmers living in two UConn houses 4.5 miles off campus. The student farmers learn about sustainable community living, organic food growing methods and the business aspects of how food is harvested, processed and presented to the UConn dining community. As stewards and ambassadors of the farm the student farmers support Spring Valley Student Farm as an educational destination where everyone may come together to learn and grow.

Spring Valley Student Farm exists as a collaborative venture between Dining Services, Residential Life, EcoHouse Learning Community and First Year Programs, the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, and the Office of Environmental Policy.

 Students who live at SVSF are expected to volunteer 10 hours per week of labor to qualify for a significantly discounted room rental rate.

Click below for the Fall 2020 Housing App. Apply today – only a few spots are available.

The deadline to apply is January 27th, 2020.

https://dining.uconn.edu/svsf-housing/

End of Semester & Winter Break Hours

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Dining Halls – End of Semester Hours

Friday, December 13th

Last day for Grab & Go’s

Saturday, December 14th

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner – South, McMahon & Northwest open:

Hot Breakfast: 7am-10am
Cold Breakfast: 10:00am-10:30am
Brunch: 10:30am-2:15pm
Between Meals: 2:15pm-4:15pm
Dinner: 4:15pm-7:15pm

Sunday, December 15th – Commencement Meal Options

Service only at McMahon Dining unit (same hours as Saturday, Dec. 14th above)

Semester meal plans end with dinner at 7:15pm

** All flex passes and points expire at 7:15pm on Sunday, Dec 15th**

Winter Break 2019-2020

Buckley: December 16th, 2019- January 11, 2020
McMahon: January 12, 2020-January 18th, 2020

Staying on campus for break? Call our office to purchase a Winter Break Meal Plan.

Meal Hours: 7 Days A Week

Breakfast: 7:00am-9:30am
Lunch: 11:00am-2:15pm
Dinner: 4:15pm-7:15pm

Retail Hours for Exam Week and Winter Break

ExamWeek_WinterBreak 2019-2020 Retail Hours_web

 

In The News: UConn to hold second Give A Meal day of the semester

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Since the program’s creation, it has donated $9,815 towards food insecurity for students on campus. This amount has over doubled with the recent Give A Meal day on Oct. 16, before which the program had only raised $4,302. Pierce encourages any student with extra flex passes to donate. 

Click the image below to read more from The Daily Campus.

Give A Meal on Dec. 4 to Help Students Fight Hunger Insecurity

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Swipe Out Hunger, is a nation-wide program that collaborates with colleges to help put an end to student hunger and assist those who struggle with food insecurity. The Department of Dining Services and Community Outreach are collaborating with the Dean of Students Office to launch this program at UConn.

Students with a traditional dining plan interested in helping another student fight hunger insecurity can do so at the Give A Meal event:

  • WHEN: Wednesday, December 4th.
  • WHAT TIME: Swipes will be accepted at all eight dining units from 4:15pm-7:15pm.
  • WHAT YOU DO: Swipe in one time and let the Dining staff member know you want to donate a flex pass.
  • All proceeds will go to the UConn Swipes initiative.
  • Since its inception, the UConn Swipes initiative has donated $9,815!
  • PRIZE ALERT! Anyone that gives a flex pass on 12/4 will have a chance to win a $10 Dairy Bar gift certificate! One name will be randomly selected on 12/5 and contacted via their UConn email address.

I don’t have a traditional dining plan, how can I help? Anyone interested in supporting the Students First Fund with a direct donation can do so by visiting https://studentaffairs.uconn.edu/students-first-fund/. The Students First Fund was created by the Division of Student Affairs and is supported by private donations. The program supports students who have experienced unanticipated hardship. Your gift enables the University community to demonstrate the care and concern they have for students, reminding them that they are an important and valuable part of the UConn community.

 

Chef Profile: Susan Chang

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Susan Chang’s love for cooking began as a child growing up in Taiwan. With no formal education, she learned everything with on-the-job training. Her grandfather was also a chef and she recalls that he always had a stern look on his face since he took his work so seriously.

Being in family-owned restaurants has been the backbone of her culinary career. In 1985 she moved with her family to the United States where she was part owner and operator of the restaurant they opened in Nebraska. She then moved to New York to work in another family-owned restaurant, eventually landing in Storrs.

In 1998, Susan and her family purchased a restaurant in downtown Storrs and opened Chang’s Garden, serving authentic Chinese food to the UConn community for many years. Although Susan and her sister have since sold the restaurant, it is still called Chang’s Garden and in operation today.

Dining Services Culinary Competition

After leaving the restaurant business, Susan started as a kitchen assistant at UConn Dining in 2010, eventually working her way up to a chef three years later. She currently works as a chef at South Dining Hall where a variety of international foods are served. For Susan, food and family have always gone together and she often brings specialty/authentic foods from home to share with staff and managers. She takes a great deal of pride in her work and food, loves her job and says the students at UConn help to keep her young!

Get to Know Chef Chang:

Favorite Quotes: “Cooking is a craft, I like to think, and a good cook is a craftsman — not an artist. There’s nothing wrong with that: The great cathedrals of Europe were built by craftsmen — though not designed by them. Practicing your craft in expert fashion is noble, honorable, and satisfying.” – Chef Anthony Bourdain

“The way you make an omelet reveals your character. – Chef Anthony Bourdain

Cooking Philosophy: I love to cook and watch students (and others) enjoy the food I make.

Cooking Secret: Using pizza dough to make scallion pancakes.