Save the date! Each semester Dining Services hosts a Give-A-Meal event. Donate a flex pass at dinner on the 1st to support your fellow huskies. All proceeds go to support the Students First Fund to assist students experiencing food insecurity. Find more info on the program at studentaffairs.uconn.edu/students-first-fund/
New Cafe Opens in Science 1 Building
Located in the new state-of-the-art Science 1 building, nanoByte café offers freshly brewed coffee, specialty coffee drinks, Boba milk tea, homemade pastries, daily soup/mac and cheese, and hot artisan sandwiches. Grab and go items like fresh salads, wraps, and a variety of snacks are also available. Stop by this semester and try some of their delicious offerings.
22nd Annual Culinary Olympics Winners
22nd Annual Culinary Olympics to take place January 10th
The Department of Dining Services will hold its annual Culinary Olympics on Tuesday, January 10, 2023. The event will take place at the Putnam Refectory located on the University of Connecticut, Storrs Campus. This annual event shows off the skills of UConn Dining chefs in an individual recipe competition in the morning and then in a team-based “Chopped” style competition in the afternoon. The event is free and open to the public.
The morning event, “Recipe Contest” judging, is scheduled to begin at approximately 10:00am on Tuesday. Recipes are prepared on site by UConn Dining chefs for 12 portions and must fall into one of the following categories: Appetizer, Entrée, or Dessert. Recipes will then be judged on the following criteria: Creativity of Dish / Cooking Techniques / Use of Ingredients / Taste and Texture.
The afternoon event, “Boiling Point,” is scheduled to begin at approximately 12:00pm. This is our version of the “Chopped” 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 three judges. Teams will then be scored on the following criteria: Creativity of dish / Cooking Techniques / Use of Ingredients / Taste and Textures. Teams are not allowed to bring ingredients or use ingredients that are not supplied by competition. The set up for Boiling Point allows guests to get up close to the teams to watch as they strategize, prep, and get creative with their mystery ingredients.
Location address: Putnam Refectory – Dining Hall-2358 Alumni Dr, Storrs, CT 06269
Parking: Parking is free and available to the public for the duration of the event in nearby D lot. Handicap parking is available right outside of the dining hall. Printable Map | Full UConn Map
Event Contact: Robert Landolphi, Assistant Director Culinary Development-Robert.landolphi@uconn.edu
Schedule:
10:00am-12:00pm: Recipe Contest Judging
10:00am-1:30pm: UConn Bakery Demos and Displays – stop by and sample some new bakery items for the upcoming semester
12:00pm-3:00pm: “Boiling Point” Competition
There will be an award presentation immediately following Boiling Point.
Recipe Contest Judges:
Judge: Chef Will Deason – Willimantic Brewing Company / Main Street Café, Willimantic, CT.
Judge: Chef Carl Stafford – Adjunct Professor of Hospitality Management, Manchester Community College http://www.manchestercc.edu/
Judge: Ruth Hartunian-Alumbaugh – “Ravings and Cravings” 1400AM WILI / 95.3 FM ravingsandcravings@gmail.com
Boiling Point Judges:
Judge: Chef Christopher Prosperi – Chef-Owner, Metro Bis Restaurant. www.MetroBis.com
Judge: Rand Richards Cooper – Independent novelist, longtime food and travel writer, and food critic. https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/users/rand-richards-cooper
Judge: Marc Hussey – Education Consultant Culinary & Hospitality, Connecticut Technical Education and Career System. www.cttech.org
Judge: Alex Dino – Author and Corporate Executive Chef, Nestle Professional, Chef Alex on Linkedin
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Facebook: @UConnDiningServices
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Executive Director of Dining Services Appointed
DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS APPOINTS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DINING SERVICES
After conducting a comprehensive national search, the Division of Student Affairs has named Michael White as Executive Director of Dining Services effective November 4, 2022.
White holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UConn and a Master of Arts in Industrial Organizational Psychology from the University of New Haven. In his 26th year as a UConn employee, he brings an impressive base of UConn experience to this position, including serving as Interim Senior Associate Director of Dining Services for the past 1.5 years. Prior to that he served as the Associate Director of Dining Services, an Area Manager, General Manager of Retail Operations and Student Program Coordinator. He started out in 1994 as a student worker washing pots at Shippee Dining Hall and progressed through the ranks which allowed him to gain a thorough understanding of the role every level of Dining Services plays in delivering a quality experience to all customers.
In addition to leading various aspects of Dining Services, White also held the UCPEA roles of President from 2015 – 2021 and First Vice President of Collective Bargaining from 2009 – 2015. In these positions he was a SEBAC representative, member of the Health Cost Containment Committee, and the Vendor Advisory Committee. He also sits on myriad UConn committees including Strategic Visioning, Covid-19 Medical Services Workgroup, Vice Provost’s Committee on Food Insecurity, University Senate, and the Access & Accommodations Committee.
Mike lives in Norwich, CT with his wife Jill (also a UConn alum ‘97). He has twin daughters Teagan and Cassidy who attend UConn-Avery Point. Teagan is majoring in Psychology and Cassidy is majoring in Speech and Language Pathology.
The Division of Student Affairs appreciates the work of the search committee chaired by Tracey Roy (Interim Executive Director of Dining Services), administered by Samantha Courtois (Dining Services) and composed of David Clokey (Assistant Vice President, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs), Cheryl Radzvilowicz (Environmental Health & Safety), Padma Srimatkandada (Student Affairs Information Technology), and Isaac Barber (Director, Student Union).
Much thanks is given to Dining Services staff members who stepped up to fill interim roles while the search was being conducted including Tracey Roy as Interim Executive Director, Rob Landolphi as Associate Director of Residential Dining, and White as Interim Senior Associate Director. Also appreciated is the outstanding work of all the Dining Services staff who stepped up during this time of transition under Tracey’s interim leadership and continued to produce high-quality services that Dining is known for.
Give A Meal on Nov 9 to Support Students First Fund
Staff Profile: Penni Corcoran
Staff Profile: Baker Matt Beckwith
Staff Profile: Sue Meduna
UConn Chefs to hold Cooking Demos at Celebrate Mansfield
UConn Dining will once again be at the Celebrate Mansfield event on September 24th in downtown Storrs! Our chefs will be cooking up some delicious recipes and then giving out samples. At 2:30pm Chef Ron Swiller will prepare a Savory Smoked Salmon Cheesecake Appetizer and at 3:30pm Chef Rob Landolphi will prepare Cinnamon Chipotle Cachapas with Black Bean Avocado Salsa.
The Dairy Bar truck and Food for the Pack food truck will also be there.
Join the Mansfield Downtown Partnership for a day full of music, food, and fun for all ages!
Check out more details on the festival at https://www.downtownstorrsfestival.org/