22nd Annual Culinary Olympics Winners

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Dining Services hosted the 22nd Annual Culinary Olympics on Tuesday, January 10th at Putnam Dining Hall. 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 called "Boiling Point" in the afternoon. The event was free and open to the public. Twenty-one chefs participated in Boiling Point and 11 chefs participated in the recipe contest. Each event had a panel of judges from the food industry. 

Check out all the details, photos, recipes, and winners at https://dining.uconn.edu/culinary-olympics/

North Dining Hall takes home first place at the 22nd Annual Culinary Olympics Boiling Point Competition

North Dining Hall takes home first place at the 22nd Annual Culinary Olympics Boiling Point Competition

22nd Annual Culinary Olympics to take place January 10th

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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

Follow #UConnDining on Social

Facebook: @UConnDiningServices
Instagram: @UConnDining
Twitter: @UConnDining

Winter Break Meal Plan Options

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Fall residential meal plans end with dinner on Sunday, December 18th and winter break meal plans begin Monday, December 19th.

Meal plans are required for those that are assigned to a dorm or suite during winter break. If you are applying for housing during winter break you will need to select a 5- or 7-day meal on the housing form. Students assigned to an on-campus apartment as their winter break housing are not required to have a meal plan but can call Dining Services at 860-486-3128 to voluntarily purchase a plan. Click here to enlarge/download/print flyer.

McMahon Hours of Operation from Dec 19-Jan 14th

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

All Dining Services locations will  closed on December 25th, 2022 and January 1st, 2023. 

QUESTIONS? Call our office at 860-486-3128.

Executive Director of Dining Services Appointed

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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

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Dining Services will be hosting our bi-annual Give-A-Meal on Wednesday, November 9th. All eight residential dining halls will be participating from 4-7:15pm. Over the years this program has supported various on- and off-campus organizations.
How it works: when students with a meal plan come to dinner on the 9th they can donate an extra meal swipe to help out their fellow huskies. All proceeds from this event will go to support the Students First Fund, through the Division of Student Affairs, to assist students experiencing food insecurity.
More details about the Student First Fund can be found at studentaffairs.uconn.edu/students-first-fund/
May be an image of text that says 'wednesday Nov. 9th in all dining Give wNLd A- Meal Donate Meal Swipe from 4-7:15pm! UCONN UNIVERSITYO CONNECTICUT DINING SERVICES'

UConn Bakery Thanksgiving Pie & Baked Goods Sale

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Your favorite pie sale from UConn Bakery (Not just desserts) is back! This year new items have been added!! Check out all the pies, cheesecakes, dinner rolls, and sweet treats for your Thanksgiving table! Gluten-free pies and cheesecake are also available.

This sale is open to the campus community and the public.

Order today! The deadline to place orders is Friday, November 11th by 4pm. Order pick up is Wednesday, November 23rd from 8:30am-2:30pm at the bakery. Orders cannot be picked up prior to the 23rd. Our online store accepts debit/credit cards.

Order here: https://bit.ly/UConnBakeryThanksgiving or you can also find the link to our store on the Bakery website at dining.uconn.edu/bakery

If you prefer to pay personal check, you will need to call our office at 860-486-3128 during business hours to place an order. Please mail or hand deliver your payment to the Department of Dining Services 3384 Towers Loop Rd, U-4071, Storrs. We are located on the first floor of the Wade Building. Check payments must be received by 4pm on November 11th, 2022.

Staff Profile: Penni Corcoran

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Current Position at UConn Dining Services: Validine Operator at McMahon for the last 5 years – validine operators greet all the students and guests at the dining hall and assist them with questions, tapping their OneCards, and meal purchase transactions.

What was your journey before coming to UConn? I graduated from nearby E.O. Smith High School, taught English in Brazil for 3 years, worked at CT Bank and Trust and also as a nurse aide.

What has been your journey at UConn Dining? I started at UConn in 1994 as a validine operator at Russell A&B. Other positions included receptionist at the Dining main office, receptionist at Jonathan’s Restaurant, chef assistant, location lead, and kitchen assistant. Although I retired from full-time employment, I am still at McMahon on a part time basis.

What do you love about your job? I love interacting with the students and visitors. I treat the kids like they are mine. I love listening to their stores and adventures. I am a huge sports fan and over the years I have bonded and kept in touch with a lot of the student athletes and other students on social media.

What is your favorite menu item at UConn? I love the food at McMahon! My favorite item is salmon and steamed veggies.

What are some fond memories you have of your time at UConn? We used to have a barbecue every week at Jonathan’s Restaurant. I liked helping serve and prepare food. My special memories are working with different types of people. South was my favorite dining hall. I trained a lot of kitchen assistants.

Celebrating Penni's birthday!

Dining During Thanksgiving Break: Nov 18th-27th

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Thanksgiving Header

A change in operations for Thanksgiving break will begin on Friday, November 18th with the following schedule:

  • Breakfast: All dining halls 7am-11am
  • Lunch: All dining halls 11am-2:15pm
  • Dinner: South & North open 4:15-7:15pm

Residential meal plans will shut down for break after dinner on Friday, November 18th.

Staying on Campus During Thanksgiving Break? If you have a residential meal plan and will be on campus during Thanksgiving break please fill out our form to sign up for meals. There is no extra cost for the meals during break. dining.uconn.edu/thanksgiving-break-meals-fall-2022

RETAIL LOCATIONS

Visit dining.uconn.edu/hours for retail hours from 11/18-11/27.

DINING HALLS DURING BREAK

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be served at the following locations during break.
Breakfast is served from 7:00am – 9:30am, Lunch from 11:00am – 2:15pm, and Dinner from 4:00pm – 7:15pm.

  • Sat., Nov. 19 - South
  • Sun., Nov. 20 - Buckley
  • Mon., Nov. 21 - Buckley
  • Tues., Nov. 22 - Buckley
  • Wed., Nov. 23 - Buckley
  • Thurs., Nov. 24 (Thanksgiving) - All Dining Services operations will be closed
  • Fri., Nov. 25 - Buckley
  • Sat., Nov. 26 - Buckley

Meal plans resume on Sunday, November 27th with the following schedule:

  • Breakfast (South): 8-10:30am
  • Brunch (Northwest & South): 10:30am-2:15pm
  • Dinner (All units except Buckley): 4:15-7:15pm
  • Late Night (Northwest & McMahon): open until 10pm

Staff Profile: Baker Matt Beckwith

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Current Position at UConn Dining Services: Baker in the UConn Dining Services Bakery

How did you get into the food industry?: I was raised in a big Italian family so cooking has always been a big part of my life. I grew up in and out of the kitchen and used to love watching cooking shows growing up so I decided food was going to be my future. I started my cooking journey at Windham Tech and that's essentially how I got my job here but continued on to Manchester Community College where I received an associates in Food Service Management.

What has been your journey at UConn Dining?: I have been working here in the bakery for about 15 years. I started as a student worker in high school for work-based learning and then ended up getting a full time spot here in college where I worked up from a kitchen assistant to the baker I am now.

What do you love about your job at UConn/UConn Dining?: Baking is so rewarding! There's nothing better than watching a fresh loaf come out of the oven. I always love trying to think up new ways to get bread out to the students and coming up with new recipes. 

What do you like to do in your spare time? I'm a big foodie at heart so when I do travel, its eat and drink. Aside from that I enjoy powerlifting and practicing Muay Thai. I'm also an avid gamer and enjoy playing all types of games.

What activities or events have you enjoyed being a part of at UConn?: Some of my favorite events we participate in is the Spring Fling cake/cupcakes and setting up the Thanksgiving Pie Sale.

Fun Facts From the Bakery: We make on average about 3000lbs of pizza dough a week.

Matt Beckwith
Matt Beckwith
Loaf of Sliced Bread