It’s been a heck of a week
We not only survived, but thrived during this very busy week. At UMass Dining, 95% of our business is conducted during the school year. Each and every week is a big one for us, with close to 14,000 students on the meal plan; there is always something happening. We are trying to provide our students with more specials and more variety of food to whet their appetite. On top that, because of our reputation as one of the top dining locations in the nation, many schools are sending their representatives to visit us. Seven people from Stony Brook University were here on Tuesday afternoon. Their visit could not have come at a worse time; don’t get me wrong here, I like visitors and love to promote UMass to anyone who listens. We had the Ivy Celebration Dinner on the same day and the visitors were not able to arrive until 3:00 pm. I could have said no to their planned visit but I thought it would be a great time for them to experience one of our weekly specials and to join in on the celebration. Things turned out just fine. They arrived on time and the group even included three Stony Brook students. I gave them a tour of Berkshire DC and talked to them about UMass Dining. The students were impressed with our variety of food and the quality of our dining program. They thought our meat portion sizes for the deli were much more generous and the bread was much fresher, than theirs. When they saw our sushi program and sampled the Indian food, they took notes and would like to have similar program at Stony Brook. I told them we put students first and are a self-operating unit. Stony Brook University is a bit smaller that UMass; however, their dining program is managed by a foodservice company.
For the Ivy Celebration Dinner on Tuesday night, everything went seamlessly. It was a big deal and such an honor to have Patricia Dailey, publisher/editorial chief of Restaurants and Institutions Magazine, to join us and to unveil the Ivy plate. Pat, as I call her, is so gracious and is very elegant and classy. She congratulated us and discussed the significance of the Ivy Award. Holding up an Ivy medal and mentioning that although she has given out many of these prestigious awards, she has never worn one. It made me feel proud and gave me goosebumps to hear her speak, and I told her that we are honored to be part of the Ivy Society and reassured her that UMass Dining will continue to excel.
The next day, we had The Taste of Thailand at Worcester DC. Chef Chai Siriyarn, of Marnee Thai restaurant, in San Francisco and his son, Kass were here. Billed as one of the best Thai restaurants in the Bay area, Chef Chai has a great passion for cooking. He opened his restaurant in 1986 with the mission that his patrons receive a taste of Thai cuisine and culture; and enjoy the country’s wonders without ever having to leave the neighborhood. It worked. The vegetarian pad Thai was just out of this world, other dishes such as prawns in blanket, Tom Kha Gai, Spicy Angel Wings, Green Mango Salad were simply delicious and inviting. Everything in the dishes including the sauce was made fresh and from scratch. Very meticulous about his cooking, I noticed Chef Chai taste-tested the food every 5 minutes or so to ensure it was prefect. In the restaurant, he and his son Kas, make sauce until 2 am in the morning to ensure its freshness. No wonder, even in San Francisco’s crowded restaurant field, Marnee Thai, continues to stand out.
What a week to remember, however, we can not take much of a break – Alaska Seafood Week starts Monday. More on that later.
Ken Toong
Director
Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu