This Thursday, Jane, the Purchasing Manager of Auxiliary Services and I went to talk to students of the Sustainable Living class. It was on what UMass Dining has done to embrace sustainability and what are some of our future goals and objectives. I always enjoy speaking in public and do it regularly for presentations to parents during the New Students Program in the summer. But this time was a bit different, because we had to speak to a large group of students who might have or might have not known about UMass Dining. We were told beforehand that it is a big and popular class. Professor John Gerber of Plant Sciences and Sustainability Studies is a guru for promoting sustainable living and sustainable agriculture. He encourages his students to explore personal growth and community responsibility, besides just learning, as he calls it transformational knowledge. This was our second time being invited to his class; John is also a member of the Environmental Performance Advisory Committee on Food, which I chair.

It was an unusually warm afternoon when we arrived for the class in an auditorium; one of his TAs started the class by leading the students in a “centering breath” exercise. The purpose of the exercise (which most students seemed to appreciate) was to invite one’s mind, body and spirit into the room. Next the class commenced with an electronic poll questioning how many students ate at the Dining Commons during the last few days, and not surprisingly, 80% of them were are customers. That made our presentation more relevant or even put more pressure on us since the majority of the people in the audience were both students and customers. We told them about our slow food movement at UMass Dining, buying local, using sustainable seafood, being trayless, and practicing the 3Rs. We mentioned that as the 3rd largest university operated dining services in the nation, we have a responsibility to combat global climate change and to fulfill the university goals of attaining carbon neutrality by working together with the university community and students. UMass Dining serves 40,000 meals daily and with 14,000 students on the meal plan, we can achieve a lot by working together.

We also announced plans to have a veggie garden and second herb garden on campus, in partnership with students, the Physical Plant and faculty members. The land will be supervised and managed by UMass Dining. There is a big push to ban water bottle on campus and we are committed to making it happen someday but it will be in a gradual manner. The class also finished with a poll, asking the students if they thought UMass should remove bottled water and the majority said yes. Several students that attended the class stopped me at the DCs later and told me how much they appreciate our environment initiatives.

The journey of greener UMass is on going and we need your support and feedback.

This is Ken Toong and thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top

Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu

You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong

I love noodle (pasta); my family knows it and my staff does too. I like all kinds of noodles, from ramen noodles, Shanghai noodles, soba noodles, udon noodles and pho noodles to rice noodles. One of my all time favorites is a bowl of rice noodles with beef brisket. It is my comfort food and it reminds me of my childhood in Hong Kong and the street food there. Where would we be without noodles, this simple food has been a staple in almost every major cuisine for millennia. In fact, we know that pasta existed in Italy before Marco Polo made his famous journey to China. And there’s even archeological evidence that noodles existed in China about 4,000 years ago. In China, they eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Noodles everyday for lunch, are fine with me. Noodles are so soft, so easy to chew and they are fun to eat.

Last week, when our guest chef Chai Siriyarn of the famed Marnee Thai Restaurant San Francisco was here to prepare some of his signature dishes, he asked me to sample his Pad Thai. I always love Pad Thai, especially one done well. I said “yes”; the Pad Thai arrived in a colorful orange-red sauce with crushed peanuts on top, and it was simply delicious. It was so fresh that you can almost smell the wok. The sweet and sour sauce had seeped into the noodles that were cooked al dente. The fish sauce and tamarind juice balanced out the dish well. It was not too spicy but had a bold flavor. No wonder, Chef Chai has won numerous awards for this popular rice noodle dish. Maybe the texture of their noodles is also something that separates the Marnee Thai Restaurant from other Thai restaurants.

Even though Chef Chai has been in business over 30 years and has worked 16 hour days in the past, he still makes his own sauces, after the restaurant closes at 10:00 pm, with his son Kas. Everything is made from scratch and he always taste tests each creation. When I walked into his restaurant, last January in San Francisco, one can sense the authenticity; amber-colored walls emit calmness, all staff are dressed in dark Thai silk shirts, and I was greeted with a smile. I was surprised to see how many people were inside the restaurant and people were lined up outside waiting to get in. I managed to sit at a counter and was able to watch the cooks prepare the food and to see Chef Chai in action, taking care of his food and customers. Every plate was garnished with a pansy and checked twice for quality. Chef Chai has great passion for what he does and it shows.

For me every day is a great day, whenever you can have some noodles!

This is Ken Toong and thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.

Ken Toong
Director

Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu

You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong

I hope that those of you who joined us for Saturday’s UMass 5K Dash and Dine for Relief/Walk and Run are well rested and not too stiff. It was UMass Dining’s first opportunity to host a road race. The idea surfaced last fall when Diane, our dietition and I had a conversation on how we might be able to promote healthy eating, fitness and community action at UMass. We thought a road race would be possible since we have a good sized campus and many resources to tap into; Dianne also liked the idea of tying in nutrition education as part of it. With over 14,000 students on a meal plan and serving 40,000 meals daily, it is also our responsibility to promote healthy eating and wellness. The earthquake in Haiti was such a tragedy and a good cause for us to do something as a large university.

There was only one minor problem – we had never organized a road race before and did not realize how much work was involved in doing so. Sure, we knew how to take care of the food requirements and we also knew we needed to get the police, EMT, physical plant, News Office, race officials and volunteers, etc., involved. Our first step was getting an open day on campus and searching for a race partner experienced in conducting road races. We picked March 27 as the race day as it was one week after the spring break and there weren’t any races on campus or near the Amherst area at this time. Sugarloaf Mountain Athletic Club became our partner and they provided us with lots of valuable information on how to run an efficient race.

Pam, one of our incredible pastry chefs and also a former resident of Haiti for many years, offered to assist us to prepare an authentic Haitian meal after the race. We jumped on board with her idea and it added an extra touch to the event. We also planned to have a health fair after the race to further educate our students about the benefits of exercising. Things were starting to look good until we found out that we needed a wavier form approved by the Office of University Attorney before we could promote the event. The approval finally arrived a week before the spring break, which was late for us to properly promote the event but we wanted to go ahead anyway and make it a success. The stakes were high and we needed runners and walkers to support us. We decided in all of our marketing plans to recruit the runners/walkers in only seven days; through Facebook, radio ad, fliers, ads, news releases and information tables set up at the DCs, recreational Center and campus center. By Thursday night, we had close to 200 people registered.

On Saturday morning, when I arrived around 9:00 or so, things were in place for registration, runners/walkers were starting to show up, and police and timers were there. When I proudly hit the air horn and announced the start of the race, there were close to 500 runners and walkers. We were pleased it all went well. At the finish line, we were also pleased to have Sabine Holub present to announce the winners and later everyone was treated to a nice Haitian dinner.

I was relieved, but not entirely surprised that it all went well, thanks to the heartfelt dedication and hard work of our partners and volunteers – my gratitude goes out to all of you. A job well done! A final tally of the money raised through the event will be forthcoming.

This is Ken Toong and thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.

Ken Toong

Director

Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu

You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong

The days are getting longer and warmer and as of this week the weather has changed to beautiful spring-like conditions. This afternoon, I wore a tee-shirt while shopping; and on my mind was the thought that our students will be back on Sunday after the spring break. I hope everyone had a great relaxing and fun time, and are ready to tackle the rest of the semester. This past week I went to a trade show in Boston and spent most of the time in planning for the rest of the school year with our Special Events Manager Martha.

The Epic Battle of Taste Dinner event last week at Berkshire Dining Commons was great fun and featured great food. To have eight chefs from four universities (University of Georgia, the University of Iowa, Villanova University, Stanford University) come together at one venue was a “first” for an event such as this for colleges and universities nationwide. I sampled as many dishes as possible and everything was delicious. The braised short ribs, the vegetarian masala, the pork belly sushi rice cake and the grilled shrimps with grits, were all my favorites! This might sound like part of an upscale restaurant menu, but it was all food served at a UMass Dining Commons; this is what I envisioned 10 years ago – world cuisine being “American cuisine” – we are proud that UMass Dining is taking a lead on making this happen.

Our students and guests were thrilled with the great food and the interaction with the chefs – The Epic Battle of Taste Dinner – was such a treat for UMass students. It was fun moment to see our football players greet the chefs from Villanova; they called the chef Manfreds and chef Nancy “champs” as they are the reining football champion team this year – chef Manfreds cracked a quick reply that it was because of his cooking. Our guest chefs put their best foot forward and really showcased some delicious cuisine from their respective regions of the country and some of their students’ favorites. It was a wonderful experience to see the visiting chefs in action – behind the scene, at the front of the house, on the floor and even in front of a microphone! Thank you chefs!

Talking about spring, we will have asparagus available all week. Billed as “Fresh asparagus introduces spring”, you will be able to sample this super food from breakfast to dinner. As you know, asparagus is low in calories, carbohydrates, fat, cholesterol, and sodium and is an excellent source of folic acid and a significant source of vitamin C, thiamin, and vitamin B6. I think you won’t want to miss it. Asparagus and Mushroom Filled Crepes and Asparagus and Rock Shrimp Risotto are just some of the dishes to be served this week. This is our first time in partnership with the California Asparagus Commission and it is a great way to lead up to using local asparagus in May. On Thursday, guest chef/ author/ writer Betty Rosbottom, a frequent guest on NBC’s Today Show will showcase some of her recipes from the Big Book of Backyard Cooking which will feature many asparagus dishes at Berkshire DC.

Lastly, this coming Saturday, Match 27, at 11 am is our first ever UMass 5K Dash and Dine Run/Walk; please join us for a benefit run to raise money for Haiti and also support a canned food drive for the Amherst Survival Center. The run starts at the Fine Art Center and finishes at Southwest. We will serve all participants and volunteers, authentic Haiti dishes in the Dining Commons. For students on the meal plan, for a $10 registration fee, you will receive a tee shirt and free swipe at either Berkshire or Hampshire for some authentic Haitian dishes and we will donate a meal to Haiti on your behalf. Sign up at all DCs Monday-Thursday.http://www.umassdining.com/umass-dining/other-pages/road-race/

Welcome back – we’re cookin’ some great food, just for you . . .

Ken Toong
Director

Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu

You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong

I just got back yesterday from attending the COEX2010- Chain Operators Exchange Conference in Orlando, hosted by the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) and chaired by Kevin Bechtel, Senior Vice President of Shari’s Management Corporation; the goal was to bring together the foodservice chain operators such as Bertucci’s, Red Lobster, and suppliers, with the theme for the conference “Customers Rule”. This was my first trip to this particular conference and I was joined by many of my peers from Berkeley, Vanderbilt and Iowa for a panel discussion, on the topic of Campus Dining: Tomorrow’s Customers Today. I was quite excited to be there for several reasons, to gather information on: the latest trends, consumer eating behaviors (a study from the industry experts), and insight on how the restaurant chains operate in menu development and innovation; in addition, to meeting supply chain partners. I was not disappointed except for the weather. It was cool (50 plus) by Florida standards; perhaps, it was a good thing because we had Disney distractions only minutes away.

Several presentations were on value, sustainability and menu innovations; I found one question that most interested me was on “memorable meals”, that is, what are some of the best things on the menu that your customers will remember. It might be the quality of food, or the great service, or a nice surprise even, that might create a lasting memory at a mealtime. It is a lofty goal to do so; most of us in the food business strive to create an experience for each meal. At UMass, our 14,000 students eat with us several times per day, and they are looking for new varieties of food daily and weekly. I don’t blame them – I would expect the same thing. That is why we have so many weekly specials to keep our students interested. For me there have been quite a few really memorable meals at the DCs, including the stir-fry, the sushi, the beef brisket noodle bowl, the lobster dinner and the guest chef series. What’s yours?

In terms of our panel discussion on Campus Dining, it went well. Nancy Kruse, the moderator, started off the session with a presentation articulating that College and University foodservice is arguably the most complex and creative segment of the food services industry and how we are catering to today’s students’ needs, the people who will be the customers of tomorrow for the chain restaurants; then she prompted us with questions.

I told the audience that Sushi, Stir-fry, sliders, and non-sugary drinks are all popular on the campus and that restaurants should offer smaller portions, less-processed food, reduce the sodium content, offer healthier options and buy more locally grown items. Shawn, my peer from Berkeley mentioned that students are breakfast healthy, but turn to more high calorie comfort foods such as wings, and pizza for late night snacks. We all agreed that students want foods to be fresh, tasty and prepared in front of them.

When all is said and done, UMass Dining wants to create memorable meals every day.

This is Ken Toong and thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.

Ken Toong
Director

Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu

You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong