I wrote this blog on my flight home from Chicago. As I’ve done in the past, I went to the Windy City to attend the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Show, the largest culinary food show in the United States. The NRA Show is a prime opportunity for vendors to introduce new products and services for the US restaurant and hospitality industry and for operators to build connections. This time, however, we also had another reason for making the trip: taking home a MenuMasters award from Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN), a weekly news magazine covering the restaurant industry.
The show and its events made the weekend action-packed like usual. So much to see, so little time. But the most excitement came Saturday night when the MenuMasters awards were presented at the famous Drake Hotel. We received the Best Menu Trendsetter award, and we were in good company. Other MenuMaster winners included Subway, Panda Express, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Old Chicago, and Shari’s.

At the event, each winner provided samples of dishes. To prepare for the event, our chefs Willie, Tony, and Simon arrived on Thursday to start cooking. On Saturday afternoon, some of our managers and I checked in on our kitchen team’s progress and made sure our stations were set up effectively. The Drake has a large, clean production area with modern equipment, a great place for our chefs to work.
To highlight our focus on sustainable seafood, we served shrimp and scallops with Thai green curry. We also carved a whole salmon, serving portions with chimichurri and a shredded mango salad. For dessert, we presented a choice between carrot cupcakes or tapioca pearls with palm sugar and coconut sauce. Essentially, we were showcasing the same food served on campus for industry colleagues. It was the perfect opportunity to tell the story that campus dining is not what it used to be. It’s much better—and healthier. That was also the theme of my acceptance speech.

I knew ahead of time that I needed to deliver an acceptance speech. I wrote one and practiced it several times at home. It was about five minutes log. An hour before the presentation, however, I realized I only had two minutes give my speech. Back to the drawing board! With the help of my wife, Pam, I quickly edited it down. When the big moment came and the presenters asked UMass to come on the stage, I jumped with excitement. Some of the management team joined me on stage, and the speech went off without a hitch. (You can read my speech below.)

What a great feeling to stand on stage and receive accolades from the organizers and peers! It was an extra thrill when celebrity chef Tom Colicchio, who received NRN’s Hall of Fame award that evening, referred to the dining program at UMass three times during his acceptance speech.

The guests enjoyed our food—with plates prepared to order, our station was one of the most popular. We were thrilled when Tom Colicchio and chef Paul Prudhomme stopped by to express their congratulations.

Even with these accolades, rest reassured that all of our work is not done. We will continue to look for ways to improve our program. Thank you for all of your support over the years to help us to get to where we are today.

This is Ken Toong. 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

My MenuMasters Award Speech:

It is a great honor for us to share the stage with our accomplished peers this evening. We represent college dining or the non-commercial segment. We are similar in some ways to restaurants and yet we are so different.

Let me share a few things about campus dining. First, it is not what it used to be. Campus dining has become more like fine dining, but we deal with the same customers several times a day—these students are tech-savvy and they are very diverse. They are time-stressed and want a variety of food concepts. Most of all, they want food that tastes good and is good for them. Our students want the best of things, since they are well informed. As an operator, you need to cater to their needs or you risk losing them, and you need to use social media such as Facebook and Twitter to build a connection with them.

Many of these students will become the future customers of restaurants.

We started the stealth health (Be Smart, Eat Smart and Live Smart) journey 5 years ago; I asked the managers to start a “small-plate, big-flavor program,” as well as reducing sodium by 30% , removing trans fat from baking and developing a program to promote healthy eating. It’s simple for me talk about it now, but it required lots of hard work and dedication by many — but it worked and that is why we are here today.

There are so many people to thank for this opportunity to come true! First of all though, I want to thank Greg Drescher of the CIA and Dr. Willet of Harvard School of Public Health who provided some of the initial inspiration; of course, I want to thank my management team, Diane, Chef Willie and other managers who took on the challenge, and many thanks to the editors of the Nation’s Restaurant News and Ventura Foods who recognized our program. And finally, I have to thank our 27,000 students for embracing the program at UMass — we couldn’t have done it without them!

Thank you all for this award.

After days of celebration, the 2011 undergraduate commencement is over. Now is a good time to reflect not only on this important moment but also what we accomplished during this school year—and how we can improve for the next.

For UMass Dining, commencement is more than a weekend event. It is a week-long occasion during which time we provide food for off-site events, galas, and functions at the University Club—in addition to serving regular meals at the dining commons. We did it all, starting with the Commencement Ball at the Mullins Center (hors d’oeuvres and desserts) and ending seven days later with Commencement.

This year was different from years past. Instead of the traditional Saturday morning ceremony, the undergraduate commencement ceremony at McGuirk Alumni Stadium was held Friday evening. On Saturday, the various schools and colleges on campus held smaller, more personal “recognition ceremonies,” in which graduates walked across the stage and received their degrees. So Friday night, UMass Dining had the opportunity to cater to 20,000 guests and 4,300 graduates. We took on the challenge as an opportunity.

As you can imagine, a lot of planning needed to happen to make sure food concessions at the stadium went smoothly. We met many times to discuss what kinds of food we should offer to the guests. Since the event occurred during dinner hours, we knew our customers would be stressed and hungry. The management team decided to offer a Commencement Pack with healthy, well-priced items: a hand-made ½ wrap, a General Mills granola bar, Cape Cod chips, Ocean Spray Craisins, and a beverage—all for $5.00. We also opened three dining commons to everyone and served enhanced menus. Our idea was that the pack would tide people over until they could head to the dining commons for dinner after the ceremony.

The undergraduate commencement ceremony went well. There was a big rush on the food lines before the event started. Afterwards, we served about 2,500 customers at the dining commons. When I arrived at the famed Berkshire DC, there were lines at each station. Our customers seemed to enjoy the food—and the live piano music.

Several parents came up to me and thanked us for taking care of their students for four years. One parent jokingly told me that he wished he could be a freshman again, just for the food. The students told us that they are going to miss UMass and the dining commons (affectionately known as the DC). I told graduates to visit anytime and to keep in touch. It’s gratifying that, on top of receiving a great education, the students truly enjoyed their dining experiences while at UMass.

As one senior wrote:

“Dining Services at UMass Amherst have been an invaluable asset to me in my time as a student here. One thing I greatly value about the DC is variety. Throughout my years in college, I have taken a vested interest in my health. I have become more active and as a result have started to eat healthier foods. For these reasons, and many others, I love the DC!”

This is Ken Toong. 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

It has been a busy time for Dining Services. The end of the school year always brings with it several campus events, and many involve food. This week we host Taste of UMass, the nation’s largest campus food service event. This is certainly not the first time for the Taste (as we call it), but we always try to improve from the year before. In past years we’ve made a sushi roll long enough to break records and hosted (very popular) hotdog-eating contests.

This year we decided to go back to the basics, focusing on simple food and solid entertainment. So no eating contests. Instead, there will be 70 booths featuring comfort foods, like mac and cheese. There will also be competitions that show off culinary skills, Iron-chef style.

Cupcakes and sushi are some of the more popular foods at UMass, so we worked them into competitions. For one contest, five teams comprising four students and a coach will make as many sushi rolls as they can in 10 minutes. Ingredients will be dawn from a mystery basket. For another contest, four teams of three will decorate 24 cupcakes. The cupcakes will be judged for creativity, uniqueness and neatness. To kick things off on the right note, Kevin Brauch, the emcee for the Food Network’s Iron Chef, will be in the house.

Also new this year is the General Mills #33 Cheerios NASCAR, on display in front of the Mullins Center. Our cereal supplier, General Mills, is the primary sponsor of the Cheerios/Hamburger Helper #33 Chevrolet Impala SS. Although NASCAR is one of the most popular motor events in the country, I’ve never seen a real NASCAR car up close. Swing by for a look, and bring your camera.
There’s more: Wally, the Green Monster, accompanied by Sam, the Minuteman, will be there to greet us on the concourse. Later, six New England Patriots cheerleaders will perform for us and sign autographs.

We’re not reinventing everything at this year’s Taste. We will still have the popular UMass Idol Contest, in which 20 qualifying students sing for the top prize. I witnessed the preliminary contest at Worcester DC the other night, and I must admit that the quality of contestants this year ranks as one of the highest in recent years.

The fun begins Thursday April 28 at 4:30 p.m. at the Mullins Center and runs until 8:00 p.m. I can hardly wait!!!

In anticipation of and preparation for the Taste, all Dining Commons will close at 3 p.m. on Thursday. For those of you who would like to eat later in the evening, the Berkshire and Worcester DCs will reopen at 9:00 p.m.

See you at the Taste!

This is Ken Toong. 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

Last week we had our first ever Ivy Dinner event as part of the Guest Chef Series at UMass. It was a tasty fun event at the famed Berkshire DC.

We invited 9 chefs representing four past Ivy winning universities from across the nation including Oregon State (2009), University of Georgia (1995), Villanova (2004), Boston College (2006) to show firsthand why the dining program at each school was worthy of being award winning. Although UMass was an Ivy winner in 2008, we were on the sidelines in support of the event.

The Ivy Award, established 40 years ago (last awarded in 2010) was then and will remain one of the most prestigious awards in the foodservice industry. The Ivy Award honors the best in the food industry and was given annually to foodservice operations that demonstrated the highest standards of excellence in food, service and overall hospitality. Each year past Ivy Award winners nominated commercial and non-commercial foodservice organizations, for this award— and it truly was one of the most highly esteemed and coveted awards in the industry. Nominees were then selected by the R&I subscription pool of 154,000 trade professionals, making the Ivy Award a symbol of acknowledgment from foodservice industry peers.

Our guest chefs arrived on Sunday afternoon to prepare for Tuesday night’s dinner. They were all excited to come as it was a great way to showcase the chefs’ talent as well as their students’ favorites and regional specialties from their respective campus. Chefs were asked to prepared a minimum of 3 main entrees, 2 side dishes and a dessert.
When I arrived at the event, there was a crowd waiting to get in at 5:00 and proceed under a giant arch of fresh green balloons, to the dining room area. The ‘Ivy Dinner ’ theme was executed to perfection. Each station was decorated with their school logo and colors, along with sample plates. Banners lined the entranceway where students received a ballot to vote for their favorite item from each university.

It was a special night to remember. It is hard to pick a favorite dish from each school. Both Georgia and Boston College had delicious mac and cheese with a twist, and the Crab Bisque from Villanova, and Oregon State’s Pomegranate-Walnut Chicken were all mouth watering. I really enjoyed the simplicity of the comforting food from each school.

It was a night with some of the “best of the best” of Ivy awarding-winning schools. Not only were our students able to sample some delicious dishes, but they experienced some culinary traditions of our peers schools. I had the opportunity to chat with chef Bryan Varin, Chef Bruce Hoerauf, Chef Manfred (Werner) Edler and Chef Paul Boissonneau – they all have a great passion for serving students in higher education and love their job! Thanks for coming chefs and thanks for such a memorable evening.

This is Ken Toong. Thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.
Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu

My wife and I recently attended The Culinary Institute of America’s Leadership Awards Gala in New York City. Not knowing what to expect, all I could be certain of was that the CIA was going to honor several famous chefs whom I had admired from a distance. It was also a chance to say hello to Dick Marriott, CEO of Host Marriott and my former employer.

Before I left for the event, I read the bios of the awardees, quickly realizing what a great privilege it was to attend. For starters, there was Paul Bocuse, the main honoree. Our executive chef, Willie, reminded me that Chef Bocuse had been his idol for 40 years. The Culinary Institute of America named Bocuse the Top Chef of the 20th Century, citing the 85-year-old’s legendary career in which he transformed both food preparation and the lives of the people who prepared it.

Wow, I thought, I better meet this great chef in person.

When we arrived at the reception, more than 600 people were there. Several women dressed in long evening gowns and men wore tuxedos. Yes, it was a formal event to raise money for the CIA and its students. But more important, it was an opportunity to celebrate the legacy of Chef Paul Bocuse and other honorees.
After checking in, I looked for familiar faces in the crowd of fine-dining chefs, restaurant veterans, chain pioneers, and culinary educators. There was a place set for photography with a backdrop with CIA logo, and with so many cameras flashing it made me realize what the Oscars must be like. Reporters gathered on the sidelines, jockeying for their position to interview the honorees. I asked a young woman next to me holding a small notepad where she was from. “The Washington Post,” she quipped as she waited to catch her next interviewee.

As usual, I had my camera on hand. I thought I might be lucky enough to have a picture taken with one of these star chefs. I started chatting with several chefs from the CIA when Dick Marriott joined us. I told him that I learned most of my customer service skills while working for Marriott. Dick smiled and told me to continue to take care of our customers, true words of wisdom from someone who knows his stuff.

But before long, cameras were flashing in the direction of Paul Bocuse and his son, Jerome (also honored as Alumnus of the Year, having graduated from the CIA in 1992). I was able to congratulate them in person, but I did not realize that Chef Bocuse didn’t speak English. He was humble just the same and agreed to have pictures taken with me and my wife.

Next we saw a familiar face, Chef Jacques Pépin. I reminded him about the time he was at UMass several years ago, and suggested it might be time for a return visit. He nodded and smiled in agreement. Next in the spotlight was another winner, Daniel Boulud, owner of restaurant Daniel in New York and several other restaurants. We congratulated him as we had our picture snapped with him. The scene was getting busier and busier.

Meanwhile, everyone was bumping into friends and colleagues left and right; throughout the night we met some fine people, including a couple from the Royal Caribbean Cruiseline, and others from McCormick Spices and the New York State Restaurant Association.

But the true star was Chef Bocuse. The chefs praised him lavishly. Chef Thomas Keller said Bocuse “defined what the modern chef is today. He brought the world into the kitchen and the kitchen into the world.” “Paul Bocuse is the Elvis Presley of the culinary profession,” added CIA President Tim Ryan

For my wife and me, it was a memorable experience to be surrounded by a galaxy of food stars. Equally important were the messages the chefs conveyed. “You cannot forget good ingredients. If there are not good ingredients, there is no good cooking,” Bocuse said through a translator.

At UMass Dining, we will continue to build on the notion of simple cooking and good ingredients. This June, the theme for the Taste of the World Chef Culinary Conference is Simple cooking, Healthy eating. How timely! Thank you Chef Paul Bocuse – thank you for inspiring greatness in those who work in the culinary industry.

This is Ken Toong. 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