The National College Food Service Association has awarded several colleges for their food, nutrition and sustainability efforts.
The National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) recently announced the Gold, Silver and Bronze Award winners for the 2024 Royal E. Houghton Dining, Nutrition and Sustainability Awards.
This year’s awards have expanded categories and an enhanced judging and application process. Gold Award winners will learn about the Grand Prize winners at the NACUFS 2024 National Conference on July 20.
“The extraordinary efforts of this year’s recipients highlight the efforts of university dining institutions to promote excellence in many areas of food, nutrition and sustainability,” NACUFS President and CEO Robert Nelson said in a statement.
The first few award categories are the Royal E. Houghton Dining Awards, which recognize members’ “innovative ideas and program implementation.”
The most notable awards in this category were Innovative Dining Program of the Year AwardThe awards gave gold awards to the University of Massachusetts and the University of North Texas, and silver awards to Montclair State University, Simon Fraser University and the University of Arizona. This year’s bronze award winners are Loyola University New Orleans, Samford University and the University of North Dakota.
And money Employee Development Program of the Year The winners were the United States Naval Academy and the University of California, Davis. The silver winners were Boston University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of North Dakota. The bronze winner was Texas Tech University.
Here we take a brief look at the gold medal winners of these awards, as well as the other recipients.
Innovative Dining Programs of the Year
The University of Massachusetts, which won a gold award in this category, is striving to redefine dining on campus. This year’s submissions, at least, focused on multiple aspects of their dining program, including sustainability, guest experience and marketing.
The University of Massachusetts (UMass) dining program is extensive, with 35 retail outlets, four all-you-can-eat dining facilities, one large retail food hall, two food trucks, two food trailers, restaurants, and concessions. With these different formats, the dining team strives to cater to all tastes.
“Our mission is to open students’ eyes as a passport to different cultures without leaving campus. Through the power of UMass Dining, we are creating a sense of belonging for our guests 2/5,” the application states.
The proposal emphasizes the dining program’s focus on value through perks such as free guest meals on Fridays, combo meal deals on Saturdays and large retail items at small-sized prices on Fridays.
In terms of experiences, the dining program aims to showcase diversity through cuisine and programming, serving as a passport to different cultures.
In terms of menu development, the dining program demonstrates a commitment to authentic global cuisine and inclusive experiences — plus, 85% of the menu is plant-based or plant-forward — and the dining team seeks feedback from diners themselves.
What’s more, the team aims to go beyond simply serving food, to create experiences and tell stories through food.
“I’m not going to teach you how to make the best ramen,” Alexander Ong, dean of the university’s culinary school, said in a statement. “How do you express yourself through your food – your history, your family, where you come from – how do you tell that story?”
Another Gold Award winner is the University of North Texas (UNT).
According to their proposal, the university’s dining program aims to be a sustainable, built-from-the-ground up operation. The proposal highlights the built-from-the-ground up aspect of the dining program as a differentiator from other programs in the field.
The proposal also highlights the scale of its food and beverage program, which would include five all-you-can-eat dining halls, more than 20 retail restaurants, catering and a central bakery.
One of the goals of these locations is to serve cuisines from around the world and accommodate religious and cultural diets. The dining program also includes a 100% vegan dining hall and a hall that is free of the nine major allergens and gluten.
Employee Development Program of the Year
The United States Naval Academy won a gold award in this category for its Business Manager course, developed in 2019 to improve managerial and supervisory skills. The program is open to any employee interested in advancing to a leadership position. Upon completion of the program, participants are placed in the role that best suits their talents and management skills.
The program is designed to foster a supportive environment, and throughout the program, participants will attend monthly classroom-style sessions followed by short-term internships in various departments within the Naval Academy Business Services Department (NABSD).
According to a filing from the U.S. Naval Academy, the program also seeks to address employee retention issues by investing in good leadership development and providing employees with opportunities for growth.
Additionally, the filing states that the program had the greatest impact on employee satisfaction by providing new opportunities to employees who felt dissatisfied in their current roles.
Another Gold Award winner is the University of California, Davis’ Latitude Culinary Training program. The program was launched at the university’s Latitude restaurant after the pandemic. Management realized that many internal applicants lacked the skills necessary to advance to culinary positions. To solve this problem, the dining team developed an intensive, nine-week culinary training program. The program is led by an executive chef, three sous chefs, a safety manager, and various personnel from the human resources department.
The program starts with safety, culinary job overview, and HCCP training. Next, you’ll learn how to use a knife. After that, you’ll spend three weeks deep learning about key proteins. The next two weeks are spent learning how to open the platform and perform service.
Throughout the program, small groups of 2-3 people rotate around the platform, working alongside the cooks in a fully open and operational environment. They also have a mock interview with the HR team. Then, to complete the program, each student prepares and cooks a plated main dish for 10 people and takes a 75-question written exam. Upon completing the program, students receive a certificate, a knife bag, and three knives.
Dining Awards
While the dining program will have to wait until July to find out who will win the grand prize in each category, the bronze, silver and gold award winners in each category have been announced. The remaining winners are:
Retail Sales: Concept of the YearGold awards went to University at Buffalo, SUNY Campus Dining & Shops and University at Geneseo, SUNY Campus Auxiliary Services. Silver awards went to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona and California State Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. Bronze awards went to Carleton University, Stevens Institute of Technology, University of Arizona and University of Maryland.
There can only be one winner Retail sales: Multiple concepts this year The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill won the bronze medal in this category.
and Retail Sales: Marketplace of the Year The two schools that received silver awards were Florida Institute of Technology and the University of North Texas.
next Catering Special Event of the Year AwardGold awards in this category went to Marywood University and Texas Tech University. Silver awards went to Babson College, Michigan State University and Texas Christian University. Bronze awards went to Catawba College and Marist College. Several other universities also received honorable mentions, including Carleton University, Montclair State University and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.
and This year’s special residential eventThe gold award winners were the University of Montana and the University of North Texas. The silver award winners were Gettysburg College, Hendrix College, Monmouth University, Tufts University, the University of Houston, and the University of Pennsylvania. The bronze award winners were Carleton College, Pennsylvania State University, the State University of New York at Cortland, and the University of California at Davis.
for Catering Program of the Year, The gold medal went to the University of North Texas. The silver medal went to Johns Hopkins University.
In Renovation of the Year category, The gold award went to the University of California, San Diego. The silver awards went to Southwestern University, Georgetown, the University of Arizona, Virginia Tech, and Washington University in St. Louis. The bronze award went to the Rochester Institute of Technology.
of New facilities this year The gold award went to Liberty University.
In Residential Dining Facility of the Year In this category, the gold award went to Liberty University. Silver awards went to Montclair State University, Rider University, Stevens Institute of Technology, University of Alabama, University of Arizona, University of Florida and University of Lynchburg. Bronze award went to Carleton University.
The final award in the dining category was Outreach and education programs this year. Gold awards went to Duke University, Pennsylvania State University and Texas Christian University, while silver awards went to Northeastern University, University of California, Merced and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Bronze awards went to Marist College and Montclair State University.
Nutrition Award
for Health and Nutrition Program of the Year The gold award winners were Boston University, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Texas Christian University and the University of Maryland. Silver awards were given to Rider University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Richmond. The University of Utah won a bronze award, and Northeastern University and the University of North Carolina received honorable mentions.
for This year’s special diet program, George Mason University and Washington University in St. Louis won gold medals, while the University of California, Davis and the University of North Carolina won silver medals.
The final nutrition award This year’s special diet recipesThe University of Connecticut won the gold award in this category. Silver awards went to SUNY Genesee and University of California, San Diego for their black bean recipe and lentil tostadas. Bronze award went to Elon University.
Sustainability Award
for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion/Social Justice AwardThe gold medal went to Simon Fraser University, the silver to the University of Michigan, and the bronze to the University of Chicago.
In Reduce waste The University of Michigan won gold in this category, while the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill won silver. Boston College and the SUNY Cortland Auxiliary Services both received bronze awards.
In the case of SSustainable Procurement The University of Michigan also won a gold medal at the awards, while the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill won a silver medal and the University of Montana won a bronze medal.
The final prize is Carbon Neutral: The University of Mississippi won the gold medal, the University of California, Berkeley won the silver medal, and Elon University won the bronze medal.
