Source: John Pence, 785-532-6453, jpence@k-state.edu

Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2010

NUTRITIOUS MEALS AT K-STATE DINING CENTERS EARN NATIONAL HONOR

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University's dining services served up the first-place entry in the 2010 Most Innovative Nutrition Program contest, sponsored by the National Association of College and University Food Services, also known as NACUFS.

Members of the dining services management staff represented K-State at the association's recent national convention in San Jose, Calif., where winners were recognized in the 37th annual Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards and in the Most Innovative Nutrition Program contest. K-State also took second place in the Best Vegan Recipe contest.

K-State housing and dining services has participated in the National Association for College and University Food Services' competitions for more than a decade and has consistently placed in award categories.

K-State's winning entry in the nutrition program contest was Dinner with the Dietitian, which was designed by dining services' Mission Nutrition Committee.

"It is the highest award present by NACUFS to honor Loyal Horton, one of its founding members," said John Pence, associate director of K-State housing and dining services. "NACUFS is made up of more than 600 member schools, and it is quite an honor to selected as one of the best in the business."

"For six months in a row we sponsored a meal that included nutrition-related information and displays to help students learn more about food and making better food choices from a nutrition and health perspective," said Sheryl Klobasa, director of K-State Kramer Dining Center. Klobasa is a registered and licensed dietetian and a member of the Mission Nutrition Committee.

“Meal themes included Local Cuisine … Life in the Fresh Lane, La Mexicana Cocina Fresca, and What's on Your Plate … Power Over Portion Size, to name a few," Klobasa said. "We more than met our goal of having a minimum of 20 percent participation based on all the students who ate in the dining center on our special meal evenings."

Entries were judged by last year's winner from Washington State University. Criteria included marketing and advertising, program content, creativity, and customer feedback and evaluation.

As the 2010 winner, K-State will judge the contest in 2011.

In addition to the first-place win, Fern Mayfield's recipe for vegetable and tofu jambalaya took second place in the Best Vegan Recipe contest. Mayfield is the recipe system/test kitchen manager for K-State dining services.

The National Association of College and University Food Services promotes the highest quality food service on school, college and university campuses through educational and training opportunities, technical assistance, scholarships, industry information and research. The association has more than 600 institutional members and more than 425 industry members.