Hospitality Services unit manager, The University of Western Ontario Hell’s Kitchen has nothing on the Berkshire Dining Commons at The University of Massachusetts, as 7,000 ravenous students descend on the Marche-style eatery each day.
Matt Yeo
The “all-you-care-to-eat” restaurant boasts a wood-burning pizza bar, authentic Asian noodle bar, vegetarian station, massive salad bar, self-serve soft ice cream and much more. I had the authentic Asian soup station two days in a row during my recent visit to U-Mass, and could have stayed an extra day to enjoy the soup one last time.
Executive Chef Willie Sng and Berkshire Dining Commons Chef Tony Jung run a very busy kitchen, driven by the creative vision of Ken Toong, Auxiliary Enterprises executive director. Toong has been a long-time supporter of culinary development and founder of the annual “Tastes of the World” Chefs’ Conference that draws top chefs from universities and colleges all over North America each year. With the recent multi-million dollar renovation to the Berkshire Dining Commons, Toong wastes no opportunity to show off his impressive state-of-the-art eatery.
Along with their drive for culinary excellence, U-Mass Dining Services has a strong commitment to sustainability. Sustainability initiatives include: buying 25 per cent of their produce locally; serving sustainable seafood; composting; purchasing brown eggs locally; serving fair trade and organically grown coffee; and biodegradable packaging. The U-Mass dining team is an active member of a much larger campuswide sustainability committee that works together with all departments to meet the university’s aggressive environmental goals. They have managed to make significant savings in electricity and energy use, and have diverted much of their food waste through composting, recycling and student awareness programs.
My most recent visit to U-Mass was to accompany two of our Western chefs – Matt Yeo, Residence Dining chef, Sydenham Hall, and Dee Jefferson, Spencer Leadership Center executive chef – to Toong’s latest themed creation, “The Visiting Chefs’ Conference … Flavours of Canada.” Toong and his wife, Judy, both have a special kin to Canada. Judy is a native of Nova Scotia and Toong has spent much time in Canada during his travels. Their daughter is currently attending university in Canada.
Western chefs, along with chefs from Guelph, McGill and UBC, were invited to attend the conference. Each team was asked to create a Canadian-themed menu they would prepare and serve to their dinner guests of about 3,000 students.
“When I look deeper into what is ‘Canadian Cuisine,’ how much do we really know about it?” Jefferson asks. “Most of our Canadian chefs at this event were immigrants to Canada. Of course, we used all local and well-known Canadian ingredients, then incorporated them with our own personal touch, taste and cooking techniques, to create a ‘New Canadian Cuisine.’ That cuisine has become well-recognized all over the country, from coast to coast. We always cook from our hearts and souls; it is so endless when we get creative with food.
“I would say that in the near future our ‘New Canadian Cuisine’ will be one of the most unique and well-recognized cuisines all over the globe. I am proud to be part of this endless creation and very proud to be Canadian.”
Here’s a sample of what each team of chefs had to offer:
• UBC. Mesquite-grilled wild BC salmon with blueberry grapefruit salsa and west coast bannock;
• Guelph. Maple-roasted pork skewers with creamy pear sauce and lemon garlic braised potatoes;
• McGill. Spicy Quebec lamb burger on onion poppy seed bread and fresh-cut curry sweet potato fries;
• Western. Braised short ribs with Canadian Ale and roasted tomato jus paired with fingerling potato poutine.
“It was really an amazing experience to work in an unknown kitchen and produce great food for the students of U-Mass. To see other chefs use Canadian ingredients and transform them into great food was definitely eye-opening,” Yeo says. “U-Mass is so far ahead of the game, it was great to see new ideas and perhaps bring back some of these ideas and adapt them to Western. As a chef, you can always expect the unexpected. This is what makes our job so interesting and challenging.
“I look forward to more challenges in the near future.”
Toong and his efficient team spared no detail or expense in creating the Canadian experience at the Berkshire Dining Commons. Details included the professional DJ who played only Canadian music all night and emceed the event, a screen projector that featured Canadian scenes and places, large marketing banners with pictures of each visiting chef displayed at their prospective stations, three students who dressed up in Royal Canadian Mounted Police uniforms, and a Canadian Consulate table where students handed out Canadian flags and pins.
To top the evening off, Toong’s wife plugged in her portable organ and sang the Canadian national anthem. Students enjoyed the food and the Canadian experience immensely and a great time was had by all the participants.
Dee Jefferson