University Dining Wins Honorable Mention Award!

UC Santa Cruz Dining is proud to announce that the University of California, Santa Cruz has received honorable mention at the recent judging of the 2006 Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards in the category of Residential Dining-Theme Dinner. The NACUFS' Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards are the ultimate professional tribute in college and university culinary arts. This dining competition salutes the most successful ideas in menus, presentation, special event planning and new dining concepts.

The recent Bistro by the Bay- "an evening of sustainable coastal cuisine" dinner was the focus for our entry. Loyal E, Horton entry books are judged on every aspect of an event including menu, planning, presentation, marketing and overall concept. This year's competition included 170 entries from around the country. Achieving a minimum score of 90% to reach the honorable mention level garnered the team this enviable award. Recognition plaques will be given at the annual National Association of College and University Food Service (NACUFS) Conference held in Toronto this July.

Compiling the submission for the Horton Award was an additional extensive process after the completion of this memorable event! Documenting every detail from planning to execution is crucial to capture the real essence of what our students tasted and experienced throughout the event. The book included many wonderful photos of the location selected for this dinner, our fabulous Long Marine Lab-Discovery Center location.

"Although we did not attain the coveted medals of gold, silver or bronze, being recognized in the honorable mention level is a great achievement for our dining department remarked Director Scott Berlin. We competed in the large school division,which also had the most entries submitted, including numerous prestigious colleges and universities who have been in operation many years. For our department, which is less than 2 years old, it is an amazing accomplishment. As the newly elected Pacific Region president, Scott stated that many schools have competed each year since the inception of this award in 1974.