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Mass picnic welcomes Virginia Tech students back to campus

Mike Buzalka, Executive Features Editor

August 31, 2016

11 Slides
Watermelon from the Virginia Tech campus farm added a very local touch
Virginia Tech Dining Services

One of the traditions at Virginia Tech is the annual Hokie Hi Picnic held at the campus football stadium to welcome students back to school and to rally the student body for the team. Naturally, food is a significant part of Hokie Hi, and Virginia Tech’s lauded campus dining team is on the case.

This year, rain threatened to dampen the event, and it did depress attendance a bit to “only” about 7,000 of the some 9,100 students—including 6,000 freshmen—who live on the Blacksburg campus, but they certainly didn’t go away hungry thanks to efforts led by Associate Director Brian Grove, Assistant Director Whitney Engstrom, Executive Chef Richard Lincicome, Chef de Cuisine Wesley Sayler and Assistant Manager Ciera Largen.

Virginia Tech Dining Services is headed by Ted Faulkner, director of dining services.

Here’s a gallery of photos from the event and VA Tech Dining’s central role in it.

Contact Mike Buzalka at [email protected]

Follow him on Twitter: @MikeBuzalka

 

About the Author

Mike Buzalka

Executive Features Editor, Food Management

Mike Buzalka is executive features editor for Food Management and contributing editor to Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News and Nation’s Restaurant News. On Food Management, Mike has lead responsibility for compiling the annual Top 50 Contract Management Companies as well as the K-12, College, Hospital and Senior Dining Power Players listings. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature from John Carroll University. Before joining Food Management in 1998, he served as for eight years as assistant editor and then editor of Foodservice Distributor magazine. Mike’s personal interests range from local sports such as the Cleveland Indians and Browns to classic and modern literature, history and politics.

Mike Buzalka’s areas of expertise include operations, innovation and technology topics in onsite foodservice industry markets like K-12 Schools, Higher Education, Healthcare and Business & Industry.

Mike Buzalka’s experience:

Executive Features Editor, Food Management magazine (2010-present)

Contributing Editor, Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News and Nation’s Restaurant News (2016-present)

Associate Editor, Food Management magazine (1998-2010)

Editor, Foodservice Distributor magazine (1997-1998)

Assistant Editor, Foodservice Distributor magazine (1989-1997)

 

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