In Brief 2011-12-01

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst has named Garett DiStefano director of residential dining following a lengthy national search. He will report to Director of Dining Ken Toong, along with Retail Dining Director David Eichstaedt.

Paula Amols, assistant director of dining at Cornell University, has been named director of dining at Murray (KY) State University. She succeeds Richard Fritz, who left to take over as dining director at Northern Illinois University at the beginning of the current school year.

John DiPietro has been promoted to vice president of operations for FitzVogt, a contract management firm that is part of the Trusthouse Services Group. DiPietro began his career at FitzVogt in 1999 as the foodservice director for The Landmark, a senior residence in Fall River, MA.

Metz Culinary Management has promoted Jim Dickson to senior vice president of corporate dining, higher education, independent and K-12 schools, and Vanessa Weaver to director of marketing and sales.

Washington University in St. Louis Dining has rolled out a mobile application for Apple iPhones and iPads that lets students check menus, find dining locations and view nutritional information about menu items. The free app, available through Apple's App Store, was developed by a pair of engineering students at the school. They are working on a version for mobile devices using Windows and Android software as well.

Chartwells opened the first full-service location of a Bojangles restaurant unit on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in early November.

Macy's Stores plans to expand and overhaul its flagship store in Manhattan over the next four years. When finished, the store will have 22 restaurants and dining stations scattered throughout the store with a total seating of around a thousand.

There is no “Freshman 15” according to a study of more than 7,000 individuals from around the country conducted at the Ohio State University's Center for Human Resource Research and published in the journal Social Science Quarterly.

Aramark took home Best Restaurant honors at the annual Taste of the Vikings event in Minneapolis with a menu created by Regional Executive Chef Andrew Atwell. It included Wild Boar Tacos with Smoked Tomato Cilantro Salsa and Carmelized Onion Slaw, plus Candied Bacon Cinnamon Ice Cream with Pecan Brittle. The competition, sponsored by the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and designed to raise awareness for childhood hunger across the state, features participation by some of the Twin Cities' top restaurants.

Robert Wood, former head of foodservice management firm The Wood Co., has passed away at 67. Wood's father Milton W. (Scotty) Wood founded the firm in 1940. Robert Wood joined the company after graduating from Cornell University in 1967, and rose to succeed his father as company chairman in 1997.