KSU's Molt Wins IFMA Gold Plate

Mary Molt, PhD, RD, LD, assistant director of housing and dining services at Kansas State University, has won the IFMA Gold Plate Award, one of the highest honors in the foodservice industry. She becomes the third representative of the college and university dining segment to win the prestigious award in its 57-year history, following Gerald Ramsey of Southern Methodist University in 1967 and Villanova University's Tim Dietzler two years ago.

Molt, who became a candidate for the Gold Plate by winning the Silver Plate Award in the college dining category earlier this year, is an iconic figure in the onsite foodservice industry as well as in her particular segment. She has authored the last four editions of the volume feeding bible Food for Fifty, and co-authored another three. In addition, she helped develop the original Professional Standard Manual of the National Association of College & University Foodservices (NACUFS) and had a significant role in launching the prestigious Journal of Foodservice Management & Education.

Molt was presented the Gold Plate at IFMA's annual gala Gold & Silver Plate Awards Banquet in Chicago on the evening of May 7th, where all of this year's Silver Plate winners were also recognized. The Gold Plate winner is chosen from among these winners by secret ballot by the Gold & Silver Plate Awards committee and kept secret until revealed at the banquet.

Among the Silver Plate winners also being recognized at the gala event were Mark Freeman, senior manager of global employee services for Microsoft Corp. (Business & Industry); Dan Henroid, MS, RD, director of food & nutrition services for the University of California San Francisco Medical Center (Healthcare); Lyman Graham, foodservice's director for the Roswell ISD, Carlsbad Municipal Schools and Dexter Consolidated Schools in New Mexico (K-12 Schools); and Ricky Clark, CDM, CFPP, CFSM, CCFP, training and development coordinator supervisor for the Academy for Staff Development of the Virginia Dept. of Corrections (Specialty Foodservices).

A video of Molt receiving her award and making her acceptance remarks can be seen at the FM video site.