FSD News: Tenn Tech Eyes Eales, Profits; Aramark Makes Olympic Team

Administrators at Tennessee Tech Univ. in Cookeville have a new contract with Chartwells. Plus: Elementary schools in Topeka, KS, switch to prepared meals.

Administrators at Tennessee Tech Univ. in Cookeville predict improved foodservice and consequently increased sales and profits this school year as a result of their new contract with Chartwells College and University Dining Services.

TTU turned over its foodservice operations to Chartwells last month. Terry Rector, v.p. for business and fiscal affairs, projects that students will benefit from better dining facilities, while the yearly foodservice commission will exceed previous profits by approx. $300,000 to $400,000.

Time to change: Rector says that until July the univ. was the "only state public institution" still operating its own foodservices, but adds that bringing in a contractor was a necessary change.

"The contract provides substantial dollars for renovation of our facilities--roughly a $3.5 million investment over a five-year period," he adds.

IN OTHER NEWS:

--SPECIAL EVENTS: Aramark has won the contract to supply foodservice for the Olympic Village at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. It's Aramark's 13th "Olympic" win, during which the contractor will serve more than two million meals to athletes, coaches and officials.

--HIGHER EDUCATION: Marietta (OH) College has signed Chartwells to handle its foodservices. College spokesman Tom Perry says the campus is looking to expand its dining selection and fill some gaps in service--specifically the needs of the campus' vegetarian, vegan and Asian populations. The foodservice team will also renovate existing facilities including the campus' main food facility, Gilman dining Hall.

--SCHOOLS: The Topeka (KS) School Dist. is eliminating all meal preparation at the elementary level this month, and outfitting site kitchens with merely freezers and ovens that will store and retherm meals shipped fully prepared from the dist.'s supplier. Daily menus will feature three selections from ConAgra's 'The Max Meals' product line, which includes entrees packaged with side dishes in compartment containers.

-- COLUMBIA NAMES LEVITAS DIR.: Larry Levitas is the new dir. of dining services at Columbia Univ. in New York, succeeding Scott Wright, who is now asst. vice president of housing and dining. Levitas joined Columbia last January, having worked at Au Bon Pain as dir. of U.S. franchise operations. Prior to Columbia, Wright worked as an Aramark district manager in three western states.

-- NISH FIRMS SUPPORT IRAQ EFFORT: Four NISH programs are providing, collectively, more than 22 million pounds of dried milk to support the Iraqi humanitarian effort administered by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture through the World Food Programme. The dried milk is shipped in four-pound bags and, when mixed with water, yields nearly 5 gallons of drinkable milk per bag. The participating NISH programs are: Arc-Diversified, Cookeville, TN; Knox Cty. ARC, Vincennes, IN; CW Resources, New Britain, CT; and Transylvania Vocational Svcs., Brevard, NC.

-- LTC CHEF WINS FOOD CHALLENGE: John O'Connor, exec. chef of Glacier Hills, a retirement community in Ann Arbor, MI, where HDS Svcs. manages foodservice, won first place in the Sysco Chef Challenge held last month at a Sysco Food Show in Novi, MI. He competed against six chefs (picked from a pool of 200) and prepared the winning dish of Cornmeal Crusted Lake Trout With Crispy Fried Potatoes and Tropical Fruit Salsa, using six mystery ingredients. Glacier Hills residents are winners as well--the dish will become part of the community's menu.

-- ASSOCIATION UPDATE: The Natl. Society for Healthcare Foodservice Mgmt. (HFM) has selected five member consultants to provide up to one hour of free consulting services to operator members through its Consultant Assistance Program (C.A.P.). Participating firms are: The Hysen Group, Ruck-Shockey Associates, Don Miller & Associates, Romano-Gatland, and Ricca Newmark Design/Envisions. For details on the program and to see the application form and background on each of the C.A.P. firms, visit the Member Services section and click on C.A.P. Program at www.hfm.org.