Kent State University chefs (from left to right) Andrew
Eith, Joel Nichols, Timothy Wright and Claudia Peck
display certificates and silver medals that they won in the
ACF Sanctioned Category F Team Mystery Box competition
at the 21st Annual Chef Culinary Conference that took
place recently at the University of Massachusetts.

Kent State University’s Dining Services is preparing for the fall semester as it brings new additions to the dining halls, including recently qualified chefs to the kitchens.

Kent State Brings New Dining Options and Updated Menus

Two new restaurants are expected to appear at the Hub in the Kent Student Center this fall: Wow Bao and Wholly Habanero. Wow Bao, an Asian restaurant that serves traditional Asian buns, and noodle and rice bowls, will take the place of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs and Arthur Treacher’s. Wholly Habanero will replace Jump! Asian Express, and serve fresh, create-your-own Mexican burritos, bowls and salads.

Richard Roldan, Kent State’s director of Dining Services, says the new restaurants will add variety and diversity to the Hub's dining options.

“We’ll now have a Mexican concept and an Asian concept to complement the other national brands, which will give the Hub a diverse mix,” Roldan says.

Prentice Hall also will experience some changes in an effort to create a fresh and updated atmosphere for both the dining and market areas of the hall. The renovations also will allow Dining Services to expand Prentice Hall’s menu and provide more variety to guests. Roldan says faculty, staff and students should expect new menus as Kent State’s chefs explore more international flavors, especially Asian, Brazilian and Latin tastes.

Kent State’s food truck, Fork in the Road, also will continue to develop new and exciting menu items. The truck will feature local and seasonal ingredients, but still serve some of the crowd favorites, such as the Spanish rice bowls, chorizo mac and cheese and Chef Christian’s Summit Street Burger, to the Kent Campus community.

Along with incorporating new flavors to the menus, chefs will continue to create allergen-free dishes as part of Kent State’s Simple Servings, an allergen-safe dining platform at the Eastway Dining Center. Registered dietitian Megan Cascaldo joined the Kent State Dining Services’ team this year to further address specific dietary needs on campus. She and university chefs plan to work together to increase awareness about healthy lifestyles and address the needs of students with specialty diets.

“With our menus and everything we’re doing this year, there’s going to be continued improvements in what we’re serving and a larger variety of foods,” Roldan says.

Kent State Chefs Bring Expertise to the Kitchen

Dining Services also will have three certified executive chefs leading its kitchens this fall. Andrew Eith, Michael Fiala and Timothy Wright all received their certifications this summer from the American Culinary Federation after completing a hands-on cooking exam, as well as a written exam.

“These certifications show the commitment we have to quality and standards for food here on campus,” Roldan says. “We are committed to having our staff get the training that they need to better themselves and to have the knowledge and ability to teach our team.”

Wright says earning the title of certified executive chef has been a lifelong goal of his, and he hopes that his certification will motivate other chefs to strive for culinary excellence.

Kent State University chefs Andrew Eith, Claudia Peck
and Joel Nichols are closely watched by a judge while
preparing ingredients for their award-winning menu at the
the ACF Sanctioned Category F Team Mystery Box competition
at the 21st Annual Chef Culinary Conference that took
place recently at the University of Massachusetts.

“The chefs we have on campus have formal training and education from culinary schools around the country, but to have this credentialing as well would be an even greater complement to their arsenal of culinary diversity,” Wright says. “Getting this certification has been on my back burner, and I finally moved it to the front and brought it to fruition.”

Wright, along with six other chefs from Kent State, also refined their culinary skills at the 21st Annual Chef Culinary Conference at the University of Massachusetts. There, they learned new culinary techniques and participated in competitions, winning a silver medal in the ACF Sanctioned Category F Team Mystery Box competition.

“We were given a list of ingredients and then were told to create four dishes in two hours only using two butane stove tops,” Wright says.

Roldan also sent his chefs to Indianapolis, July 22-25, for the National Association of College and University Food Services National Conference where they explored more culinary trends and visited the Culinary Vegetable Institute. There, the culinary team toured the gardens and practiced new cooking techniques with the local, fresh vegetables and herbs found in the garden.

“Conferences are an opportunity to meet with our peers, talk about the industry, and look at best practices and share ideas” Roldan says. “We’ve got a lot of talent on this campus now, and it’s amazing to see all that they’re doing.”

For more information about Kent State’s Dining Services, visit www.kent.edu/dining.

For more information about the American Culinary Federation’s certifications, visit www.acfchefs.org.

For more information about the Chef Culinary Conference, visit www.chefculinaryconference.com.

For more information about the National Association of College and University Food Services National Conference, visit www.nacufs.org/professional-development-national-conference.