The National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) Midwest Regional Conference will be held Feb. 28-March 2 at the University of Northern Iowa. During two interest sessions, MSU Culinary Services Corporate Chef Kurt Kwiatkowski and representatives from the American Egg Board and National Pork Board will share knowledge to help attendees increase efficiencies and evolve partnerships.
The first session presented in a case study format focuses on innovating with rolled omelets. Chef Kurt and Chef Robert Dahni, a non-commercial foodservice consultant for the American Egg Board, will take the audience through a series of stages, including opportunities to improve, solve inefficiencies, plan and diagram a rolled omelet station, test recipes, host a dining hall venue takeover and make further improvements based on student feedback.
During a second interest session, Chef Kurt and Neel Sahni, the manager of national channel marketing and innovation for the Pork Board, will share how MSU and Pork Checkoff have collaborated to reach beyond the campus community to prospective students. In addition to highlighting education for staff and students, they’ll touch on demonstration events, product development and valuable resources to build long-standing relationships.
Beyond educational sessions, the conference offers unique opportunities for networking and skill building. The Culinary Challenge on March 1 allows chefs from the Midwest to compete in a time bound cooking competition. Sous Chef Ryan Barlow, who serves as operations coordinator for ON-THE-GO Food Truck and the Corporate Kitchen, won the internal campus challenge on Dec. 17. He’ll compete at the NACUFS Midwest Regional, representing MSU and vying for the opportunity to advance to the NACUFS National Conference.