MISSOULA — The University of Montana's Lodge Dining Center has won a national award less than two years after opening its doors.
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Tony Martinez, the residential dining executive sous chef, told MTN they landed the "new dining facility of the year" grand prize award at the National Association of College and University Food Services annual conference.
The two-story dining hall can host nearly 1,000 guests and features over 1,000 new recipes according to Richard Huffman, the campus dining executive director.
Martinez said the operation is a complex one.
"There's a lot of moving parts. We have seven different micro restaurants and over 30 employees."
The menu leans heavily on local ingredients, including Montana ground beef used in all of the facility's burgers. Martinez said 95% of the food served is scratch made.
The Lodge was also recognized for its sustainability efforts. Martinez said a committee works to reduce the facility's environmental footprint.
"We have a sustainability committee, that works really hard for the things like, you know, composting and keeping our waste out of landfills."
Richard Huffman, the campus dining executive director, said years of careful planning went into the facility's design and menu.
"It took three years to put this building up. Our culinary team spent two years developing over 1,000 new recipes that they had to put into our menu management system."
For Huffman, a main goal throughout the entire process remained making students feel at home.
"This is their living room. It's their first time away from home. They're freshmen on meal plans and it's most likely where they're going to meet their best friends for life from college. And so we want to make that inviting. And warm and welcoming and I think we accomplished that."
The awards are now on display at the facility. For Martinez, they serve as a reminder that the hard work pays off.
For more information on the recent dining awards click here.
