News                                             (Go here for articles about HFS.)

October 27, 2006

Café With a View

Vista Café opens on south campus 

On your next break, take a mini vacation! Vista Café, HFS’s newest addition, is convenient to south campus and still feels like a refreshing step away. Located at the south end of the new William H. Foege Building on the corner of Pacific St. and 15th Avenue, Vista offers a stunning 180-degree view of Portage Bay, with indoor seating as well as an outdoor patio. 

According to Rotunda & Vista Café Manager Dean Masuccio, the café will soon expand its selection and offer more items, such as grab ’n go sandwiches, sushi, a revival of Portage Bay Galley’s popular “Oodles” noodle bar—and omelettes made to order!

Stay tuned for updates. . .and in the meantime, head over to the Foege Building, where beautiful vistas await!

Where: William H. Foege Building, first floor 

Current hours:
8 a.m.–2 p.m.,
* Monday–Friday

* Hours will be extended soon.

May 15, 2006

First HFS 100 Percent Fair Trade Coffee Shop Opens

Move Made Possible by Introduction of Tully’s Fair Trade Certified^TM Espresso

On May 15, the University of Washington’s Department of Housing and Food Services (HFS) opened its first 100 percent Fair Trade Certified^TM coffee outlet. The conversion of the Atrium to 100 percent Fair Trade was made possible by an agreement reached in February by HFS, Tully’s Coffee and the Fair Trade Coffee Coalition (FTCC) – a group of UW students, faculty and staff – under which Tully’s, the exclusive coffee provider to HFS, pledged to develop the company’s first ever Fair Trade Certified espresso blend.

Along with Fair Trade espresso, Tully’s is introducing regular -- and eventually decaffeinated -- versions of its new Fair Trade Certified Evergreen Blend drip coffee. These new coffees, in addition to Tully’s existing Compadre and Husky Blends, will be served at the Atrium, making it the first 100 percent Fair Trade café operated by HFS.

The establishment of the Atrium as a 100 percent Fair Trade café is an important landmark in what has been a fruitful relationship among HFS, the Fair Trade Coffee Coalition and Tully’s Coffee. Since February’s agreement to develop a Fair Trade Certified  espresso, the three parties have collaborated on several events to promote Fair Trade coffee at the UW, including a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony in February, a taste testing of the new espresso blend in April and this week’s Fair Trade Faire.

“The conversion of the Atrium to a 100 percent Fair Trade café is a tremendous milestone for the University of Washington,” said UW sophomore and FTCC member Tara Olson. “HFS and Tully’s have been extremely receptive to the campus community’s call for more Fair Trade options, and the establishment of a Fair Trade café in the student union building attests to that fact. This move gives students, faculty and staff the opportunity to improve the lives of coffee-growing families around the world through their everyday on-campus purchases.”

“Tully’s sources only the best coffees in the world.  At the heart of this process are relationships built on sustainability, above Fair Trade prices and quality coffee,” said Rob Martin, vice president of merchandising and production for Tully’s Coffee. “We are thrilled that HFS and the UW Fair Trade Coffee Coalition have taken the extra step to expose the student population to the Fair Trade model and the issue of sustainability in the coffee supply chain.”

The University’s Department of Housing and Food Services is similarly enthusiastic about the establishment of the Atrium as a Fair Trade coffee shop. “The Atrium has become known for featuring many sustainable and fair trade products,” said Barbara Smith, marketing manager for HFS. “And, with its convenient central campus location in the HUB, selecting the Atrium to become a 100 percent certified fair trade café was a natural choice. We couldn’t have done this without Tully’s support and expertise. The espresso Tully’s developed for us is fantastic and exceeds all our expectations."

March 6, 2006

Recycling in residence halls gets easier

Since January, an improved and easier-to-use recycling method has been in effect in all the campus residence halls. Paper, glass bottles, cans, plastic containers and cardboard are now recyclable via what is called single stream recycling. That means all these products can now be placed in one 96-gallon bin that has been located on each residence hall floor. (Remaining trash continues to go into a second bin.)

“This allows more items to be taken out of the waste stream,” said Michael Glidden, Facilities Manager for Residential Services, Housing and Food Services.

Previously, students needed to take paper and other recyclables to dumpsters outside the buildings. Glidden has been working for several years with a number of campus groups to upgrade residence hall recycling, including Recycling Program Operations, Environmental Health and Safety and a student group, SEED (Students Expressing Environmental Dedication).

During the first month of the new plan, recycling dramatically increased in the residence halls. Recycling Program Operations Manager Pat Kaufman did a comparison with last year and, according to her, the residence halls are accounting for an increase in campus recycling by about 12 tons per month. (Campus recycling went from 14.34 tons in December 2005 to 26.94 tons in January 2006, when the residence halls changes went into effect.)

November 15, 2005

Student IDs available at new Husky Card Account & ID Center

  
Students can now receive their student identification card at a new location—the Husky Card Account & ID Center next to the By George Cafe in the Odegaard Undergraduate Library. “This will be easier for the students,” said Sherry Ochsner, Manager, Husky Card. “We will now be able to offer them the opportunity to get their student ID and to put funds in their Husky Card Account at the same place.”

To receive your student identification card, go to the Husky Card Account Office/Student ID Center, on the ground floor of the Odegaard Undergraduate Library, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Husky Card Account is a convenient debit account that all currently enrolled UW students and employees can establish. It is accepted all over campus and by many local merchants—just present your Husky Card to the cashier when paying. There are no annual fees or transaction fees, no minimum deposit, and all deposits are 100-percent refundable.

For a complete list of locations accepting Husky Card Account on the Web, go to http://hfs.washington.edu/husky_card/places/. For more information, call 543-7222.

October 24, 2005

Eleven 01 goes Wi-Fi

Eat, drink and send email at Eleven 01, the dining facility in the Terry/Lander residence halls. If you have a valid UWNetID, then you can connect via 802.11 a/b/g wireless. The name of the wireless network is "University of Washington," the same as it is for other locations on campus such as the HUB and the Odegaard Undergraduate Library. Note: If you have questions concerning the connection of your laptop, contact help@cac.

August 31, 2005

Student employment application now online

The hiring process for student employees just got easier for the students and those who hire them. Job seekers can now go online to the Housing and Food Services student jobs page and apply using the Student Employment Application. “It’s an online tool that allows a student to input an application into our student applicant database for one or more available departmental student jobs,” said Human Resources Specialist Bryan Verity.

“That means no more hand-written, mailed in applications,” added Human Resources Specialist Stephanie Lindsey. “Now an application is just a point, click and a link away for the computer-savvy UW students.”

“The application is our first in-house development of a web-based application using the asp.net tool,” said IT Technical Supervisor Doug Miyata, who worked with Stephanie and Bryan on the project. Developed on time and under budget, the Student Employment Application allows staff to post jobs, receive applications and process the applicants to fill the positions online. Another benefit of the database is the manager’s ability to search for applicants based on their inputted schedule of availability. 

July 22, 2005

UW Chefs add spice to August 12 fundraiser

In addition to the fine work they do at the University’s restaurants, the members of the culinary team also flex their creative muscles by participating in area fundraisers. Their next opportunity takes place on Friday, August 12, 7:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., at the 10th Annual Pike Place Market Sunset Supper.

A fundraiser for the Market Foundation, the event raises money to help people in need in downtown Seattle. Last year’s Sunset Supper brought in more than $85,000 for the Market’s Clinic, Senior Center, Preschool and Food Bank. This year’s taste-filled evening will feature 70 restaurants, wineries, breweries and beverage companies, including the talented team from UW Food Services.

“It's something chef Eric Lenard and I came up with off the top of our heads. . .something we know will be good,” says Jacob Moyer, chef at the Husky Den and formerly of Kaspar's and Szmania’s. He’s referring to a citrus cured salmon roll with shaved fennel and arugula salad. Moyer says the salmon, sliced very thin and cured (similar to gravlax), is seasoned with salt, sugar and citrus zest. The salad is enlivened with a citrus vinaigrette.

Kathy Hanken, a chef at Eleven 01, has created a lemongrass pork summer roll filled with Vietnamese table salad and served with roasted mango/chili sauce. “I love fresh summer rolls,” says Kathy, who was previously engaged at restaurants such as Sorrento, Café Juanita and Third Floor Fish Café.  “The contrast of flavors and textures comes in a tidy little package that fits neatly into your mouth.” She notes that the tender lemongrass flavored pork is in rich contrast to the crisp, cool carrots, bean sprouts and diakon filling the rice paper wrapper. “And the roasted mango is a sweet counterpoint to the tangy chilies in the sauce. It all says summer and alfresco dining to me.”

Cocktail nibbles: Tracey MacRae, chef at McMahon 8, offers two savory cheesecakes. The first is cabrales blue and bacon. “Cabrales is a Spanish blue that comes from the Northwest region of Spain,” says Tracey, who created contemporary soul food at the Kingfish Café. “It is primarily a cows’ milk cheese that can have some sheep and goats’ milk as well. Cave aged, it is a sharp, piquant cheese that is both creamy and crumbly.” Chef MacRae combines this cheese with hardwood smoked bacon.

Her second cheesecake offering combines Humboldt fog and prosciutto. “Humboldt fog is made from goats’ milk, and its characteristics include a central layer and outer covering of ash, and a smooth, tangy flavor,” says MacRae. “It is mold-ripened and goes soft around the edges before the center.” The cheese is combined with frizzled prosciutto and, like the first cheesecake, is served cocktail-sized with a smoked paprika and tomato “jam” that is made with roasted tomatoes, cane syrup and fresh herbs.

April 2005

UW dining spot claims Best of Show

Eleven 01 Café and Lounge in Terry-Lander Hall took Best of Show honors in Food Management Magazine's annual Best Concepts award competition. "We already considered the University of Washington dining facilities some of the industry's 'Best of Class' retail foodservice operations when we first reported in March 2003 on its renovations of Husky Den at the student union and of '8' in McMahon Hall," noted the magazine in its April cover story. "While Eleven 01 has scores of innovative features, its most impressive characteristic is its seamless integration of space, cuisines, and serving and seating areas in to a blended unity. The result is a whole experience much greater than the sum of its parts." (See related story below.)

November 19, 2004

Goodbye cafeteria, hello restaurant

What was once a standard university cafeteria is now a contemporary dining experience. Welcome to Eleven 01, the latest University of Washington dining area to be completely revamped in both design and cuisine. Open since the start of autumn quarter, the combination café and convenience store is located in Terry-Lander Hall at the campus’s southwest corner.

The feel is more downtown Seattle chic than college dorm drab, and the space incorporates warm greens and reds for wall coloring, multilevel seating choices and open-display cooking stations. Don’t be surprised to see a bit of Chinatown with barbecued meats hanging in a traditional “hotbox.”

Eleven 01 features three distinct food realms:

• The Triple “S” for soups, salads and sandwiches,
• 4 Corners Kitchen, with rotating cuisine choices from around the world, and
• 5 Spice Wok—pan-Asian dishes, prepared right before you.

For those on the go, there’s 2 Convenient, a combination espresso and convenience shop.

At a cost of $8 million, Eleven 01 is the final project of the 1997 Food Services Strategic Plan, which was the blueprint for making dramatic changes in menus and facilities. Campus visitors and non-Terry Hall residents are welcome to dine until 7 p.m. (No checks, debit or credit cards, please.) For more information, visit the Eleven 01 page.

July 12, 2003

Husky Den wins Loyal E. Horton Dining Award grand prize

At its national convention in Kansas City, Missouri, July 8-12, the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) named Husky Den at the University of Washington the grand-prize winner of the Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards in the Retail Sales/Multiple Concepts. Husky Den won first-place honors in the large school category in May and went on to compete against the medium and small school first-place winners for the grand prize. (See related story.)

May 12, 2003

Husky Den wins first-place honors in national competition

Husky Den, the University of Washington's largest campus dining facility, has won first-place honors in the 2003 Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards competition in the Retail Sales/Multiple Concepts category for a large school. The prestigious award, sponsored by the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS), is the ultimate professional tribute in college and university culinary arts. The award salutes the most successful ideas in menus, presentations, special event planning, and new dining concepts.

The Husky Den entry highlighted the food court's nine branded concepts-seven of which are self-branded-focusing on the menus, food merchandising and presentation, and marketing aspects of the University's most popular dining location. Husky Den goes on to compete for the grand prize in the retail category against the first-place winners from the medium school and small school. The winner of the grand prize will be announced at the NACUFS 2003 National Convention, July 8-12, in Kansas City, Missouri.