University Dining is hosting an “Inclusive Excellence Lunch” on Thursday, April 17 as part of the ASPIRE Week Celebrations. Guests will enjoy a variety of cultural cuisines representing countries from around the world, including the extremely popular Mexican Birria Tacos! The menu will also offer German, Ukrainian, French, Indian, Moroccan, and Filippino dishes, along with the Top of the CRUC’s regular Thursday fare – American Chicken Wings and Buffalo Cauliflower.

Lunch service is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.. The charge for members of UMW’s faculty and staff is $7.40.  EagleOne and credit cards are accepted.  The price for other guests is $15.51.  For additional information, contact Rose Benedict, University Dining Marketing Manager, at rbenedic@umw.edu or call 540-654-2169.

University Dining is seeking feedback about services from students, faculty and staff through a short online survey. You may access the survey here.

The dining team uses the survey responses to help determine future enhancements to the dining program. Responses to the survey are confidential. Your contact information will not be shared with outside sources, nor will it be used to solicit purchases.

However, if you choose to enter the drawing to win a $100 VISA gift card, you will need to provide your name and e-mail address so you can be contacted in the event you are the prize winner.  The survey is open through March 28th.

You may access the survey here.

If you have questions about the survey, contact Rose Benedict, Dining Marketing Manager, at rbenedic@umw.edu.

As part of their Women’s History and National Nutrition Month programming, University Dining will be hosting a free “Lunch & Learn” event on Tuesday, Mar. 18 featuring local culinary talent Joy Crump, Executive Chef and co-owner of Fredericksburg’s Foode+Mercantile restaurants.

The event will take place on Tuesday, Mar. 18 at the Top of the CRUC from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is no charge to participate, but it is limited to the first 40 students, faculty and staff who make reservations.  To sign up for the event, e-mail Marketing Manager Rose Benedict, rbenedic@umw.edu or fill out the reservation form on Google forms.

Joy appeared on Season 12 of Bravo’s Emmy-winning show “Top Chef”, and she was named a 2023 James Beard Semi-Finalist, Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. The Dining team is very excited to have someone of her stature share her knowledge and talents with our campus community.

Joy apprenticed under Atlanta-based farm-to-table industry pioneer Chef Michael Tuohy, and she brings that commitment to using fresh, local ingredients to all of her culinary endeavors.  At her “Lunch & Learn” event, Chef Joy will be demonstrating how to create a power bowl meal that is quick, delicious, nutritious, and made with simple, fresh, local, affordable ingredients. Chef Joy will talk about why foods like this make sense for people who are active, busy, short on time, on the move, have limited resources, etc.  Once participants learn how to make this power bowl, they’ll be able to interchange the ingredients for an almost infinite number of other possibilities.   

 

University Dining will host it’s annual Health & Wellness Fair on Wednesday, Mar. 12 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Chandler Ballroom and second floor lobby of the Cedric Rucker University Center.  The fair will include exhibitors and vendors that provide products or services that promote physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellness.

Participants include health care providers, massage therapists, fitness trainers, a martial arts center, a holistic healing station, spas, addiction support groups, an apothecary, assisted living locators, an Elysian float spa, campus recreation, and many others. Those who attend the fair may get free blood pressure checks, free neck massages, lots of free samples, and opportunities to win a variety of door prizes, including a $100 VISA gift card.

The fair is free and open to everyone in the campus and Fredericksburg communities. To see a complete list of all the fair exhibitors, visit University Dining’s website, or e-mail Dining@UMW.edu for details.

In partnership with the James Farmer Multicultural Center, University Dining will be hosting three special dining events at the Top of the Cedric Rucker University Center to celebrate Black History Month.  For authenticity, the menus for each event were determined in collaboration with the students in the Black Student Association, African Student Union, and UMW’s NAACP.

Feb. 4: A Southern Soul Food Lunch kicks off the celebrations on Tuesday, February 4th.  The lunch will be served between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and will feature Southern Fried Chicken, Maple Peach-Glazed Smoked Pit Ham, Collard Greens, Candied Yams, Buttermilk Biscuits and many other traditional southern soul food dishes.

Feb: 11: A Dinner showcasing African Cuisine will be served on Tuesday, February 11th from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  One of the menu highlights will be Sambusas, which require many hours of advanced preparation in order to have the quantity needed to feed over 800 guests. To assist with this enormous task, members of the African Student Union will generously be giving their time and talents to assemble the Sambusas the night before the dinner. Along with the Sambusas,  the menu will include Jollof Rice, Tibs, Nigerian Pepper Soup, and many other African dishes.

Feb. 25: A *Mardi Gras Dinner will conclude the Black History Month celebrations. It will be served from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25th, and will feature Caribbean, Creole, and Cajun cuisines.  Guests will enjoy a menu that includes Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice, Curry Chicken, Roti, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, King Cake, and Beignets.

For additional information about the menus, prices or other aspects of the events, contact Rose Benedict, rbenedic@umw.edu or call 540-654-2169.

*The dining room will be closed between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 25th in order to prepare for the Mardi Gras event.

University Dining will be hosting a Valentine Treat Shop in the lobby of the Cedric Rucker University Center between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. February 12th through the 14th.  Shoppers will be able to purchase cake pops, heart-shaped cookie pops, chocolate chunk hazelnut brownies, and cupcakes with salted caramel, chocolate or raspberry fillings – all prepared and decorated for Valentine’s Day by the University Dining bakers.

These holiday bakery items may also be purchased through the University Dining online Gift Shop.  Items may be ordered through February 9th and will be available for pick-up at the Valentine Treat Shop February 12th through February 14th.  For additional information, contact Rose Benedict at rbenedic@umw.edu or call 540-654-2169.

The Stop Hunger Food Drive, which is co-sponsored by University Dining and the UMW Department of Athletics, has been extended to Friday, November 22nd.  The athletes have already collected over 6300 pounds of food that was donated to both the Gwen Hale Resource Center (GHRC) and the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank. The dining team is hoping to collect additional food items that will all be given directly to the GHRC.

Donation boxes can be found in every campus restaurant. They are wrapped in red plastic and have brightly colored signs indicating that they are designated for the Stop Hunger food drive.  All non-perishable food items that are within their expiration dates are welcome.

For additional information, contact Rose Benedict, rbenedic@umw.edu, 540-654-2169.

All members of the University of Mary Washington faculty and staff are invited to attend several special dining events that will be hosted at the Top of the CRUC in the next couple of weeks.  These events include:

The Latino Melting Pot Dinner – Tuesday, September 24th, 5pm to 8pm. This event is co-sponsored with the Latino Student Association and will feature a wide variety of Hispanic cuisines in celebration of Latino Identities Month. Costs: Faculty and staff $7.40; Guests with meal plans 1 meal swipe or $14.92 Flex Dollars; Other guests $17.23 plus tax.

Hispanic themed “Eat Local” event, Monday, September 30th, 5pm to 8pm. This event features dishes from local restaurants Juan More Tacos and El Vaso Loco. Costs for this dining event: Faculty and Staff $7.40; Guests with meal plans 1 meal swipe or $13.54 Flex Dollars; Other Guests $16.08 plus tax.

Global Cafe, Wednesday, October 2nd, 5pm to 8pm.  This annual event is co-sponsored by the Center for International Education. Guests will enjoy  culinary treats from around the world while learning about UMW’s Study Abroad programs. Costs: Faculty and staff $7.40; Guests with meal plans 1 meal swipe or $14.92 Flex; Other guests $17.23 plus tax.

For more details about these events, contact Rose Benedict, rbenedic@umw.edu or call 540-654-2169.