This year’s Culinary Olympics was extra special, celebrating our 20th year in 2020!  Thank you to not only all of our talented chefs and bakers who participated in the recipe contest and Boiling Point competition, but also to the judges and coordinators who took time out of their day to make this event a success. Extra special thanks to Sysco Corporate Executive Chef Neil Doherty for his informative presentation and demo of vegetarian barbacoa quesadilla and plant-based bibimbap. Congratulations to all the winners!

RECIPE CONTEST WINNERS

APPETIZERS

1st Place
Won Ton Quartet
Bill McKay

2nd Place
Ceviche Style Shrimp Cocktail
Donna Johnston

3rd Place
Beet and Radish Salad
Alexis Saucier

ENTREES

1st Place
Braised Oxtail Ragu over Blue Cheese Polenta Kyle Davis

2nd Place
Roasted Rack of Lamb with Sweet Potato Orzo Kathy Halgren

3rd Place
Jerk Chicken with Mango Slaw
Lucinda Simms

DESSERTS

1st Place
Ruby and Gold
Alexis Saucier

2nd Place
Going Green Milkshake (CBD Infused mint chocolate chip milkshake) Curtis Bangs

3rd Place
Maple Pecan Baklava with Cranberry Coulis
Sarah Rose

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BOILING POINT WINNERS

Mystery Basket of Ingredients:

• Frog Legs
• Porcini Mushroom Powder Pistachios
• Cornbread
• Chia-Raspberry Jam
• French Meat Pie
• Oat Milk

1st Place – Gelfenbien 2 – Charlie String, Amy Gronus, Donna Johnston

Tapas 1 – Pistachio Encrusted Hopping Pops w/Tropical Salsa
Tapas 2 – Canadian Burger on Crostini w/Balsamic Cranberry Reduction
Tapas 3 – Jalapeño Cornbread Bellini

2nd Place – USM – Dan Malinak, Keith Gilbert, Kyle Davis

Tapas 1 – Lollipop Frog Legs w/Raspberry Chia BBQ Carrot Slaw
Tapas 2 – Asian Beef Wonton w/Chili Soy Mixed Greens & Toasted Pumpkin Seed
Tapas 3 – Chili Spiced Cornbread w/Raspberry Chia Whipped Cream & Pistachio Brittle

3rd Place – Whitney 3 – Ann Marie Meres, Lynn Zanlungo, Jennifer Anderson

Tapas 1 – Cornbread Dressing “from the River”
Tapas 2 – Frenchmeat Scotch Egg w/Oatmilk Beurre Blanc
Tapas 3 – Raspberry Chia Zabaglione w/Candied Pistachios

Honorable Mention for Best Plate Overall

Team 4 – Gelfenbien 1 – Curtis Bangs, Gary Ellis, Lucinda Simms – Crepe ala Curtis

Fox 61:

Slideshow | Video

https://fox61.com/2020/01/14/uconn-hold-20th-culinary-olympics/

Willimantic Chronicle

UConn chefs boiling over with creative ideas (link no longer available)

SUMMER HOURS

• Tuesdays: 11am-3:30pm
• Thursdays: 11am-3:30pm

Summer 2026: Hours begin May 12th; closed July 2

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FALL & SPRING SEMESTER HOURS

• Tuesdays: 11am-6pm
• Thursdays: 11am-4pm
• Fridays: 11am-1:30pm

Exam Week: normal hours

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If the University closes due to inclement weather on a day that Husky Harvest is open, the pantry will also close.

If Husky Harvest hours do not align with your schedule, please refer to the additional resources section below.

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LOCATION

Charter Oak Apartments Community Center
916 Tower Court Road, Storrs, CT 06268

Accessible via the UConn Blue Line – bus stop is across the street from the pantry.

A few designated parking spots are available for the pantry.

Don’t forget to bring your UConn ID. The pantry has a limited supply of bags. Please bring a reusable grocery bag with you, just in case. Thank you!

Details on the regional campus pantries can be found at huskyharvest.uconn.edu

HUSKY HARVEST STORRS PANTRY IS IN NEED OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:

Canned goods, tuna, cereal, peanut butter, soups, and canned vegetables. Home basics such as toilet paper, dish detergent, and clothes detergent. Toiletries such as shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste. All food needs to be nonperishable.

Why toiletries & home basics? Toiletries and home basics are frequently requested, and these items are typically unavailable from the food banks and local businesses that supply the pantry.

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DONATION DROP-OFF LOCATIONS

Please do not drop off at the pantry. Donation items can only be accepted at the following locations.

• UConn Dining Commissary: 30 Gurleyville Rd, Storrs (M-F; 6am-4pm)
• Student Union Food Court (lower level): Look for the bright green drop-off box on a counter (near the entrance/exit closest to McHugh Hall – Student Union hours)
• UConn Dining Main Office: Towers Residence Halls – Wade Building, 3384 Towers Loop Rd
  (M-F; 8am-5pm) – a donation box is available within our lobby area.

If you need more assistance or information about finding these locations, please contact us via our online form.

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OTHER WAYS YOU CAN HELP

CT Resources

• Get Help from CT Foodshare
  • Find Food, Apply for SNAP, Help Beyond Food, Recipes & Nutrition
• endhungerct.org (SNAP pre-screener)

Meal Prep on a Budget

• workweeklunch.com/budget-meal-prep
• collegelifemadeeasy.com/cheap-healthy-meals-college-students

UConn Resources

• UConn Student Parents
• UConn Dean of Students Office
  • UConn Swipes
    The Swipe Out Hunger Program aims to provide students who are food-insecure and/or experiencing an emergency with access to healthy, well-balanced meals in our campus dining halls. Currently enrolled UConn students can contact the Dean of Students’ Office to determine eligibility for this program.
  • Short-Term Emergency Loans
  • Students First Fund

Other Local Pantries

• Storrs Congregational Church, located on campus, has an Emergency Food Pantry. Their pantry is open Mondays from 12 – 2 p.m.,  and Thursdays from 2:30  – 5:00 pm.  For questions, email: SCCfoodpantry@storrscongchurch.org | 2 North Eagleville Rd.
• Mansfield Mobile Food Pantry
• Covenant Soup Kitchen

Questions – please use our contact form at draft.dining.uconn.edu/questions-and-comments

Volunteering – Thank you for the consideration; however, the pantry is staffed.

Information on all the UConn food pantries can be found at huskyharvest.uconn.edu

Husky Harvest (Storrs) Updates: Follow UConn Dining on Facebook & Instagram.

Dining Services hosted the 22nd Annual Culinary Olympics on Tuesday, January 10th, at Putnam Dining Hall. This annual event showcases the skills of UConn Dining chefs through an individual recipe competition in the morning and a team-based “Chopped”- style competition called “Boiling Point” in the afternoon. The event was free and open to the public. Twenty-one chefs participated in Boiling Point, and 11 chefs participated in the recipe contest. Each event had a panel of judges from the food industry. 

Check out all the details, photos, recipes, and winners at https://draft.dining.uconn.edu/culinary-olympics/

Current Position at UConn Dining Services: Location Supervisor for 3 years at Mango

History at UConn Dining:  I started working at UConn Dining when I was in high school, in the Commons Dining Hall in 1984. I have worked at UConn for most of my life. Positions have included:

Jonathans Restaurant Supervisor
Production Kitchen
Location Lead & Location Supervisor at Union Street Market

What do you love about your job at UConn/UConn Dining: I love working with the students and value all the friendships I have gained throughout the years. I like to believe that I have made a little difference in the lives of the students I have worked with. I know that I continue to learn every day from the diversity of students that I come in contact with. I do believe this career keeps me young at heart.

What is something you like to do in your spare time? photography, drone photography, going to the beach, mountains, and sunrises on Horsebarn Hill

Do you have a favorite menu item at UConn: UConn Dairy Bar ice cream

What activities or events have you enjoyed being a part of at UConn?: I love to promote special events for Dining. Some events have included: Opening day baseball, Super Bowl, Hawaiian shirt days, Mardi Gras, and Spirit Weeks. These special events were accompanied by special menus and included the Dining staff, who participated in fun attire to match. Most recently, we hosted a UConn Final Four event at Mango, which included blue-and-white smoothies and our own Mango Mike!

Current Position at UConn Dining Services: Validine Operator at McMahon for the last 5 years – validine operators greet all the students and guests at the dining hall and assist them with questions, tapping their OneCards, and meal purchase transactions.

What was your journey before coming to UConn? I graduated from nearby E.O. Smith High School, taught English in Brazil for 3 years, worked at CT Bank and Trust and also as a nurse aide.

What has been your journey at UConn Dining? I started at UConn in 1994 as a validine operator at Russell A&B. Other positions included receptionist at the Dining main office, receptionist at Jonathan’s Restaurant, chef assistant, location lead, and kitchen assistant. Although I retired from full-time employment, I am still at McMahon on a part time basis.

What do you love about your job? I love interacting with the students and visitors. I treat the kids like they are mine. I love listening to their stores and adventures. I am a huge sports fan and over the years I have bonded and kept in touch with a lot of the student athletes and other students on social media.

What is your favorite menu item at UConn? I love the food at McMahon! My favorite item is salmon and steamed veggies.

What are some fond memories you have of your time at UConn? We used to have a barbecue every week at Jonathan’s Restaurant. I liked helping serve and prepare food. My special memories are working with different types of people. South was my favorite dining hall. I trained a lot of kitchen assistants.

I love cooking for the creativity, taking simple ingredients and enhancing their flavors to create a new dish.

Connections to UConn for Chef Sean Hawkins have truly come full circle.

Growing up in Mansfield, Hawkins attended Windham Tech, during which he took on internships at UConn’s South Dining Hall and Union Street Market. After graduating from Windham Tech, he enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America and completed an internship at Le Cellier Steakhouse, one of Disney World’s most-booked restaurants. After receiving his Associate of Occupational Studies in Culinary Arts in 2009 he went on to work at country clubs in Florida and Connecticut.

Sean’s first sous-chef position brought him to the Spa at Norwich Inn, named “Best Destination Spa in New England” by Yankee Magazine. He continued his passion for cooking locally, refining his skills at places like Dog Lane Café, The Whelk, a farm-to-table restaurant in Westport, and Fenton River Grill in Mansfield.

Sean returned to UConn in November 2018 and has worked as a chef at Putnam Dining Hall, Northwest Dining Hall, and the campus restaurant, Bistro On Union Street, where he helped to create the menu for Connecticut Farm-to-Chef Week featuring locally sourced ingredients.