May 20, 1999

Middlebury College Dining Wins Prestigious 1999

Ivy Award for Excellence in Foodservice

No Other Liberal Arts Colleges or Universities

in the Nation Awarded This Year

Middlebury College has received Restaurants and Institutions

(R&I) magazine’s Ivy Award for the outstanding performance

of its dining services. The award is one of the longest-standing

honors in the foodservice industry, and is only presented to operations

that meet the highest standards of quality in food, hospitality,

and service.

Meritorious eating establishments across the country

are nominated for the Ivy in two categories: the restaurant category

and the institutional category. Middlebury College, the only 1999

nominee from the entire state of Vermont, falls into the latter

category, which includes colleges, universities, and hospitals.

Middlebury is the only liberal arts college or university in the

entire country to receive the 1999 award.

According to R&I, the highest standard of professional

operation in foodservice can only be accurately assessed by those

actually in the business. The magazine established the Ivy Award

29 years ago to give professionals in the industry the opportunity

to do just that, and thereby honor their peers. Nominated each

year by previous Ivy recipients, award winners are selected by

the 162,000 readers of R&I. The award winners are then inducted

into the Ivy Society at a formal, invitation-only annual dinner.

Director of Middlebury Dining Services Peter Napolitano

is extremely proud of this achievement. “What

makes this award outstanding is that it’s a team award. It’s the

result of a dedicated staff focusing on the details of customer

service and providing the highest quality food in surroundings

that are clean, comfortable, and convenient. Our goal has been

to provide our customers with world class food and service. Winning

the Ivy award validates our commitment to that goal.”

Other nominees this year included Stanford University

of California, Massachusetts General Hospital of Boston, and the

University of California at Los Angeles. Joining Middlebury as

award-winning inductees are Gramercy Tavern and the Four Seasons

Hotel in New York, Topolobampo in Chicago, City Tavern in Philadelphia,

and Wine Spectator/CIA at Greystone, St.Helena, Calif. The induction

banquet will be held at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Chicago on Sunday,

May 23.