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.