Campus Dining honored for project

The University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Campus Dining has won a national award for a tie-in event it held in the fall of 2011 with the Synergy Common Reading program. The program helps strengthen a sense of community by encouraging the entire campus, primarily the freshman class, to read one book together.

Last fall, the Synergy selection was “Zeitoun,” a nonfiction book by Dave Eggers, which was an account of a Syrian-American who chose to stay in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Campus Dining, operated by Aramark, prepared a special event to pay homage to “Zeitoun’s” roots by bringing the traditional food and culture of New Orleans to Wagoner Dining Hall.

The New Orleans lunch was designed to accompany and enrich students’ experience of the book; the luncheon recently received Gold in the annual Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards from the National Association of College and University Food Services for its featured traditional bayou food, music and festivities.