CHICAGO, July 23, 2026 — Ken Toong, architect of the celebrated and trend-setting foodservices at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, has added a new award to his trophy case: the 2026 Theodore W. Minah Distinguished Service Award.
Presented annually by the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS), the honor is bestowed on an individual who has made a lasting positive impact on campus feeding.
NACUFS cited Toong’s drive to provide “healthy, sustainable, delicious and experiential dining” in announcing the Hong Kong-born veteran’s selection.
Toong has been a force for innovation and tastier, more nutritious food at UMass-Amherst for almost 30 years. The school’s foodservices have been named the best in student feeding for nine consecutive years in the annual rating by The Princeton Review.
He currently serves the university as assistant vice chancellor of auxiliary enterprises.
Among the advances Toong pioneered are the elimination of serving trays, to save the water previously used to wash them, and the wide incorporation of international cuisine.
His previous honors include the 2013 Silver Plate award in the competition’s college and university category. The recognition is bestowed by what is now IFMA The Food Away from Home Association on the top executive in each of nine food-away-from-home segments.
“I am deeply humbled and deeply grateful,” Toong said of his selection for the Minah Award. “This award may have my name on it, but it belongs to my team at UMass. We succeed together, and I have been lucky to spend my career surrounded by committed, passionate professionals who love what they do for our students. We are not just a team; we are a family.”
The award is named for Theodore “Ted” Minah, who oversaw the foodservices of Duke University for 28 years, starting in the 1940s. He entered the field at a time when college enrollments were surging as service men and women took advantage of the GI Bill, a government program that provided their tuition. Minah took on the challenge of meeting the required increase in meal volume while simultaneously bolstering food quality.
He was awarded a Silver Plate in 1968.