Ken Toong receives NACUFS’ highest honor

University of Massachusetts Amherst leader recognized for decades of influential service 

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Ken Toong, assistant vice chancellor of auxiliary enterprises at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has received the highest honor awarded by the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS), the Theodore W. Minah Distinguished Service Award. The recognition was presented Thursday during a special reception at the NACUFS 2026 National Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Toong was recognized for nearly three decades of visionary leadership at UMass Amherst and across the campus dining sector. Under his leadership, UMass Dining has earned nine consecutive No. 1 rankings for Best Campus Food from The Princeton Review and has become one of the nation's most recognized collegiate dining programs.

“I am deeply humbled and deeply grateful,” said Toong. “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.”

Throughout his career, Toong has championed healthy, sustainable, delicious and experiential dining through his “Food for the Common Good” philosophy. He is the founder of the Tastes of the World Chef Culinary Conference, now in its 32nd year, and has helped shape collegiate dining nationally through decades of innovation, collaboration and mentorship. A past chair of the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA), Toong was a 2013 recipient of the IFMA Silver Plate Award, was named a White House Campus Champion of Change and most recently received the inaugural Excellence in College Dining Award from the Mediterranean Diet Roundtable. He holds an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Acadia University in Canada.

“We are not in the business of just feeding students,” Toong said. “We are helping shape how a generation thinks about food, health, culture and community. There is no better job in the world.”

The Theodore W. Minah Distinguished Service Award has been presented annually since 1967 to recognize individuals who have made outstanding contributions to NACUFS and the collegiate foodservice profession. More information and previous winners can be found at www.NACUFS.org/membership/awards-recognition/individual-awards.