For instructors teaching certification courses, such as the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe® food safety class, having ALL students earn a score high enough to qualify for the 5-year certification is unusual.

The Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom is proud to feature local Iowa foods on selected menus during the months of October to December.

In a time of high costs and low revenue in the foodservice industry, creativity is called upon to help get customers through your doors and eating your food. We are in a slump, but to many, eating out is considered a necessity. Use these tips to help get and keep your customers!

The 2009 theme for Food Safety Month is “Food Safety Thrives When You Focus on Five”.

Thirty school nutrition program directors and staff from 16 districts representing over 68,000 Iowa students participated in a Team Nutrition Workshop on the Iowa State University campus in the Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom June 11 and 12, 2009.

School district nutrition personnel attended Team Nutrition Chef Workshops held at four locations throughout Iowa to learn to “culinize” school meals.

Food safety is a concern for all retail operations and a HACCP plan is an excellent tool to mitigate risks of food borne illnesses. Enroll in ISU's web-based, non-credit course to gain knowledge and information to help set up a HACCP plan for foodservice organizations.

The Iowa-Yucatan Partners of the Americas is hosting Chef Minelia Romero and her daughter Paulina Espinosa from Mérida, Mexico for a return visit to Iowa. As part of the exchange, Chef Minelia and Paulina will work with graduate student and Chef Allen Ortiz and Extension Specialist Catherine Strohbehn in organizing a Yucatán Dinner on Saturday, May 2nd at the Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom.

Over 120 people enjoyed traditional Yucatan cuisine prepared by Chef Minelia Romero, her daughter Paulina Espinosa, and Chef Allan Ortiz, a graduate student in the Foodservice and Lodging Management Program at ISU.

Two workshops funded through a Team Nutrition Grant to the Department of Education Bureau of Nutrition, Health and Transportation and co-sponsored with Families Extension Specialists Catherine Strohbehn and Ruth Litchfield were held in the Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom this summer.

The Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom is proud to feature local Iowa foods during the fall season. The Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management Quantity Food Production Laboratory and HRIM Extension have partnered to bring some of Iowa’s harvest to your table as part of Iowa State University Farm to ISU program. This is one way to support Iowa food producers.

Everyone affiliated with a district has a contribution to make to the health environment of the school - administrators, board members, teachers, staff, students and parents. The research is clear that the school health environment impacts academic learning.

Catherine Strohbehn, HRIM Extension Specialist showed Yucatecan Chef Minelia Romero Mendoza and her daughter Paulina Espinse Romero the Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom as part of a cultural exchange between Iowa and Yucatan, Mexico.

On April 17th, Iowa State University Extension will host the 37th Annual Current Issues in Nutrition - An Interactive Video Webcast.

HRIM Extension and Nutrition and Health Field Specialists will be speaking at the School Nutrition of Iowa's six District Meetings across the state this spring.

The Iowa State University Food Safety Project is launching a Blog for those interested in safe food. Bloggers include experts across the food chain representing various departments.

Sustainable foods will be featured in the Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom as well as other ISU Dining venues on Wednesday, November 14th, 2008. The Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom menu will feature ham from Iowa Farm Families network.

Products from the ISU Meat Lab are being featured in the Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom in October.

Carrots from Growing Harmony Farms are featured in the Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom.

The Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom is proud to feature local Iowa foods during the month of October. The Berry Patch Farm provided apples used in serveral menu items during the month.

The Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom is proud to feature local Iowa foods during the month of October. The Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management Quantity Food Production Laboratory and HRIM Extension have partnered to bring some of Iowa's harvest to your table as part of the Iowa State University Farm to ISU program.

Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management (HRIM) Extension has launched a revamped Web site that provides information and educational resources for those interested in hospitality organizations. The Web site can be found at www.extension.iastate.edu/hrim.

Iowa State University Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management unveiled a new Web page to promote handwashing to school-age children just in time for National Food Safety Education Month®.

Over 23,000 Hot Beef Sundaes (mashed potatoes topped with beef and gravy, shredded cheese and a cherry tomato) were sold at the Iowa State Fair in 2007. ISU Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management (HRIM) Extension Specialist Catherine Strohbehn and Michele Baumhover (Iowa Beef Industry Council) partnered to develop a HACCP-based standardized recipe for this fair favorite.

A team of Iowa State University researchers were recently awarded a $509,252 three-year grant to investigate what motivates retail foodservice employees to follow safe food handling practices. The grant was awarded by the United States Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension (USDA CREES Project Number 2007-52220-03806).

Members of the Food Safety Team conducted training sessions this summer and fall at restaurants, schools, child cares and assisted living foodservice operations as a part of the current USDA/CSREES funded project - Impact of Employee Training on Mitigating Contamination in Retail Foodservice Operations.

The new summer shortcourses for Iowa school foodservice managers begin June 26. Classes being offered in 2007 include: Manager's Update, Financial Management, Advanced Manager, Using the Food Buying Guide and New Manager Orientation.