Babson College Dining Earns Prestigious Recognition as Outreach & Education Program of the Year

Babson College Dining continues to cook up huge honors for its culinary excellence.

For the third year in a row, Babson College Dining earned a prestigious Loyal E. Horton Dining Award by the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS).

This year, Babson received a Gold Medal Award for excellence in the Outreach & Education Program of the Year category, recognizing dining programs that place an emphasis on teaching their guests new skills. Other gold medal winners in the category were Appalachian State University and the University of Texas at Austin.

Babson earned a Gold Medal Award last year in the Employee Development Program of the Year category, and a Silver Medal Award in 2024 in the Catering Special Event of the Year category.

The Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards are the ultimate professional honor in college and university culinary arts. Babson College Dining will be recognized and presented with its award in July at the NACUFS 2026 National Conference in New Orleans.

“As higher education continues to evolve, Babson is proud to be at the forefront of redefining the role of campus dining,” said Caitlin Capozzi, vice president and dean of campus life at Babson. “This recognition highlights how we are leveraging dining as a strategic asset—one that advances innovation, strengthens community, and supports student success.”

Babson was honored for its Savvy Chef Series, a three-part experiential learning initiative designed to equip students with practical food literacy skills that supported wellness, affordability, and long-term independence.

The Savvy Chef Series, developed by the Babson Dining team in collaboration with campus partners, reduced barriers to food education and transformed everyday food decisions into transferable skills that extended beyond the dining hall. The three parts included a cooking session led by Executive Campus Chef Dennis Williams in the dining hall test kitchen; a purchasing session led by Babson Dining’s registered dietitian, Mitali Bixby, at a nearby Trader Joe’s, and a budgeting workshop led by Babson Associate Professor of Practice Glenn Migliozzi.

Additionally, Babson was featured in the Spring 2026 edition of Campus Dining Today, NACUFS’ magazine on the industry. The article, “Serving Innovation: Babson College Dining Brings Entrepreneurship to the Table,” highlights Babson’s entrepreneurial spirit, illustrating how the dining program collaborates with student and alumni entrepreneurs to strengthen operations and enrich campus life.

“It’s a testament to how our partnership with Chartwells continues to evolve in ways that advance our institutional priorities and reinforce Babson’s reputation as a leader in entrepreneurship,” said Alison Moppett, senior director, campus life and strategic operations.

“Collectively, these features elevate Babson’s visibility within the national higher education and auxiliary services landscape, reinforcing our role as a leader in integrating entrepreneurial thinking into campus operations,” Moppett added. “They also underscore the strategic value of dining as a platform for innovation, partnership, and student engagement.”