A Message from Erick
Spring semester at UMassD is officially underway, and what a start it has been! Snowy New England days, lively events, interactive Teaching Kitchens, cultural celebrations, retail specials, amazing food, and nonstop campus energy have set the tone for an unforgettable season
Our mission is simple: provide the very best dining experience and service to our Corsair community. None of this would be possible without our incredible team Their enthusiasm, passion, and dedication fuel everything we do
Let’s carry this energy through the rest of the Spring semester!
Erick Leon Resident District Manager
Welcome, Absurd Bird!
We kicked off the spring semester with our new Absurd Bird concept located at Student Choice in the Campus Center
Opening day, we saw $2.3K in sales, a 23% increase over last year. Absurd Bird has been averaging $2.5K in daily sales and 174 daily customers throughout February
ASSOCIA
JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2026
Retro Remix Dinner
We enjoyed a blast-from-the-past night of arcade games, TV-dinners, sundaes and everything through the ages Thank you to our Dining Services team for turning back the clock and serving up a night full of flavor, fun, and nostalgia!
Mardi Gras Dinner
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Dining Services brought the spirit of Mardi Gras to campus with a festive New Orleans–inspired dinner celebration! The menu featured classic Cajun and Creole favorites like gumbo, cajun chicken and King Cake to top it all off.
Thank you to our talented culinary team for bringing bold flavors, vibrant colors, and a little Louisiana multicultural energy to our Corsair community!
Cultural celebrations
Black History Month Lunch/Dinner
Dining Services enjoyed honoring Black History Month with two special menu takeovers inspired by the creativity and culinary excellence of featured chefs! Students enjoyed comforting favorites like oven-roasted chicken, mushroom po’boys, sweet mashed potatoes, and citrus salad, along with desserts including banana pudding and key lime pie Thank you to our dining team for bringing this meaningful and delicious celebration to our campus community
202K Impressions
Lunar New Year Dinner
We enjoyed welcoming the Year of the Snake with a vibrant Lunar New Year celebration filled with bold flavors and festive spirit! Students enjoyed favorites like lo mein, shrimp stir fry, crispy spring rolls, and sweet treats including egg tarts and coconut sticky rice cakes Thank you to our culinary team for sharing this celebration with the Corsair community!
5.8K Views
Video with most views these months Retro Remix Reel
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2026 RESULTS
88% satisfaction
13,331 total responses
141 Likes
Post with most likes these months Teaching Kitchen with The Firsts
FOOD CORNER
A Message From Chef David
My name is David Smith, and I have had the privilege of being part of the Chartwells and UMass Dartmouth communities for nearly seven years After four years of learning from incredibly talented colleagues who helped shaped my culinary foundation, I was honored to join the management team as a Sous Chef.
My path to the kitchen has always felt a bit poetic. Whenever a teacher asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my answer was always the same: “a cook.” One of my earliest jobs was washing dishes at a family restaurant From there, I moved into a prep cook position, then a cook position, and eventually found my way to the UMassD Dining team, where everything truly came together
Working as a Chef here has allowed me to grow both personally and professionally in ways I never expected. I have always loved the creative process behind menu development, and that passion has only deepened as I have had the opportunity to collaborate with student groups Whether celebrating cultural holidays such as Diwali, Nowruz, and Lunar New, or partnering with student organizations such as HASA, CVSA, and most recently GSA, it is a privilege to create menus to honor their cultures and traditions while meeting their expectation's.
I look forward to continuing to work and contributing even more in the years ahead Being part of the community has been a true gift in my life Thank you all!
David Smith Sous Chef
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