'A Place To Eat' - The University of Maryland's NEW 'Yahentamitsi' Dining Hall
After years of hard work and planning, the University of Maryland opened its new Yahentamitsi Dining Hall to students and faculty.
Built on the ancestral lands of the Native Piscataway Tribe, the University of Maryland dedicates its new dining facility to the Piscataway people and Native Americans with a fitting title, Yahentamitsi, meaning "a place to go to eat" in the native Algonquin language.
The new culture-centric dining hall is 68,000 square feet with a 15,000-person capacity. It features a buffet-style layout with stations dedicated to various traditional and international cuisines. Senior Project Manager David Verostic led this concept-to-completion project along with his team from TriMark Gill's Crofton location:
- Travis Mooneyhan, Director of Operations
- Bridget DuQuin, Head of Estimating
- Kandy McClowry, Contract Specialist
- Jamie Gilbert, Project Senior Coordinator
- Todd Luke, Project Manager
Gill-Crofton, now part of TriMark's Adams-Burch division, was awarded the project in 2020 via a bid through Holder Construction, who partnered with TriMark to design and build the new dining hall.
TriMark also worked in tandem with the University of Maryland's Food and Beverage Director, Gregory Thompson, and the Ricca Design Studios team to design an aesthetic and modernized, state-of-the-art facility featuring only the highest quality materials and the most innovative technology on the market. Designed with the kitchen staff in mind, the new facility is complete with equipment provided and installed by TriMark:
- A Halton Group M.A.R.V.E.L. Exhaust Hood System
- American Panel Corp Panel Walk-In Coolers powered by RDT Refrigeration Equipment (Refrigeration Design Technologies, Inc.
- Champion Industries - Ali Group's Bi-Line Dishwashing Machines and Tray Accumulation System
- A Hot cooking lineup consisting of Jade Range, Alto-Shaam, Inc., and Groen equipment (part of Unified Brands)
- BSI, LLC Custom Stainless food, beverage, and serving counters
- Premier Metal & Glass fabricated food shields
David commented on how previous projects have prepared his team and himself for one of this caliber.
"We've completed many hotels, custom high-end restaurants, and campus facilities, so our in-house team is well-seasoned with projects this size. Our streamlined procedures and processes benefit the efficiency of this intricate design and construction flow."
David also recalled his experience on the project and praised all team members and contributors for their hard work and top-notch contributions.
David and his team will continue to raise the bar on industry standards with their many exciting upcoming projects. We look forward to seeing their future accomplishments.
