Tag: healthy school food

Become a School Food Reform Leader: Apply for the 2025 Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship

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Since 2023, Chef Ann Foundation’s Fellowship Has Empowered School Food Professionals in 17 States and U.S. Territories to Cultivate School Food System Change

BOULDER, Colo., August 14, 2024 (Newswire.com)
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Experienced school food professionals committed to driving healthy, sustainable, and equitable school food reform can now apply to become a Fellow through the Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship. Administered by the Chef Ann Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to promoting whole-ingredient, scratch-cooking in schools, the Fellowship offers mid- to upper-level school food professionals the opportunity to learn how to lead successful scratch-cooking school food programs. Previous cohorts have included school food leaders from diverse roles, including assistant directors, head chefs, area supervisors, and directors.

“Our Fellowship is building a community of passionate school food leaders dedicated to making healthy, scratch-cooked meals the standard in districts nationwide,” said Laura Smith, Executive Director of Programs at the Chef Ann Foundation.

Over 13 months, Fellows engage in interactive learning experiences while continuing their full-time work. The program includes virtual learning sessions, training at the Culinary Institute of Child Nutrition, and visits to exemplary scratch-cook school food programs. Fellows also complete collaborative research projects, cultivating leadership skills and deepening knowledge of the broader U.S. food system and its impact on school food.

The program culminates with a self-led capstone project to increase scratch cooking in Fellows’ home districts. Previous capstone projects have introduced students to regionally inspired scratch-cooked menu items, utilized state-of-the-art equipment for efficient meal preparation, and incorporated fresh, local ingredients into new breakfast and lunch entrees.

Since 2023, the program has empowered Fellows from 17 states and U.S. territories. Graduates have already seen significant impacts in their districts associated with serving more high-quality, scratch-cooked items.

“The Fellowship has by far exceeded my expectations, and I feel very thankful to have been selected as a Fellow. I have met so many amazing individuals, participated in once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and have learned from the best in our industry,” says Fellow Christina Lawson from Western Placer Unified School District in California. “I am so excited to use the skills and knowledge I have gained from the Fellowship to better serve our students delicious, nutritious, scratch-cooked meals.”

Applications for the 2025 Fellowship are open until Sept. 12, 2024. School food leaders eager to advance their careers and drive school food reform are encouraged to apply.

The Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship is open to school food professionals across the country thanks to the program’s founding partners, Whole Kids (a program of the Whole Foods Market Foundation) and the State of California, as well as support from the Waverley Street Foundation. The Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship is part of the California Workforce Development Board’s High Road Training Partnerships, which is funded through the Department of Education.

Source: Chef Ann Foundation

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August 14, 2024
Elevate Your School District’s Scratch Cooking: Apply Now to Chef Ann Foundation’s Get Schools Cooking Program

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Initiative Helps K–12 Schools Transition From Serving Students Heat-and-Serve Meals to Fresher, Healthier Scratch-Cooked Meals

BOULDER, Colo., August 1, 2024 (Newswire.com)
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School districts interested in transitioning their meal programs from a heat-and-serve to a scratch-cooking operational model can now apply to participate in Get Schools Cooking. The program is administered by the Chef Ann Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting scratch cooking in schools. The deadline for districts to apply is Sept. 30, 2024.

Today, most school meal programs rely on serving students convenient yet often highly processed and less healthy heat-and-serve meals. When schools make changes that allow them to prepare meals from scratch using fresh, whole ingredients, they can serve students healthier, more flavorful meals that help kids focus better in class and cultivate positive eating habits for life. Scratch cooking has other benefits too: it allows schools to purchase raw ingredients from local farms; reduce food and packaging waste; and provide staff with opportunities to gain new skills.

However, there are many obstacles that can make it challenging for schools to cook from scratch. This might include outdated facilities, a lack of cooking equipment, food service staff possessing limited culinary skills, funding constraints, and more. The Get Schools Cooking program assesses school districts’ meal programs — including its menu, finances, facilities, staff, and marketing efforts — and identifies opportunities to move toward scratch cooking.

“Since Get Schools Cooking launched in 2016, the program has helped 27 districts in 21 states collectively serve more scratch-cooked school meals to an estimated 180,000 students,” said Chef Ann Foundation Executive Director of Operations Lori Nelson. “These districts are well poised to continue increasing the amount of scratch cooking they do long after their Get Schools Cooking cohort concludes.”

The Chef Ann Foundation’s school food experts work closely with Get Schools Cooking participants over three years. After an initial meal program assessment, participating districts receive strategic planning guidance and technical assistance from Chef Ann Foundation staff who have deep, first-hand experience operating scratch cooking school meal programs. Districts are also given the opportunity to apply for a one-time systems assistance grant, valued at up to $35,000, designed to support their school food goals.

“The partnership with the Chef Ann Foundation supporting a fresh, locally focused school nutrition program has been critical in influencing the work we do with scratch cooking,” said Jacob Gallogly, a current Get Schools Cooking participant and food service manager for the West River Education District in Townshend, Vermont. “With all of the tools to standardize recipe development for scratch, we can ensure that the same nutritious meal is consistently produced across the district every day.”

School districts can learn more about Get Schools Cooking and apply here.

Get Schools Cooking is open to school districts across the country thanks to generous funding support from Whole Kids, The Rachael Ray Foundation, Waverley Street Foundation, and other donors.

Source: Chef Ann Foundation

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August 1, 2024
The Bulk Milk Solution: Chef Ann Foundation Launches National Program to Help Schools Reduce Food Waste

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BOULDER, Colo., May 16, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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Milk is one of the biggest sources of food waste at schools across the country. Schools serve approximately 275 million single-serve cartons of milk to K-12 students every school day, resulting in a staggering amount of waste. Switching to serving milk from a bulk dispenser into reusable cups is a simple way for schools to drastically cut waste.

To help schools transition to using bulk milk dispensers, Chef Ann Foundation launched Bulk Milk. Through this new program, school districts anywhere in the U.S. can apply now for a grant to receive nearly all of the equipment, materials, and training needed to implement a bulk milk serving system.

Early adopters of bulk milk dispensers have seen impressive results. Canby School District in Oregon eliminated approximately 50% of its school lunch waste volume. Meanwhile, Bluestone Elementary in Virginia saw a 91% reduction of milk packaging waste volume when it moved to using a bulk milk dispenser.

Waste also comes from milk students don’t drink. Approximately 45 million gallons of milk get poured down drains at schools each year. Wasted milk means the environmental and financial resources that went into producing, transporting, cooling, and storing the milk are wasted, too. By switching to a bulk milk system, which allows students to pour themselves only the amount of milk they want to drink, schools could save 30 pounds of carbon dioxide per student annually — the equivalent of taking 145,000 gas-powered vehicles off the road.

Further, schools using bulk milk dispensers found that students are consuming more milk, supporting improved nutrition. “Since switching to bulk milk, we’ve noticed increases in consumption. The kids love the taste and enjoy drinking from a cup instead of a carton,” said Rita Denton, director of student nutrition at Mansfield Independent School District in Texas.

Denton’s experience is backed by a wider study on school milk waste and consumption. By better regulating temperature, bulk milk dispensers help improve taste. “Dispenser milk is always cold and delicious. The equipment keeps it fresh, so kids like it better,” said Chef Ann Cooper, founder of the Chef Ann Foundation and former director of food services at Boulder Valley School District in Colorado.

Districts that have switched to bulk milk dispensers have also experienced financial benefits. “We are seeing savings from purchasing bulk milk instead of cartons of $285 per week at our pilot school,” said Denton. Savings like these could help schools switch from purchasing conventional milk to organic milk, ideally produced locally and from cows raised on pasture.

School districts interested in learning more about Chef Ann Foundation’s Bulk Milk grant program can register for a free informational webinar happening May 31 at 9 a.m. Mountain Time. Grant applications are due July 31.

The Bulk Milk grant is open to school districts across the country thanks to support from the Posner Foundation.

Source: Chef Ann Foundation

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May 16, 2023
Over 100 School District Food Service Leaders Gather in Austin, Texas, for the First National Gathering to Increase Scratch Cooking

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AUSTIN, Texas, May 10, 2023 (Newswire.com)
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ScratchWorks, a collaborative to help school food professionals create a community to increase scratch cooking, held its first annual gathering in Austin, Texas, for more than 100 school district food service leaders from around the country.

The three-day event opened with remarks from founding member Nancy Easton, Executive Director of Wellness in the Schools, who stated, “We are not an organization, we are a collaborative; and this is not a conference, it is a gathering. There are no vendors here to sell you anything, only a space to connect and learn from each other.”

ScratchWorks was conceived during the summer of 2019 when a group of nonprofits and school food service operators came together to consider what could be done to accelerate change in school food. ScratchWorks was born, a collective of school food professionals and non-profit organizations, developed by and for food service operators, committed to supporting school districts in cooking school meals from scratch using whole, fresh ingredients. Unique to this collective is its funding model — the donors, Life Time Foundation and Whole Kids Foundation, are also its partners who continually collaborate with the districts to meet their goals.

A significant component of support offered by this collective was the development of a multi-day professional development and networking event that brought together school food programs from across the country wanting to increase their scratch cooking practices. The inaugural event took place in Austin, Texas, on April 24-26, 2023. Representatives from over 100 school districts came together for this multi-day event, featuring nearly 20 educational sessions led by school food operation leaders from across the country. Sessions included topics such as Scratch vs. Speed Scratch, Message Development for Your Program, Policies and Legislation Supporting Scratch Cooking, Recipe and Menu Development and many more. Founding member and Minneapolis Public Schools Director of Culinary and Wellness Services Bertrand Weber commented, “You could feel how different this event was and how invigorated attendees were after the three days. Building these relationships will ensure we have a network to lean on when we have questions.”

The event opened up with a keynote address by Chef Andrew Zimmern, TV personality, chef, writer and social justice advocate. Chef Zimmern applauded the attendees for pushing past the status quo and emphatically stated, “The question isn’t can we afford to do this? The fact is we can’t afford not to. It would cost us $17 billion to fully restore scratch cooking in our national public school system, including equipment, re-builds, product and staff. Sounds like a lot. But our federal budget is $6.3 trillion annually. So $17 billion is a rounding error when it comes to the cost; it’s 0.0027% of the federal budget.”

School food leaders from districts across 18 states and representing enrollment of over 1.1 million students shared in their excitement for a new kind of event. While there are many conferences that support a broad spectrum of school food operation topics, this gathering was the first national event to focus all of its educational sessions and experiences around scratch cooking in schools. It is well known that scratch cooking presents more complexities than serving packaged food and ScratchWorks believes that bringing leaders together to share their experiences and build relationships is one of the most significant things that can be done to increase scratch cooking in schools in the country.

The closing session was an interview with USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services Administrator Cindy Long who offered up her philosophy on scratch cooking in schools. “What I feel like I’ve learned is that there is no one answer for every circumstance. Scratch cooking clearly offers benefits. You have much more control. You can tailor to your community. It supports engagement and connection with food.”

When the floor was opened for questions, district leaders asked about the new proposed rule, particularly around more stringent sodium standards. Administrator Long emphasized that new proposed updates to the nutrition standards are to be executed over 10 years and they are applied to a menu cycle not a meal so with scratch cooking, there is more flexibility.

Since cooking and food were at the core of the experience, districts were encouraged to submit their recipes prior as event planners chose breakfast and lunch menus. Some of the favorites included a Chickpea Masala submitted by Bellingham Washington Public Schools and a Cambodian Lok Lak served at Lowell Public Schools in Massachusetts, which caters to its local Southeast Asian student population.

ScratchWorks is a collective of school food professionals and non-profit organizations committed to supporting school districts in cooking school meals from scratch using whole, fresh ingredients that provide students with the nutrition they need for their educational success, health and wellbeing. Founding members include Andrew Benson, Ann Cooper, Amy Maclosky, Ryan Mikolaycik, Stephen O’Brien and Bertrand Weber as well as Chef Ann Foundation, Life Time Foundation, Wellness in the Schools and Whole Kids Foundation.

Source: ScratchWorks

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May 10, 2023
Application Open for 5th Cohort of Get Schools Cooking

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Press Release
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Aug 1, 2022

BOULDER, Colo., August 1, 2022 (Newswire.com)
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Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) is excited to announce that the application for Get Schools Cooking (GSC) is open Aug.1 to Sept. 30, 2022. GSC is an intensive 3-year assessment and strategic planning grant that provides school districts with comprehensive support to transition from heat-and-serve to a scratch cook operational model.

The past few years have been exceptionally challenging, especially for school food. School food professionals continue to face immense hardships, like supply chain issues and staffing shortages. GSC supports the ongoing efforts of school food operators feeding a healthier generation of kids.

GSC is a nationally recognized program designed to guide districts through the process of becoming a self-operated scratch-cook meal program, focusing on CAF’s five key areas of operations: food, finance, facilities, human resources, and marketing. GSC is open to school districts across the country thanks to generous support from partners, including Whole Kids Foundation and the Rachael Ray Foundation.

“This is an opportunity for districts to take a ‘deep-dive’ into all of their processes, programs, finances and management, with the goal of overall improvement of their system,” said Chef Ann Cooper, CAF Founder and President of the Board. “Get Schools Cooking can transform a district and set them on the path towards a fully scratch-cook program.”

The program kicks off in February 2023 with a workshop in Bellingham, WA where food service directors and key team members from each district will engage in sessions with CAF Senior Director of Research & Assessment, Anneliese Tanner, and CAF Senior Director of School Food Operations, Brandy Dreibelbis, to showcase what change can take place through participating in the GSC program.

GSC participants receive an onsite assessment, strategic planning, and technical assistance. Previous participants report positive menu and ingredient changes, including one district that moved to ~60% scratch-cooked menu items. Districts continue to eliminate highly processed foods and introduce new recipes using whole fruits and vegetables. School kitchens are now equipped with salad bars, food processors, specialty ovens, and more.

“I can’t explain how informative, beneficial, and invigorating this whole experience has been,” said Amber Watson, Marysville Joint Unified School District (CA). “It’s really made me a better director and leader and I can see my staff are happy with the changes I’ve put into place thus far.”

Click here for more information about GSC.

About the Chef Ann Foundation
The Chef Ann Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding and support they need to provide fresh, healthy, delicious, scratch cooked meals that support the health of children and our planet. To date, the organization has reached more than 13,500 schools and 3.3 million kids with healthy school programming. Learn more at chefannfoundation.org.

Contact: Danielle Chandler
Email: danielle.c@chefannfoundation.org
Tel: 410-812-2948 (MT)

Source: Chef Ann Foundation

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August 1, 2022
Announcing New Assessment Technology for All K-12 Food Programs

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Press Release
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Jun 2, 2022

BOULDER, Colo., June 2, 2022 (Newswire.com)
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Just in time for summer meal planning for School Year 22/23, Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) has launched the Scratch Cooking Assessment & Learning Evaluation (SCALE) tool to increase scratch cooking and improve nutrition in school meal programs. Prior to COVID-19, 31 million children participated in the National School Lunch Program daily, making the quality and nutrition of school meals a top priority. As school districts grapple with supply chain and labor issues, they are seeking out ways to improve efficiencies while still providing nutritious, appealing meals for students.

For over 20 years, Chef Ann Cooper has worked closely with school districts through on-site assessments, trainings, and operational assistance. After starting her career as a white tablecloth chef, Chef Ann realized the massive impact and potential of healthy school food, and started advocating for school food programs across the country. Working in partnership with Anneliese Tanner, CAF Director of Research & Assessment, and school food expert Chef Beth Collins, CAF has spent the last two years building technology that offers the first comprehensive self-assessment focused on improving nutrition, enhancing school meal programs, and increasing scratch cooking. In-depth reports were previously only available to districts through an on-site assessment, and are now widely available for all districts through this innovative platform.

Many school districts want to improve their meal programs, but do not have the bandwidth or tools to assess their current operations or determine where to start. SCALE is a digital platform that supports school districts with free customized assessments, resources, and recommendations. It is available now at no cost to schools nationwide and is hosted on Chef Ann Foundation’s The Lunch Box website. The tool focuses on key areas: Food, Scratch Cooking, Finances, Facilities, Human Resources, and Marketing.

Districts from across the country are excited to use SCALE to enhance and improve their operations. Erin Primer, Food Service Director at San Luis Coastal Unified School District stated, “SCALE allows food service directors to have tangible, data-driven strategies to enhance our programs, and to articulate our needs to district counterparts who want to support us in the healthy food effort.”

SCALE can help school districts develop strategic plans, guide program development, or garner support for improvements in school nutrition programs. According to Anneliese Tanner, Chef Ann Foundation’s Senior Director of Research & Assessment, SCALE has the opportunity to have a profound impact on school food programs across the nation. “Helping districts understand their numbers, efficiencies, procurement options, and system change ideas is my passion. I wish I had something like SCALE when I was in the districts, it would have been a game changer,” stated Tanner. SCALE was developed with support from Whole Kids Foundation and The Life Time Foundation.

For more information about the Chef Ann Foundation, visit: https://www.chefannfoundation.org and to access SCALE, visit https://www.thelunchbox.org/scale.

About the Chef Ann Foundation
The Chef Ann Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding and support they need to provide fresh, healthy, delicious, scratch cooked meals that support the health of children and our planet. To date, the organization has reached more than 13,500 schools and 3.3 million kids with healthy school programming. Learn more at chefannfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Contact:
Danielle Chandler
Chef Ann Foundation, Marketing Manager
danielle.c@chefannfoundation.org
410-812-2948

Source: Chef Ann Foundation

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June 2, 2022