DCPS Tray Talk

A Taste of What’s Next DCCK SHARES NEW FAVORITES AND FUTURE GOALS

Brianna Kelly Schools Food Lead, DC Central Kitchen

Travertine Garcia (Nutrition Manager), Brianna Kelly (Foodservice Lead), and Cynkithia Pelham (Foodservice Worker) attended the School Food Collaborative on behalf of DC Central Kitchen. We served our delicious, orange-glazed chicken, made with locally raised chicken breast roasted and smothered in our sweet and tangy house made orange sauce. We revamped our orange sauce recipe this school year, making this dish a new student favorite (see photo below.)

We served the chicken alongside some lightly steamed fresh snap peas, to show an authentic example of our school menu pairings and variety. We enjoyed meeting and working with the other FSMCs, community organizations, and local government agencies to discuss menu successes, challenges, and ideas for next school year. We had the opportunity to speak with a Ward 7 community leader and parent about challenges and opportunities related to school nutrition programming, like school gardens, compost pick- up, and food waste. This past school year, DCCK continued to strengthen our student engagement line up through taste tests, garden- based education, and cafeteria signage focused around monthly

themes. This school year, we look forward to continuing to serve student- and chef-driven menus, and finding innovative ways to engage students, families, and school staff in our programming throughout the year.