Graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Annelise has spent her career making sure food sounds appetizing on paper, looks good in pictures and tastes amazing when you order it. Her day-to-day consists of working as Marketing Manager at Ready Foods to connect food service operators with ready-to-use kitchen solutions that are easy to incorporate into a kitchen flow and bring great flavor to menu items. Her favorite hot lunch in elementary school was always nacho day. Ready Foods Annelise McAuliffe Soares Ready-to-Use Tips!
Setting the Table For All !
Creating Dining Spaces with OTHERS in mind.
Many Schools Have diversity, inclusion and equity statements, maybe even goals or plans. But how does that translate to what you tackle in the school dining facility each day? It’s a big thing to think about and inclusivity can feel like an overwhelming idea to cultivate, but little steps can make a big difference in an atmosphere and culture. This short blurb is intended to simply get your thoughts flowing. A few members of the Ready Foods team recently had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Jessica Rush Leeker, Faculty Director and Professor at University of Colorado Boulder, give a talk on how to create spaces, situations or even products with others in mind. Encouraging diversity, inclusion and equity can seem abstract. Dr. Leeker offered the following analogy about a table setting that helps us wrap our heads around it in a concrete way: When we put down a place setting for each guest we are serving, making sure everyone has access to a fork, spoon, plate, napkin, etc. we are ensuring equity. When we create a special main dish for a guest that is gluten-free, vegan or has a nut allergy, we are practicing inclusion. If we invite a variety of individuals to join us for the meal, with each person having a unique background or identity, we know we will have vibrant conversations at the table, this is supporting diversity.
You know your environment and students best! Here are some ideas to get you started, but remember acknowledgment is the first step. • Take time to simply establish with your team that creating an inclusive environment is key to serving students better. Start by acknowledging that we all have biases, once we are aware of them, we can get to work. • Equity might seem like the natural place for a team to start. For example, ensure that necessary utensils or services are accessible to students of all shapes, sizes and abilities. If the current setup doesn’t allow everyone to get food and eat comfortably, some brainstorming might be needed on how to include them. • Cultivate diversity and curiosity amongst students in small ways. • Consider a diverse array of cuisines to serve on the school menu. Use it as a tool to highlight minority foods and teach students about another region of the world. • Lunch can be an awkward time for students who don’t fit into a particular group. Similarly, it can be a great time for all students to diversify their interactions. Ask the teachers to create lunch groups; one day a month students are assigned to sit at a particular table and interact with a different group of peers than they normally might. Prepare a fun conversation starter on each table so that awkward silences amongst the new dining companions can be avoided. What are some ways the idea of setting a table with diversity, inclusion and equity in mind can be translated in the lunchroom?
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