Served Digizine™- Money, Money, Money

Get the scoop on all things finance to increase profits and take your program to the next level!

Issue No. 3 March 2021

Get the scoop on all things finance to increase profits and take your program to the next level!

“key” to success?

Is that KPI really your

AT NO CHARGE Healthy Meals

Why extending no charge meals beyond COVID19 is necessary!

Balancing Labor Demands

in uncertain times.

An Interview with ORANGE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Orange County Podcast

Sponsored by

Great Products, Innovative Packaging & Amazing Performance For Schools. We offer school foodservice operators simple menu solutions that kids love and can fit any feeding model. Tyson K-12 is committed to serving your mission of feeding children across the U.S. and help you meet the demands of your program. Use the button below to see great recipes you can use in your cafeteria. You are school lunch heroes!

Orange County Public Schools Tyson K-12 & Served Digizine™

If we knowone thing about school nutrition professionals, it’s their willingness to share their innovations and success. If you follow Orange County Public Schools, you know that they are offering their students tasty and trendy dining options. Orange County is the ninth largest school district in the United States and they were happy to give Served Digizine™ an inside look at their dining operation. Breanna and Marlon had the chance to visit Orange County Public schools to and tell their story. In this episode of You’ve Been Served, find out they partner with manufacturers to process commodities and create crave-worthy concepts and menus. Whether meals are served off their food truck, curbside or served in the cafeteria, Orange County’s Tyson inspired concepts have students coming back for more. Ready to learn more about commodities and how you can partner with a manufacturer to maximize participation and revenue? Find out on this edition of You’ve Been Served!

Check Out Our K-12 Recipe Website!

Connect With Us

TysonK12Schools

#servingyourmission #feedingthefuture

www.tysonk12.com

Serving Your Mission

Contents

BALANCING LABOR DEMANDS in uncertain times

12 16 AT NO CHARGE Healthy Meals

In This Issue

Key Financial Concepts - Part 3 This article is part of a 4 part series from the blog “Our Founder’s Voice” by Lindsey HiIl, RD, SNS, creator of MenuLogic K12. IS THAT KPI REALLY YOUR “KEY” TO SUCCESS? (KPI = KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR!)

Letter from the Editors 6 Highlights & Updates from the Served Digizine Team 8 Orange County Public Schools Podcast: Sponsored by Tyson 2 You’ve Been Served Podcast: Healthy Meals At No Charge 14 Is that KPI really your “key” to Success? 16 The Policy Pulse with Lunch Assist 21 Lunch Lady Redefined 11 Healthy Meals At No Charge 12

Chef Spotlight 22 Profit & Loss with Joe Pettit 25

in Uncertain Times 26

Balancing Labor Demands

Baked Feta Pasta: A TikTok Effect 31 The Momologue 32 The Last Bite with Chef Sharon Schaefer 33 Food Court of the Month from our AmTab Partner 29 Institute of Child Nutrition 28

From Our Partners

Pg 3: Tyson K-12 Pg 4: LTI Pg 10: FIG Pg 10: IVATI Pg 15: JTM Pg 19: MenuLogic K12

Pg 20: NxtLevel Marketing & Design Pg 20: Reitano Design Group Pg 24: Richland Hills Pg 24: MyFundamentals Pg 30: Heartland

Co-Creators & Co-Editors Amanda & Marlon Say

Don’t forget to look for this Symbol!

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY.

Find it, click on it, and sign up for a chance to win a monthly Served prize package!

From an early age, we are taught the value of saving. My first lesson was in the form of a wooden bunny bank. His tummy was clear so you could receive the instant gratification of inserting your coin as it rolled into his ever filling belly. Thus my precious money escaped my twitchy fingers which had already made the rather difficult five year old decision to “save” as opposed to spending that shiny coin at the corner store on penny candy. As my quarter seemed to be lost forever, my mother patted me on the head for my sound financial acumen. Inside, I was freaking out. “What is the point of saving for a rainy day? Do I need to buy my own umbrella? Is this a flood like Noah from the Bible? Do I need an ark?” Money is the currency backed by gold which we exchange for goods and services. It validates our contribution to society (ie. the job we do) by means of a dollar amount (ie. a salary). We are then entitled to live within our culture to the level of this perceived predetermined value. Okay. . . that may have been elusive even to my very advanced child self. What we are taught even at the youngest of ages is that money is necessary to our culture and we need it. However, you need to constantly make choices of whether to utilize it today or save it for tomorrow.

Each Month we will hide our symbol, or one of our partners symbols, somewhere in the Digizine. Find it and you’ll have a chance to win a prize pack from Served Digizine!™

Served Token Video

Money Convo

Does your company want to sponsor a monthly prize pack? Contact our Sales Team Here!

Risk & Reward Real Money Talk with Amanda & Marlon

Teamwork.

Spending vs saving is an imperative and daily decision of people and professionals at all levels. Pensions unicorns still exist in my many school districts but with the average tenure at a specific place of employment decreasing, this sense of financial security into retirement remains elusive. My mother has worked for the People’s Republic of Cambridge (Yes, look it up!) in Massachusetts for a whopping 35 years. That is insane to me! This longevity is rarely found today or at least boggles my millennial brain. With the future of social security uncertain, health insurance costs on the rise, and other aspects of elderly care (have you seen what they

charge for nursing homes), what is your plan for retirement? I met with my financial advisor recently. I will retire precisely in the year two thousand never, otherwise known as begrudging working till I am 65. The nice man that I married and I have a pretty solid plan, between 401K, IRAs, 529, and wherever our money is invested (I’m still unclear of what a money market is) we should be able to live comfortably. But the question is ever present of whether we need to save more. The future is unclear but one thing is for sure: you cannot afford to not have a plan.

| Amanda@NxtGenNetwork.com | Co-Creator Co-Editor Amanda Venezia

| Marlon@NxtGenNetwork.com | Co-Creator Co-Editor Marlon Gordon

| Melissa@NxtGenNetwork.com | Co-Creator Creative Director MelissaMayer

| Michael@NxtGenNetwork.com | Executive Editor Michael Mang

| Breanna@NxtGenNetwork.com | Assistant Editor Breanna Gustafson

REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS: Stacy Cardinale | Chef Sharon Schaefer | Conor Doyle | Joe Pettit EDITION CONTRIBUTORS: Breanna Gustafson, Shenae Rowe, Reggie Ross, Jennifer McNeil, Lindsey Hill, Chef Rebecca Polson, Chef Isaiah-Ruffin, Stephanie Spicknall, Valerie Weivoda

& ServedDigizine.com NxtGenNetwork.com Contact: Articles & News: info@ServedDigizine.com Ads: sales@ServedDigizine.com Parent Company: info@NxtGenNetwork.com

Served Digizine™ is a publication of First Taste TV and NxtGen Network. Served Digizine™ is releasedmonthly for a total of 12 issues annually. This publication is free of charge to our subscribers and can be opted-out at anytime. Copyright 2020 Served Digizine™, First Taste TV, and NxtGen Network. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph, or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Opinions and advertisements in themagazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent management views. The digizine is not responsible for unsolicitedmanuscripts and photographs, or any errors or omissions that might occur.

- Amanda -

Don’t forget to subscribe! Just Click Here!

@firsttastetv

firsttastetv

@firsttastetv

First Taste TV

Start Here!

New to Served?

Welcome to the age of the Digizine! Here are your March Highlights.

Reading & experiencing content with Served Digizine is an all- new experience! For a quick tutorial on how to get the most out of each Served Digizine Edition watch this quick video with Breanna.

Digizine How-to

Before diving in... Watch this quick recap video of our March Edition!

collaboration between school nutrition operators as well as industry members. Companies across the country are constantly creating high value resources and they employ ingenious minds. Let’s harshness the power of these expert stakeholders to feed hungry children. Welcome to the next generation of social collaboration.

Served Recap Video

Your student’s favorite restaurants have brands, your school foodservice program should too! Join K-12 Marketing Experts Amanda Venezia and Breanna Gustafson for Canva 201; Branding your program has never been easier! Monthly Free Resources Our Team Helping Your Team!

Things we welcome: Questions/Problems/Issues Ads Recipes Self Promotion Conversation Photos Collaboration Promotional Graphics Food Puns!!! Leadership Development When we say we’re passionate about school nutrition, we mean it.

Click Here to Register for CANVA 201

Missed the first webinar? No problem! Creating social media content and engaging with your stakeholders is easy with Canva! This FREE introductory webinar covers the basics of Canva. Free Webinar - Click Here to Watch! CANVA 101

Have a story that needs to be told? Click HERE to request our contributor spec sheet! Calling All Contributors!

Find it on Facebook!

It’s More Than Money. REDEFINED Lunch Lady

We’re In Awe

Fig Video

NxtGen Network Breanna Gustafson

My first day in a school kitchen is a day I will never forget. I reported to Littleton Elementary School for 5:30am and I was pleasantly surprised how happy everyone was to be at work that early.Music was playing, employees were laughing

may not have a hot meal on their table later that night. It’s making a difference in each student’s life as you fuel them with the nutrition they need to learn for the day. It’s the look of relief from parents when they pull up to curbside feeding

because in a time of such uncertainty school food is the one thing they can rely on to feed their family. It’s working through any obstacle including a global pandemic to make sure children in your community aren’t going hungry. The definition of a “lunch lady” or a “food dude” is complex, because there is so much that you do than simply feed students. There are so many unique things that each and every one of you do within your own

and they were perfecting the look of the serving lines before students arrived for breakfast. Between the slaps of the high-fives students would give to the kitchen manager (remember

Visit thefigapp.com to learn more!

Interview Video

when we could do that?) and the greeting of the students by their first name as theywould come in, it didn’t take me long to realize that school nutrition professionals are special people with strong bonds with their students. For most staff members it’s more than a job, and it’s more than just a paycheck. It’s more than money in their pocket. It’s the cold early and dark mornings when you’re up before the sun. It’s the late afternoons serving supper and snacks so your students go home with full bellies knowing that they

Hear from Tracie Smith, an Assistant Manager in Vidor Texas and Rhonda Cuthbert, a Cafeteria Manager in Fort Myers, FL as they speak out on what it truly means to be a “lunch lady.”

school districts that set you apart. There is not a one size fits all or a recipe for this job description. It’s hard to define. It’s more than a job. It’s more than money.

Get to know Ivati. Stefanie Giannini is a speaker, consultant, and content creator on a mission to inspire and cultivate every individual’s identity and development as a leader.

We hear you. We see you. We thank you.

Ivati youtube video

A natural storyteller, Breanna Gustafson is the Director of Marketing for NxtGen Network. Breanna kicked off her career in journalism as an Assignment Editor at WCVB-TV in Boston and worked in public television on Cape Cod. Her undergraduate degree is in communications, film, and media studies. In 2018, Breanna filled the first ever Marketing Supervisor position for Food & Nutrition at Lee County Schools in Florida. Breanna has her Master’s Degree in New Media & Marketing and enjoys telling the brand stories of school districts and manufacturers across the country.

In addition to the free content I provide on IVATI’s YouTube Channel, I offer several services that allow me to help you and your organization on a more personal and customized level. Believing in the power transformational leadership, I center the work we do together around your individual and/or organizational needs and goals. I’m not here to provide you a cookie-cutter program, presentation, or plan; I’m here to support you in transforming you and/or your organization through leadership development. Looking forward to working with you! - Stefanie

Breanna Gustafson NxtGen Network

AT NO CHARGE Healthy Meals On The Front Lines

On The Front Lines

nutrition programs across the country and provide the necessary funding to continue to improve the quality of school meals. Over the last year, throughout this pandemic, we have quickly realized how essential our school nutrition programs are to the families in our communities. Equal access to nutritious school meals at no charge

supports academics and fosters healthy eating habits while removing any stigma associated with eating in the cafeteria. Now is the time… the time to provide all students with these healthy meals as part of their school day. Providing all students equal access to a healthy school breakfast and lunch as part of their educational experience will ensure every child is nourished and ready to learn each day.

Warrick County School Corporation, IN Shenae Rowe, RDN

go hungry because they are embarrassed or to accrue unpaid meal debt, a burden to both the families and the school district. For decades, a stigma has followed school meals with many students and families feeling it is a program for the less fortunate and of lesser quality food. But, school nutrition professionals across the country know this is not the case. School meals are loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy whole grains and the necessary nutrients required to help our students learn. Research shows that children eating school lunches consume fewer empty calories and more fresh fruits, vegetables, fiber and milk than their peers who pack a meal from home. Offering these meals under the USDA School Nutrition Program at no cost to all students will help financially stabilize the self-supporting school

We know that nutrition and education go hand and hand and that all students must be fully fueled to learn and achieve their greatest potential. But there are many more reasons to provide school breakfast and lunch meals at no cost to students across our country. School meals are an essential part of the school day; just like books, transportation and school nurses. They are proven to support learning, boost test scores and improve attendance and classroom behavior. However, even with all the benefits we know school meals provide our students, there have still been challenges school nutrition programs face. No child should ever go hungry during the school day. Regardless of their family’s income, many students carry the burden of not having money to purchase

Taking Action:

This Interview video will be presented at the upcoming Legislative Action Conference to state our case!

Healthy Meals at no Charge

School meals are an essential part of the school day; just like books, transportation and school nurses. “

breakfast and lunch meals at school which causes them to either

Shenae Rowe has been the Food & Nutrition Director and Dietitian for the Warrick County School Corporation in Southern Indiana for the last 18 years. She currently serves on the SNA Public Policy and Legislation Committee, SNA Unpaid Meal Charges Working Group and the USDA Foods Task Force. She is an Indiana SNA Region Rep and an Indiana Legislative Action Committee member.

Shenae Rowe RDN

SNA President Reggie Ross and MenuLogic K12 Founder/Food Service Director Lindsey Hill join Amanda and Marlon to discuss the need and benefits of Healthy Meals at No Charge. AT NO CHARGE Healthy Meals

In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to build your program around products that work harder for you. Our kettle-crafted culinary solutions are carefully crafted with real ingredients and on-trend flavors so it’s simple to create crave-able menu options that can adapt to fit a variety of service models . Put Our Products toWork for You!

Click the images below to see how easy it is to put our products to work for you!

Healthy Meals at No Charge Podcast

Taco Filling Simple Solutions Guide easy-to-create, portable meals

NEW Three Pound Pasta Entrées great for multi-day meal kits & family meals

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

All New Social Group! A Place for Everyone!

K-12 Collaborative is an open space designed to share ideas, promote your program and suggest solution based products. Let’s color outside of the lines and think beyond the box. We proudly promote collaboration between school nutrition operators as well as industry members. Companies across the country are constantly creating high value resources and they employ ingenious minds. Let’s harshness the power of these expert stakeholders to feed hungry children. Welcome to the next generation of social collaboration. Things we welcome:

NEW Single-Serve Meal Trays

Single-Serve Pasta Pouches

For recipes, at-home heating guides, & training resources, visit us at jtmfoodgroup.com/k12resources.

Questions/Problems/Issues Ads Recipes Self Promotion

Conversation Photos Collaboration

Promotional Graphics Food Puns!!! Leadership Development

When we say we’re passionate about school nutrition, we mean it.

Show Me the Money

Being purposeful about investing time in KPIs With anything in life and work, ensuring an effort provides a valuable ROI on your time is extremely important. There is so much data generated by a school nutrition operation, where do you start? The answer is simple. Start by asking yourself these two questions before spending any time tracking or calculating a KPI: Question 1: Am I going to change anything about my operation as a result of what I find out? Question 2: Will it provide enough details to tell me how to make that change? Let’s apply those two questions to our example KPIs:

Question

Student Meal Participation

Maybe. Staffing reductions are not necessarily the answer or possible. Meals Per Labor Hour

No. Does my planned COGS (the planned costs of my menu) match the actual COGS? Why? How do I know which school, menu day, or item is contributing to that cost? Maybe the item whose cost is high is also contributing significant revenue? Maybe. I want to be sure that our costs do not exceed our revenue (COGS) Cost of Goods Sold

Am I going to change anything about my operation as a result of what I find out?

Yes. I will try to increase participation

MenuLogic K12 Founder Lindsey Hill, RD, SNS

Not really. It’s a two-sided calculation (Labor Hours and Meal Equivalents). Which is causing the issue - too high of labor or too low of sales? Or maybe the issue isn’t the school’s at all because there are unavoidable conditions (low enrollment, labor for long meal periods etc).

IS THAT KPI REALLY YOUR “KEY” TO SUCCESS? (KPI = KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR!)

No. Where and why is meal participation low? Why is it an issue? Is it the menu, staffing, recipes,

Will it provide enough details to tell me how to make that change?

marketing, customer service, etc? Are my

customers buying at all or just not buying meals?

We’ve all heard about KPI’s, or “Key Performance Indicators” in courses or trainings. But what exactly does that mean and what should these be used for? Google / Oxford defines “Key Performance Indicator” as: “a quantifiable measure used to evaluate the success of an organization, employee, etc. in meeting objectives for performance.” KPI’s, more simply put, are measures of performance. Three of the most common KPIs that are usually associated with school nutrition or foodservice operations are “student meal participation,” “meals per labor hour,” and “cost of goods sold” (COGS).These KPIs are sometimes accompanied by a chart of some form that allows you to compare your calculated value to the “norm,” an expectation, or a set of standards applied to all school nutrition programs. Perhaps the idea that we can utilize these calculations to measure our district’s performance against a standard is an unrealistic and ineffective idea. Is the definition or the path to success the same across all school nutrition programs? No. Don’t get me wrong - there is a time and place for all three of these KPIs. It’s certainly better to know if your district’s own measure is within the realm of success as compared to others, than not knowing any information at all. But they most definitely are not the end-all, be-all and they can be a significant source of time-wasting trying to calculate something manually or via spreadsheets that isn’t all that useful.

Key Financial Concepts - Part 3 This article is part of a 4 part series from the blog “Our Founder’s Voice” by Lindsey HiIl, RD, SNS, creator of MenuLogic K12.

Understanding YOUR performance framework Measuring the performance of a business or a school nutrition program using quantitative and objective data can be incredibly valuable. This exercise can help in understanding the strengths,weaknesses,andopportunities you face in order to meet the goals and aspirations that you have for your program and your customers. Every district has its own unique challenges and also its own aspirations. It’s important for each program to identify it’s own goals and then use performance measures that help you directly achieve those goals. This can be described as your performance framework. Measuring performance does not have to mean measuring it against other districts or other businesses. It can mean measuring schools within a district against your district’s standards or measuring menu cycle days and menu items against your internal standards. The key to finding the “Key Performance Indicators” most useful and worth your time is first to identify what it is you are trying to accomplish and choosing measures that support that mission. Investing time in the right KPI Let’s take a closer look at one of the KPI examples already discussed: Meals per Labor Hour. What is the intent or

purpose? Meals Per Labor Hour gives a general look into productivity, and productivity is important for profitability. So what we are really trying to measure is how our labor costs affect profitability. But is this the right measure for the job? Let’s break this goal of program profitability down further. There are many different directions to measure performance toward program profitability. But once you determine that labor costs are in line with your goal or program profitability, what else can you do? If labor, food/ supply, and overhead represent all costs, perhaps a more effective approach might be to look at your menu and its impact on food/supply costs and total revenue. Performance measures provide varying levels of detail. Some might be a high-level or “birds-eye” view of the program as a whole. These can be useful in understanding overall performance, but if that performance is not what you want it to be, you need more granular information that will allow you to actually make decisions to change that overall performance. Overall performance is the sum of many individual performance measures.

Terms to Know:

Number of meals sold / Number of students present to be able to sell meals to. STUDENT MEAL PARTICIPATION: Number of meal equivalents sold (converting ala carte and breakfast to equivalent meals) / Number of labor hours used to produce MEALS PER LABOR HOUR: Starting inventory (food/supply) value + purchases - Ending inventory (food/supply) value = Cost of goods sold. COST OF GOODS SOLD (COGS)

Show Me the Money

In this example of profitability, let’s look at performance measures from a “birds-eye” view down to actionable insights:

Profit Margin or Net Profit/ Loss of:

School Group (ES, HS, etc...)

Menu Cycle Day

Individual School

Meal Period

Menu Cycle

Menu Item

District

I can’t change the whole puzzle unless I understand the individual pieces that make up that puzzle. Incorporating the right KPIs into your operation’s culture - how do you find the time? This all might sound complicated, intimidating or downright exhausting. It doesn’t have to be. Businesses who rely on KPIs to measure against their performance framework do not have one person at the top (like a Director) doing it all alone. There must be participation by the whole team, not only involved with the effort to gather the data, but the effort to apply what is learned in order to grow together. The only way this works is to utilize efficient methods of obtaining the data analysis for performance measures you choose to utilize. This information must come quickly and often. The idea is to spend little time gathering information so that more time can be spent strategizing and executing change from what you learned. Where do we start? The value and knowledge that objective information can provide to a team and a program is incredible. A culture that makes decisions based on facts rather than opinions can be so much more productive, effective, and in many cases, happier. Remove hurt feelings and awkward opinion-sharing and insert real information and productive discussions. Picture this: sitting down for a menu meeting with stakeholders and starting that meeting with specific issues that have already been identified as not meeting your

own performance measure standards. The same roasted vegetables at two schools are a (objectively) hit with students, while at the other schools they are a flop. Let’s discuss! Maybe the staff at the popular school found a better preparation method or altered the recipe. Perhaps at the other popular school the staff ran a promotion or taste test to get students to try it. Maybe at the flop schools, the staff only prepared a small amount because they thought students wouldn’t like them. Or maybe this is an excellent reason for a future school observation visit. This is a much more productive discussion because the team started at a much higher level than “anything you want to change about the menu?”. There is no single KPI that will be the “key” to success. The “key” to success is not only in identifying and using KPIs, but in identifying and using the right KPIs. It’s also in building a system for you and your team to use the information that is learned from the KPIs effectively. This can be accomplished by three steps: Step 1: Identify your goals and aspirations for your program Step 2: Determine how performance can be measured specifically to achieving those goals Step 3: Create a team approach to gather, discuss, and apply what you learn We don’t have the time to measure the performance of absolutely everything. Take a deep breath and like anything, take this one small step at a time.

MARLON Q&A VIDEO

MenuLogic K12, Founder, Chief Product Officer Director of Nutrition Services, South Madison Community Schools Passionate school nutrition director / leader with over 14 years of experience in the industry. Lindsey created MenuLogic K12 to fill a gap in her own operation and those of her colleagues’ operations. Lindsey wanted a tool that would give her the confidence (through objective data analysis) to build better menus (higher participation, higher food quality, more financially successful). Lindsey works fast – and doesn’t want any tool to slow her down so she works diligently to ensure every aspect of MenuLogic K12 is a smarter, faster way to accomplish the goals we all share (happy, healthy students and bottom line).

Lindsey Hill, RD, SNS

the Policy Pulse with Truth Time

You can expect to get paid before January 2022. To learn more about the Emergency Operational Costs Reimbursement Program, check out this summary from FRAC or read this from USDA. And yes, efforts are already underway to help secure similar funding beyond June 2020. Fingers crossed! COVID Waivers: Our friends at No Kid Hungry have the very best summary of current waivers and Q&A documents. At the time of writing, many of the most important waivers are scheduled to expire on June 30, 2021. You can urge Congress to offer meals at no cost permanently available by signing on to this action alert from FoodCorps. What’s next? Child Nutrition Reauthorization (CNR) is the process by which Congress updates laws that govern all Child Nutrition Programs. Keep an eye out for opportunities to advocate for changes to our rule book during the upcoming CNR, which is expected to begin soon. Don’t Miss a Beat: Each month, The Center for Ecoliteracy and LunchAssist host the Community of Practice call where hundreds of our colleagues from across the field come together to share inspiring stories, best practices from the field, and catch up on the latest policy changes. Register for the next call - they’re on the first Thursday of each month.

LunchAssist Jennifer McNeil, RDN, SNS

For thoseof uswhohavebeenworking inschool nutrition for awhile, we’ve grown accustomed to program regulations more complex than the federal tax code. What began as less than five pages of text passed into law on a sunny day in June of 1946, has ballooned into thousands of pages of rules that are so overwhelming even the most seasoned school nutrition professionals get confused. How did feeding children get so… complicated? To make matters worse, there are as many different interpretations of how to apply our federal regulations as there are states in the union. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the problem has been amplified by the introduction of more than 70 waivers and nearly 20 Q&A memos (and counting!). So, what’s a girl gotta do to make sense of all this? If the thought of reading another USDA memo sounds worse than getting a nasopharyngeal COVID test, then rest assured. We’ve organized a quick recap to help you make sense of it all - and you don’t even have to stick a swab up your nose.

Let Us Take You to the NxtLevel!

A fresh perspective on culinary design.

February Community of Practice Call Recording COVID-19 Emergency Meal Service (1) Hour of PD

Here’s what you need to know right now:

Money, Money, Money: Funds are on the way! School nutrition programs and CACFP sponsors will be able to recover 55% of the federal reimbursement dollars lost during March-June 2020. Here is an example: April 2020 Payment = (April 2019 Reimbursement-April 2020 Reimbursement) x 0.55

Community Practice

Reitano

Jennifer McNeil, RDN, SNS is a former award-winning Child Nutrition Director and the Founder of LunchAssist. She was raised in America’s Farm-to-Fork capital where she developed a passion and appreciation for local produce. She enjoys helping child nutrition directors cut through the administrative red tape so they can focus energy on serving the healthiest, freshest meals possible. LunchAssist PRO is the newest community in school nutrition where members have exclusive access to hundreds of school nutrition resources and over 12 hours of fun and empowering professional development specifically designed for this school year. See what all the buzz is all about by visiting www.lunchassist.org.

www.ReitanoDesignGroup.com “It’s not about serving healthier food, it is about enticing children to eat healthier.” Scott Reitano, Principal

RDG Focus on Primary Ed

Jennifer McNeil, RDN, SNS LunchAssist

CHEF spotlight

Personal Chef, Menu Engineer, Sustainable Food Service Consultant, Culinary Trainer Chef Isaiah-Ruffin

ounce pieces, dredging it in flour and other seasonings, and oven frying it is too foreign or what I have been told too many times, “I didn’t take this job to actually cook”. Some might argue that that would drive the labor costs up. But the other side of that coin is the ability to drastically reduce your food cost, have greater control over the quality of the ingredients, and put some actual love into the food. The restaurant-inspired breakfasts provide multiple benefits. Lowering food costs, managing nutrition

Restaurant Inspired School Breakfasts

CC, SNS, Culinary Supervisor Minneapolis Public Schools Chef Rebecca Polson

The expectation of school breakfast has changed rather quickly in the last decade. The combination of efforts of one First Lady Michelle Obama, popularity in cooking shows on the Food Network, and the somewhat drab foods we have subjected our future to have driven chefs into the fight to improve school food. The mornings of warming frozen egg-and-cheese sandwiches are slowly disappearing from operations across the country. There

The restaurant-inspired breakfasts provide multiple benefits. Lowering food costs, managing nutrition content, and school food pride is the first to come to mind. “

I’ve made so far was using the Bakecrafters French Toast Bites and making a very simple Berry Syrup by reducing a commodity frozen Mixed Berry Fruit Cup. I know that sounds crazy easy, because it is. Where I put the effort in is the presentation. Put down a tablecloth. Use cloth napkins and nice plates/serving platters. Offer lots of different drink options (ie. milk, OJ, maybe even a sparkling water). Get some fresh flowers (I love the $3.99 bouquets at TJ’s). Garnish your food. Offer fun condiments as well, and just sit and enjoy this special time we have with our families right now. It may not be ideal, but let’s make the best of it! “Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting… It is talk- compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” Guy Beringer, 1895 *For NSBW “Sunday Brunch” could easily be adapted for Breakfast or as an amazing marketing campaign the week before as a “Brunch for Lunch” to get those who may always eat lunch with us excited about Breakfast! ABOUT REBECCA: Rebecca Polson C.C., SNS, is the culinary supervisor for Minneapolis Public Schools in Minnesota. She began her career in the foodservice industry in 2011 after graduating from Johnson & Wales University with a culinary arts degree. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in merchandising and business from Florida State University. She now oversees menu planning and culinary training for 72 sites, serving over 8 million meals throughout the closure of schools due to the pandemic for the children of Minneapolis. When she’s not in the kitchen creating healthy recipes, Rebecca enjoys working out, posting to social media, exploring her new hometown, and spending time with her dog Roxy.

Let’s Talk about Brunch!

has been a push for “restaurant” chefs to join the exclusive club of school nutrition professionals and incorporate foods that have higher appeal and less stigma. Many school nutrition directors, many of which are chefs themselves, are upping their district’s breakfast game by including things like omelet bars, custom smoothies, and ever so popular items like fried chicken in biscuits.

content, and school food pride is the first to come to mind. One item often overlooked is the stigma of school breakfast. Many districts have gone out of their way to bring breakfasts to students in a way that avoids the cafeteria. So many people feel that eating breakfast in the cafeteria is a sign of being poor, and consequently stigmatizes them against eating breakfast. By approaching the food like a

March 17th should have been the day where we celebrate St. Patrick by pretending we’re all Irish and eating corned beef and cabbage. However, there was no cause for celebration as Minneapolis Public Schools shut their doors and the Culinary & Wellness Department had to do a complete 180 and start curbside service. Nobody knew then, but we would go almost 11 months without any students in our schools, let alone cafeterias. As the pandemic raged on, our department plan and offerings evolved as waivers were passed and efficiencies found. Eventually, we settled on a school meal box that contained 7 breakfasts and 7 lunches with bulk items like fresh fruits and vegetables. I started sharing recipes and videos on how to use items offered in our box (it was such a fun way to connect with the community). This is how I started my “Sunday Brunch” series. For a little bit of history, Brunch originated in England in the late 1800’s and made its way over to America in 1930’s. What I truly find fascinating is that it really gained popularity when women joined the workforce. They too needed a break on Sunday, yet still craved family time. Rather than slaving over a hot stove all day for Sunday Supper, a big Brunch out after church was just what a working family needed. With families staying home and not willing or able to eat out in restaurants, I started to think of ways we could make some of our meals in the box seem special. Each Sunday I post a photo with items from our box that would make a beautiful brunch spread for some inspiration, in hopes that Moms and Dads can get some rest too, but still teach their kids about the social ritual. I think my favorite brunch

restaurant and instilling high (restaurant) quality foods on the menu can alleviate this perception. For example, if breakfast was served from a food truck and prepared in a way that students would see outside of a traditional educational setting would not only reduce the stigma of school food but also engage learners in a way that is worth the investment.

These trends may be effective, but they have a long way ago before they are considered the go-to for school breakfasts. The major resistance to incorporating restaurant-style foods for breakfast is training and attitudes towards cooking…yes I said it. For many districts, the idea of bringing in raw chicken, cutting it into three-

ABOUT ISAIAH: I am an award-winning Chef who originally hails from the District. I served 13 years of military service in the Army. During that time I traveled the globe and gained an appreciation for food like no other. That passion led me to obtain a bachelor’s in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University. I have been a personal chef to the highest military leadership and a state governor, sous chef, and an executive chef, I have held the chef title in Iceland, Italy, Denmark, and throughout the US. But while traveling I felt there was more I could do with food that just feeds people. I want to make a difference in this world. That drive led me to get a master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems. With the knowledge I have gained from that program I hope to improve the food system through food service. In addition to being an active member in school and restaurant kitchens and a proponent of sustainable food systems, I am pursuing a Ph.D. in Education. My research is examining food literacy in school-aged children and how it contributes to their academic success.

Show Me the Money

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY Profit & Loss Practical Tips for Your Program!

Partnering with Nature to Bring You the Best! Our Products Are: Buy American Act Compliant USDA Approved Servings USDA Approved Processor

MORE THAN SOFTWARE

A Decision Support System for Child Nutrition Program Management.

Join Joe Pettit as he shares practical tips for your program. How can we bring more to the bottom line of our districts? Increased participation is important, but if we aren’t also driving a profit, it won’t allow us to serve our students the way that we want to.

Joe Pettit Inspires - LEAD Speaker Joe Pettit

PO Box 333 Pinkard, AL 36371 888-228-3120 Contact@MyFUNDamentals.com www.myFUNDamentals.com

Richland Hills Farms | Sunset Orchard www.RichlandHillsFarms.com - admin@rchlndhills.com

Grow Your With Us. BUSINESS

Joe Video

Opportunities

VODCAST

Full Page Ad When you purchase a full page ad get your logo placed on the Served Digizine™ website AND you get placement in the Served Podcast! Half Page Ad Quarter Page Ad Sponsored podcasts/ manufacturer interviews Discounted bundles created

Served Vodcast is a video series that will be distributed in Served Digizine as well as social media. The purpose is to highlight the positive and innovative things school districts are doing, to educate the viewers, and continue to mold the perception of what school food really is. Two levels are available: Shout-outs: 15 - 30 second commercial before, during, or after the vodcast Sponsored Vodcast: Company/product highlight up to 2 minutes long endorsed by a school district of your choosing (with approval) while having a conversation over lunch (eating or using your product). Download the Advertiser Spec Sheet Here

Joe’s inspirational speeches drive immediate, lasting change and inspires audiences to take a deeper look within. Seeds of Greatness is a thought-provoking, inspirational keynote planting hope, motivation, and belief in each audience member. It sparks a renewed purpose and increases your team’s productivity when they “pull the weeds and plant the seeds.”

Joe Pettit JoePettitInspires.com

based on ad type/terms. Full ad design available.

Pasco County Schools, FL Stephanie Spicknall, RD, LDN in u ertain times BALANCING LABOR DEMANDS

On The Front Lines

supervise two school sites. Typically, one of the two school sites has a very low participation (<500 MEQ) and is in close geographic proximity to the other site. In addition, employee’s daily job duties were broken into 15-minute increments so not only did they know what tasks were assigned to them to complete, but the time expectation as well. We recognized that the need for cross training was more important now than ever as multitasking became a necessity! COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE Since so much changed so rapidly, it was important to have regular communication with all the stakeholders to successfully adapt to our new normal: Superintendent Staff, Principals, Parents, Community Members, Students, Teachers, and most critically the Foodservice Staff. Each stakeholder provided great incite and feedback that assisted in the development of plans that would move our department forward. It was vital to be as transparent as possible with our challenges, solutions, and next steps. Change is never easy, so the transparency and collaboration brought forth vital stakeholder buy in.

Child Nutrition Staff are truly the most resilient and dedicated. They find a way to ensure students get a meal. It is truly remarkable and heartwarming. While so much has changed their giant hearts have surely been a constant amidst these uncertain times.

Like most Child Nutrition Programs, the pandemic impacted our operation in ways which we had never experienced before. Pre-pandemic our sites were well oiled machines providing consistency operationally and more importantly, for staff and students. Ask any sitemanager approximatelyhowmanycases of a given item they need weekly and a response will promptly be provided - it is second nature. Fast forward to these COVID times where we never know who is going to be at school, let alone who will choose to come and get a meal. Times have surely changed and so have our revenues and expenses. To persevere through these tough times, we have had to take a step back and look at our operation through a new lens. There was a lot that we could not control so we worked hard to focus on what we could with the goal of not only surviving but thriving to the other side of these pandemic times. KNOW YOUR NUMBERS... KNOW YOUR REALITY The data by site ranged from the good, the bad, and maybe even the ugly, but it was important to face the numbers to be able to develop a strategic improvement plan. After all, it is much more difficult

to figure out where to go if you don’t know where you are. The plan was surely not a one size fits all as each site had its own sets of challenges and specific areas requiring attention. It was vital that management at each site was aware of their numbers; how they were calculated, what impacted them, and what was the goal. STRATEGICALLY STAFF How many students would be participating, where would we be serving meals (Curbside, Grab & Go Kiosk, Café), where would students consume their meal…we found ourselves with new answers to these questions and therefore, our staffing structure had to follow. For years, an employee may have had a specific shift and set of job duties, but we had to pivot to meet the needs of our “new” operation. Serving times were extended to comply with social distancing and additional sanitation while participation counts fell. It took lots of creativity to develop a schedule that met the needs of the operation and did not break the bank. We expanded our dual management model where a manager and assistant manager

Dual Management

Marlon talks with the Pasco County School team about the process and success of their dual management model.

Times have surely changed and so have our revenues and expenses. To persevere through these tough times, we have had to take a step back and look at our operation through a new lens. “

FAST FACTS about Pasco County Schools 2020-2021 FAST FACTS about Pasc County Schools (2020-2021)

- Stephanie Spicknall -

More than $650,000.00 in scholarship funds awarded to students in the 2019-2020 school year

Pasco County Covers 868 Square Miles 49 th Largest School District in U.S. (of more than 14,000) 10 th Largest School District in Florida (out of 67)

76,801 Students

35,942 Elementary 18,444 Middle 22,415 High 46,322 White 5,920 Black 17,942 Hispanic 6,617 Other

33,406 Devices 2.3-to-1 Student-to-Device Rati o

47.5 % Free Lunch

7 % Reduced Lunch

Stephanie is a Registered Dietitian and Foodservice Director for Pasco County Schools. Her journey in Child Nutrition started in 2007. Her passion is applying creativity to her job whether it be getting kids to try new and healthy foods through collaboration with industry partners by way of innovative products or streamlining processes to make themmore efficient.

4,897 Graduates

96 Schools Elementary Middle High Educational Centers Virtual Schools 48 16 14

38,049 College Credits Earned

239 Advanced Diplomas Earned

4 1 1 12

1928

Stephanie Spicknall, RD, LDN Pasco County Schools

Technical Colleges Charter Schools

10,908 Employees

5,595 Instructional Employees

28 i about this course This 15-minute online course explains best practices in cleaning and sanitizing in regards to Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) sites. This includes cleaning and sanitizing surfaces, equipment, and utensils. Watch this video here and email techsupport@theicn.org to request your certificate. Reference the Served March edition to be sure you receive your certificate. Hours of Instruction: 0.25 SNA Key Area: 2 USDA Professional Standard Code(s) 2600, 2620 You can also take the 15-minute course on the ICN eLearning Portal Best Practices in Summer Food Service Programs (SFSP) Already a user? Just login, find Best Practices in SFSP-Cleaning and Sanitizing, and click ENROLL. New to the eLearning Portal? Enrolling in a course is simple! 1. Go to TheICN.org/eLearning. 2. Click REGISTER. 3. Enter the required information & create a password. 4. Answer a few simple questions. 5. Sign in and enroll in your course. Watch This Video & Earn CEU’s! ICN Course Helpdesk eLearning Portal ICN Website The Institute of Child Nutrition (ICN), part of the School of Applied Sciences at The University of Mississippi, is the only federally funded national center dedicated to applied research, education and training, and technical assistance for child nutrition programs. The Institute’s mission is to provide information and services that promote the continuous improvement of child nutrition programs. About ICN

As the saying goes, Out with the OLD In with the

FOOD COURT of the Month! Brought to you by

When creating modern, popular, and fun K-12 Food Courts one of the main focuses is asking yourself one, simple question: “What can we do in order to get students excited about spending time here?” Food court environments that feature different seating options, sizes, signage, wall décor and graphics really helps encourage students to want to be a part of that atmosphere with their friends.

Another nice touch is sprinkling in some school pride with logos on the tables. Branding like this helps your food court really shine and standout in the eyes of your students. You don’t need logos on every single one of your tables. Having just a few helps make the other furniture in your food court standout from the crowd. School is hard enough for students as it is. When food courts are warm and inviting, it acts as a place where students can get energized and prepared for the rest of their day. Throughout school nutrition there are so much outstanding meals served during school lunch, but wouldn’t it be nice to compliment that with stunning furniture and design? Food court projects really play an important in getting more students eating and participating in the lunch programs. A project like the one shown here does not have to be completed at once. Oftentimes, it’s best to get a few things done at a time. Maybe you want to add a few logo tables first, and then next year you add some wall graphics to help brighten your environment. The rate at which you make changes are up to you and little changes can make a big difference in the eyes of students!

Now, this is an amazing looking food court! This can be classified as amazing for a variety of different reasons. If you are familiar with the game “eye spy with my little eye” you will find 6 different seating options that students can choose (or chose) from. Providing students with a mix n’ match of seating selections which helps make the food court different every time they come in for breakfast or lunch. One day a student may want to enjoy lunch at a café wave table and then the very next at a booth style seating. Adding seating choices like this helps students feel valued.

Conor Doyle is a digital marketing specialist with AmTab Manufacturing. He is actively involved in the school nutrition company who helps provide valuable insight on café modernization projects across the country. Conor’s favorite part about working with schools is knowing that students and staff will love their modernized spaces. Being able to transform ordinary environments to extraordinary ones that students love being a part of is amazing! Conor graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

Conor Doyle AmTab

Find Conor on LinkedIn Here!

Page 1 Page 2-3 Page 4-5 Page 6-7 Page 8-9 Page 10-11 Page 12-13 Page 14-15 Page 16-17 Page 18-19 Page 20-21 Page 22-23 Page 24-25 Page 26-27 Page 28-29 Page 30-31 Page 32-33 Page 34