5 Start with the Salad Bar A salad bar can be a game-chang - er for your program, even without scratch-cooking. It offers students variety, choice, and fresh, nutri - ent-packed options that can boost participation and meal appeal. No knife skills? No problem! With pre- chopped, ready-to-use ingredients, your team can assemble a killer salad bar and even whip up some cool cre - ations of your own. Action: Select salad bar items that match your team’s skills. Inspiration: Check out Project Bread’s Watermelon Cucumber Salad with Mint or Fattoush Salad . Many non-profit organizations, co - operative extensions, and county or state departments offer free resourc - es and support for school meal pro - grams. Find partners who align with your mission to enhance your offer - ings. Action: Research and reach out to potential nonprofit partners. Inspiration: Blue Watermelon Proj - ect , Project Bread , FoodCorps 7 Connect with a Non-profit yond the food—it’s also about at - mosphere and making students feel welcome and valued. Culinary excellence includes accommodating meal modifications, offering cultur - ally relevant meals, and respecting students’ identities. Even simple ges - 10 Consider More Than the Food
Want to mix things up with a team that is new to batch cooking and school nutrition? Try no-cook options like yo - gurt parfaits, smoothies, or overnight oats. This is a great way to practice measuring and crediting. Action: Test a recipe over the summer and feature it for back-to-school. Inspiration: Try our Finally Pumpkin Overnight Oats ! 6 No-cook or Cold Entree
8 Invite a
Even if you can’t hire a full-time chef, engaging with a local chef can bring creativity and excitement to school meals. Host a cooking demo, class, or taste test to introduce new flavors and create buzz around the program. Action: Survey your community for a chef interested in collaborating with your team. Inspiration: Partner with a chef for a Harvest of the Month feature. A great dining experience goes be - 9 Invite a Community Chef By starting small and focusing on what’s within your reach, you can create a meaningful impact in your school meal program - no full scratch kitchen required. Creative and inten - tional changes like introducing a top - pings bar, partnering with local chefs, or refining culinary skills can elevate meals, boost participation, and fos - ter a positive dining experience for students. Which of these ten ideas can your team try next school year? Choose one, take action, and stick with it. Remember, every step for - ward counts!
Campus Chef
Do you have a culinary teacher or stu - dent club chef who doesn’t work in the food service department? Consid - er building a relationship with them to collaborate on staff training, chef demos, or cooking classes. Action: Check your district’s directo - ry or contact the front office for a cu - linary contact. Inspiration: A campus chef leads knife skills training for the Food Ser - vice team, which can count towards USDA’s annual professional stan - dards requirements. tures like greeting students and thanking them can make a big impact, creating a welcoming en - vironment that keeps them com - ing back. Action: Greet students person - ally during meal service. Inspiration: Use their name, give them a compliment, or ask how their game went.
Angela Gomez, RDN, SNS | Dietitian and Strategic Marketing Manager, Nourish Partners Angela Gomez (she/her) is a Dietitian and Strategic Marketing Manager with Nourish Partners and a School Nutrition Specialist. In 2017, she unexpectedly fell in love with School Nutrition during her dietetic internship and has been in School Nutrition ever since. Angela enjoys creating social media content specific to School Nutrition, managing meal modifications in schools, menu planning, and loves learning from and collaborating with other School Nutrition Professionals. Angela sees School Nutrition as the perfect place to bridge her passion for tasty food, nutrition education, health equity, and food justice. She loves any opportunity to be creative and feels that the world of School Nutrition continues to be a great place to flex those creative muscles.
Powered by FlippingBook