FUTURE MENUS TOP 8 TRENDS FOR 2024 year. The district does pay to process the meat, which is turned into ground beef, brisket, and roast beef. Sullivan and other kitchen managers use the products for all manner of meals—like hamburgers, birria tacos, and a highly popular smoked brisket sandwich that sells out in the high school and middle school each spring. “Our kids, oh, our kids absolutely go crazy for it,” Sullivan says. “I feel like they can actually tell the difference.” During last school year, the Mo Beef program expanded to include Mo Pork. Monett received a donated hog that became pork roast, bacon, and lots of sausage. The foodservice team has purchased an extra walk-in freezer that is solely dedicated to the Mo Beef/Mo Pork program. “We really use every bit,” Meredith says. “After all the bacon and sausage was gone, we used the leftover bits to make sausage gravy—so great for controlling the amount of salt and sodium and that kind of thing. For six months our high schoolers got this delicious homemade sausage gravy instead of something out of a can.” The farm- and greenhouse- and ranch-to-school approach has worked for Monett in several ways—from cutting costs to improving the diner experience. “Especially for someone coming in new to this, I recommend teaming up with someone or at least asking another director who has been doing this,” Meredith says. “I had got the privilege speaking to others who had bought from local producers, and I also have a great team. Surround yourself with people who have the knowledge—then listen.”
The nutrition team at Grapevine-Colleyville ISD tries to meet and connect with students through taste tests, cooking classes and more.
‘OUR KIDS GO ABSOLUTELY CRAZY FOR IT’
The greenhouse is “one of the best things we’ve ever added to our program, says Rachel Sullivan, kitchen manager for Monett Intermediate School. But what her fourth- and fifth-graders love most are special items using beef acquired through the local program Mo Beef Kids . The organization partners with local ranchers who donate beef to schools. Monett, which has worked with Mo Beef since 2019, typically receives about five or six cattle over the school
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MONNET R-1 SCHOOL DISTRICT
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