THE REAL INSPIRATION: YOU We’ll be honest—one of the best parts of what we do is getting to work with you. Every day, we’re inspired by the dedication, creativity, and resilience of school nutrition teams across the country. Your work goes way beyond simply preparing food; you’re building community, supporting students’ well-being, and finding innovative ways to make school meals nutritious and enjoyable. It’s work that’s essential and incredibly meaningful, and we’re in awe of all you do to make it happen.
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If Gaia can help make even a small part of your job easier—if we can give you back a little time or help you streamline a task—then we know we’re moving in the right direction. Every feature, update, and improvement is made with a deep respect for the work you do.
Here are a few ways we’ve made Gaia work for you based on input: Customizable Production Records One of the first things we learned is that every school and district does things a little differently. While one team may prioritize tracking certain ingredients, another might focus on managing compliance data, and yet another might need an entirely different format. We didn’t want Gaia to be a “one-size-fits-all” platform. So, we made Gaia’s production records fully customizable. Now, teams can set them up to match exactly how they work—without unnecessary fields or extra steps. This flexibility allows teams to track what matters to them in an intuitive and natural way. Paper Without The Work We spent time with Diane Slobodnik and Joseph Blissett from Joliet Public Schools, where they manage a central kitchen out of a junior high school. Observing their day-to-day, it became clear how time- consuming it can be to manually enter paperwork into record-keeping systems that aren’t exactly user-friendly. Time could be better spent in the kitchen—whether getting creative with new recipes or enhancing meal options for students. Together with Diane and Joseph, we co-developed an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) feature to address this challenge head-on. Now, with OCR, you can simply snap a photo of a production record or inventory list, and GAIA automatically inputs the data for you. No more manual entry. No more backlogged paperwork. Just a quick snap, upload, and you’re back to doing what you do best. Centralized Inventory and Ordering Inventory management is another major pain point that repeatedly came up in our conversations with child nutrition teams. Tracking inventory in multiple places, remembering reorder points, and balancing fresh and stored ingredients was a constant struggle. With that in mind, Gaia gives a centralized view of all inventory, directly connecting to ordering systems. By keeping inventory management in one place, teams can avoid over-ordering, prevent shortages, and ensure fresh ingredients are always on hand.
OUR ADVISORY GROUP: THE GAIA COLLECTIVE The features we’ve developed so far are just the beginning. As school nutrition evolves, so will Gaia. We are excited to formalize our advisory process and group, which we are calling the GAIA Collective . We’ve been collaborating with passionate Ideators and doers who are committed to improving school nutrition. They will continue to provide ideas and a wish list of features designed to deliver real and impactful results. Additionally, we will host in-person events to create a space for shared learning. Through the GAIA Collective, we invite everyone who shares our mission to help shape the tools and technology of the future. Whether you have abundant ideas, are facing challenges, or have a wish list of features you would like to see, this is your space. Email me to join the waitlist to receive updates, including news on upcoming events and ways to get involved as we launch the GAIA Collective. Together, we are building solutions that directly support those on the front lines. WE’RE STILL LISTENING—AND ALWAYS WILL BE Your input is what makes Gaia more than just software— it makes it a platform designed by and for the school nutrition community. And we’re committed to continuing to earn that role as your partner. Please reach out, share your thoughts, and let’s make school nutrition more impactful together.
Contact Information Souha Alameddine CEO, Gaia K-12
Email: souha@gaiak12.com https://www.gaiak12.com/
Souha Alameddine | CEO, Gaia
Influenced by my personal health journey, I founded Gaia Software to provide solutions for school nutrition teams that remove administrative hurdles and empower them to focus on the students.
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