On Thursday, April 2, chefs and school nutrition staff learned about the Chefs Move to Schools movement in a webinar with Chef Jason Morse of NFSMI. The Chefs Move to Schools initiative involves creating partnerships between chefs and schools. Studies have found that involving professional chefs with school meal programs can promote the consumption of healthy foods by students.
Several Keys to Success for a chefs in schools program include:
- Support
- Collaboration
- Mentoring and educating
In the webinar, Chef Morse provided many suggestions for chefs entering a new school system:
- Hold hands-on bootcamps for the school nutrition staff
- Understand the school nutrition staff’s daily responsibilities and challenges
- Learn about the school foodservice model, including the school nutrition regulations and standards
- Provide new ideas, such as new recipes
- Think outside the box for how to use USDA Foods. For example, sun butter is nut free and is delicious in granola bars.
- Be able to lead and inspire children of all grade levels
Events and competitions can help to promote your chef and school meal program, such as:
- In-class and lunchroom demos
- Hosting an Iron Chef Kids event
- Fruit and vegetable challenges
- Shadow the chef day
- Holiday and grilling events
- Designating student chef ambassadors
These are just some ideas to get you started. If you are interested in learning more, visit our Chefs in Schools page in the JSI Resource Center for additional resources.
