Jamie Oliver highlights thelunchbox.org and Chef Ann!

Read here.

The School Food Project Presents…

Employee Spotlight! 

This month, BVSD and The School Food Project bid farewell to Teri Wolfkiel and Della Gibson, both treasured employees who will be missed!

Read District Manager Brandy Dreibelbis’ tribute to both Teri and Della below:

This is Teri’s 19 year at BVSD.  She has been at Superior Elementary school running the kitchen since the school opened in 1996.  She takes a great deal of pride in her work and has been a very well liked part of the Superior staff for years.  Teri is very involved with the kids, always celebrating every holiday with little surprises for the kids and remembering each child’s birthday.  She has been a positive influence on many students’ years at Superior.

In Teri’s free time, she enjoys baking, collecting Swarovski Crystals, and visiting her sisters in Kentucky and Texas.

Teri is leaving to begin a new adventure with her husband.  She plans to get her Commercial Driver’s License and join her husband on the road.  She is off to start the biggest road trip of her life!

Della is retiring after 32 years of service.  She has been a fixture in the kitchen at Broomfield High and is a very respected and loved part of their team.  Della has trained and worked with numerous employees over the years.  Since taking over the Broomfield area schools this year, it was easy for me to see from the first day of school that she is a leader in Broomfield and a very influential lunch lady.  I’ve nick-named her “the godmother” as most of my schools generally reach out to Della before they call me with questions.

She is very involved with her family and plans to keep her part time job at Kohl’s Department store after retiring.

Della was honored this fall at half-time of the BHS homecoming game, where she received a standing ovation by fans and she crowned this year’s queen.

Reposted with permission:

By: Tyler Nemkov

“Renegade Lunch Lady” Ann Cooper bellies up to the salad bar

Ann Cooper is a busy lunch lady — even if she’s not the hairnet-wearing stereotype, standing behind the hot-lunch line plopping down scoops of canned green beans and powdered mashed potatoes. In fact, she’s been trying for years to make sure those green beans are fresh (even local!) and the mashed potatoes come from actual potatoes.

Cooper has been overseeing the Boulder Valley School District’s renovation of its school food program for close to two years — earning the label “Renegade Lunch Lady” in the process — and now the former fine-dining chef is out to reform the nation’s eating habits. (more…)

Reposted with permission

By: Sarah Parsons

At the same time that the federal Child Nutrition Act is poised to become law, one city may axe nutritious lunches in school cafeterias. Washington, D.C.’s Mayor Adrian Fenty recently proposed cutting funds for the city’s Healthy Schools Act. The budget cuts will effectively ruin one of the most progressive school lunch programs in America — unless folks speak up now.

Washington, D.C.’s Healthy Schools Act, which was passed earlier this year, created one of the most nutritious, eco-minded school meal programs in the nation. By implementing a six percent sales tax on soda sold within city limits, legislators could provide an additional 10 cents for every meal served in public and charter school cafeterias. Not only would this increase improve access to lunches and meals’ nutritional quality, it would implement quite a few sustainable foodie ideals. Farm-to-school programs received a huge push through the plan, with cafeterias required to serve locally grown produce whenever possible and report where ingredients were produced. While the rest of America’s students chow down on soggy pizza, D.C.’s kids would get chicken and cheddar on a whole wheat wrap with a fresh, local apple. (more…)