Food is anything but boring. Food is happy memories, a tradition, an opportunity to share, a reason for community, and fuel for our favorite activities. When we stop and think about the many ways food is built into our day-to-day lives, and how the foods we prepare in kitchens and serve on plates means so much to us socially and emotionally, we gain a deeper appreciation of why foodservice matters so much. Not only that, but we feel inspired to pay it forward and help other young people build healthy, happy feelings about mealtimes. You’ll find this valuable insight in our September/October issue highlighting these topics:
Inspired by Generations: When Child Nutrition Runs in the Family
Some of you might be first-generation school nutrition professionals, but for others, this career path is practically a family business. These stories from SNA members tell how a parent, grandparent, or other mentor modeled the value of school foodservice and inspired them to pursue this work for themselves. By observing and later following the example of these loved ones, they were able to find their why and know the work they pursued would make a difference in the lives of young people.
The Way Your Grandmother Made It
Mealtimes are about nourishing the soul as much as they are about nourishing the body. It’s one of the reasons so many people have special recipes and traditions they’ve loved since childhood, when the adults around them instilled in them positive feelings around sharing a meal with others. These SNA members from different backgrounds are united by that shared experience, whether it was from a grandparent who spent hours cooking time-honored recipes or the foodservice professionals at school who took care of them when food was scarce at home.
It’s fall, which means the harvest season is here, and harvest has a special meaning for some schools. That’s because their kitchens and cafeterias are serving up menu items made with locally sourced ingredients. In some cases, it’s from a farm located right in their region, and in other cases, it’s from a school garden. Get insight from eight SNA members on how their program approaches the idea of a local harvest and how this approach strengthens the connection between students and the fresh food sourced right in their communities.
Food Focus: Cooking with Color
Kids love bright colors, and that’s as true when it comes to food as it is to anything else—which is great, because, as chefs Lindsey Schoenfeld and Vahista “V” Ussery explain, color can be a guide to variety and nutrition. When you aim to create a colorful menu, you’ll be serving your students something that’s not only visually exciting but also full of fresh fruits and vegetables. Lindsey and V share what they love about “cooking with color” and why it can get even reluctant eaters to try new nutrient-rich foods.
Click here to read the full issue.
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