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The School Nutrition Foundation is pleased to announce that our series entitled “Building Partnerships Between Schools and Chefs” is available for viewing now at SNUniversity.org. Produced in partnership with our friends at the National Dairy Council, this half-hour presentation is free and can be viewed now by logging in to your SNUniversity.org account. This is an exclusive resource for SNA members only, and we are grateful to our partners at NDC—as well as all of our chef/director participants—for their invaluable contributions.

These brief “chef vignettes” outline partnerships with chefs undertaken in three school districts: Knox County Public Schools, Tenn.; Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), Ken.; Charleston County School District, S.C. Below is a quick overview of each district, and a “best practice” tip shared in the presentation.

Each district reported positive changes resulting from their partnership with a chef; in addition to bringing new perspectives, chefs can help increase efficiency and consistency in school meals.

Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), Kentucky

District Overview

  • Julia Bauscher, SNS, and Chef Jim Whaley
  • 100,000 students in 155 schools
  • 64 percent free/reduced
  • 65 percent lunch participation
  • 36 percent breakfast particiatipn
  • Summer food service
  • Farm-to-School initiatives
  • Fresh fruit & vegetable program

JCPS Nutrition Services Best Practices Tip: Connect with the Chefs Move to Schools organization and seek recommendations to help find a suitable candidate for a chef partnership.

Knox County Public Schools, Tennessee

District Overview

  • Jon Dickl, MBA, SNS and Chef Tollie Mullins
  • 58,500 students in 88 schools
  • 54 percent free/reduced
  • 23.3 percent breakfast participation
  • 64 percent lunch participation
  • Afterschool snack program
  • Summer food service program
  • Fresh fruit choices in every school, every day 3-5 servings fresh whole fruit

KCPS Best Practices Tip: Clearly define the role of the chef, and how the rest of the staff should interact with the new chef.

Charleston County School District, South Carolina

District Overview

  • Walter Campbell & Chef Michael Carmel
  • 44,450 students in 80 schools
  • 54 percent free/reduced
  • 52 percent lunch participation
  • 35.6 percent breakfast participation
  • Summer food service at 140 locations
  • Farm-to-school initiatives
  • Fresh fruits & vegetables grants at 25 schools in 2012-13

CCSD Best Practices Tip: Sustainable change happens through holistic, incremental change, communication, and coalition building.

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