Brown and Neon foods, or school lunches.

[shroomgirl]

My latest project is connecting groups in the community that are interested in school food....As many of you old timers know this is a personal agenda that I've held near and dear to my heart for years.
So now I'm looking at a systemic change.
I've got connections with University dieticans, chefs, architecs, farmers/store owners, other food groups, schools......So now the plan is to gather up these groups and find out what each is doing.
I have a good idea but wanna hear it in detail and directly.

Looking for a pilot school that has a kitchen, someone in the kitchen that can cook with raw ingrediants, staff support.

In exchange we can provide a balanced, low cost (as in the same cost as already provided), supplimented products from a grocery, recipes (chefs that will teach staff to make), Rd's to put the stamp of good housekeeping and do research on the changes in diet.
I wanna see "Whole children". Get back to why are children in school and what are we teaching them?

I think parents/taxpayers are the bottom line. Teaching them that there is a viable option to brown and neon foods that their children will indeed eat and flourish.....
A friend of mine is now in Guatamale teaching at a Green arch. conference.....he's consulted in Ca. at headstarts, getting in local farm foods and developing green schools. (environmentally friendly).

So.....I wanna know of other communities that have made headway and are providing a fiscally viable alternative to "junk lunches". What do you guys know?

[culinarian247]

Wish I could say we're doing that here in Vegas but no. It seems like one, brave heroine in "the Loop" has taken it upon herself to pioneer the revolution. To give the children quality food that (as my grandma put it) "sticks to their ribs".

[Suzanne]

Alice Waters started a program with public schools in Berkeley, setting up small "farms" to grow some of the ingredients they use in the feeding programs. She spoke about it at the WCR conference a couple of years ago. I'll bet if you contacted her, she'd put you onto lots of helpful information!

[shroomgirl]

Already on that....I love that it started in one school and spread. The slow foods convivium leader here went to CA to tour the schools with Alice.....we got Pics.

[Devotay]

Shroom-

You need to contact Laurence Mate at Slow Food Prairielands in Champaign. He is the chair of the Slow Food USA Education Committee, on which I also serve. We have a lot of educational materials for you, curicula and school garden planning ideas.

Contact Laurence at lmate@prairienet.orgmailto:lmate@prairienet.org

[shroomgirl]

Thank you, I e-mailed Laurence....
nothing like changing a system.