School lunch, served fresh out of the pan

A line of students wound around the lunch tables last week as chef Bradford Heap dished out samples of garlic chicken pasta in the cafeteria at Boulder’s Southern Hills Middle School.

“I came in because I really believe in having fresh food made with fresh ingredients,” said Heap, who is a chef and co-owner of restaurants in Boulder and Niwot that source local, organic ingredients. (Among his better known restaurants is Salt, in downtown Boulder.)

The demonstration was part of the Boulder Valley School District’s School Food Project, an initiative to get healthy and flavorful food into school cafeterias.

“A healthy school lunch is the most important part of the day for the kids. It really sets them up for success for the rest of the day,” said Brandy Dreibelbis, a district manager at BVSD’s nutrition services, who helped manage the event.

The dish Heap and Dreibelbis prepared included fresh garlic, chicken and wheat pasta. BVSD cafeterias will be serving the same dish that Heap and the BVSD chefs prepared as well as a vegetarian option.

Click on the district’s meal calendar. Or, check out the School Food Project or LunchBox.org to get more information and ideas on how to work with your school’s staff to secure healthier school lunch options.

Find more “healthy schools resources” on EdNews Parent.

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