This little munchkin is a proud member of our Clean Plate Club… a win-win: wholly nourished without food waste! At our Turning Green school food program, we're always tweaking our menus in partnership with the kids to ensure they like and EAT The Conscious Kitchen lunches! We want students to become more adventurous eaters and finish what they're served to achieve optimal nutrition and reduce food waste, so we incentivize clean plates with bonus experiences and privileges… and it works!
Each week, two student ambassadors have the opportunity to visit and work in the kitchen of a phenomenal nearby restaurant under the tutelage of Chef Justin Everett. "Do you cook at home?" I ask one. "Nah, only microwave. But now I'm gonna try and tell my mom too!" 🙌🏾 The eight-year-old powerhouse on the right responds, as he shells farm fresh peas with excitement and command. They walk away with new cooking, discipline and interpersonal skills, awareness, confidence, and delicious wholesome food they've helped to prepare, in addition to knowing they've made a concrete contribution to restaurant prep.
I am so proud to see how The Conscious Kitchen continues to change lives, even beyond the growing number of public elementary campuses where we serve 100% organic, fresh, local, seasonal, nonGMO, scratch-cooked breakfast and lunch to students and staff daily — within budget and surpassing nutritional guidelines, with a supplementary garden and nutrition program. We began at a school where 95% of the population qualified for free-and-reduced lunch – a proof positive that we CAN feed our children well and with dignity anywhere.