It’s National School Lunch Week, and there’s no better way to celebrate what’s working in school cafeterias than highlighting DC Central Kitchen’s one-of-a-kind approach to providing healthy school food in Washington, DC! But our commitment to fighting hunger differently means stretching far beyond the sheer number of meals we serve students across the District every week (which, for the record, is about 55,000 meals!).
At a time when many families are feeling pressured by rising food prices and uncertain public benefits, our school meals are even more important. DC Central Kitchen is proud to serve as the food service provider for 30 public, private, and charter schools in DC, primarily in Wards 7 and 8, where healthy food can be especially hard to find and access. Each of our scratch-cooked meals is made from recipes crafted by our expert team of chefs and dieticians using ingredients sourced from dozens of local family farms and food hubs. And our unique process of serving up healthy school food doesn’t stop there. These nutritious (and delicious!) meals are cooked and served daily by our caring staff, dozens of whom are graduates of our Culinary Job Training program who have overcome barriers to employment on their way to building meaningful careers.
We pair these top-quality meals with intentional food education and student engagement. On Fridays during the school year, DCCK’s nutrition team visits partner schools in the city for Fresh Feature Fridays. Every week, students have the opportunity to learn about, sample, and vote on a recipe that incorporates fresh, local-sourced produce.
“Our team strives to foster a positive experience with food, especially if it’s a child’s first time trying a new fruit or vegetable,” says Leann Boatwright, Nutrition Engagement Coordinator at DC Central Kitchen. “A phrase you will hear us say very frequently is ‘don’t yuck my yum,’ which is a great way to encourage the children to be more open-minded and considerate.”
This month’s special? Sweet potatoes! Students have been testing out the delectable starch three ways: seasoned and baked, as a hash with peppers and onions, and accompanied by honey and cinnamon. “Oh, that’s a ten out of ten,” one student at C.W. Harris Elementary said about the sweet potato hash.
In the winter months, DC Central Kitchen visits classrooms to give students even more of a say in the food on their menus. Student satisfaction surveys enable our culinary and nutrition teams to enhance menu offerings and educate students about their school meals further.
“While our top priority is to fuel and nourish students throughout their school day, school meal programs also offer a powerful opportunity for food education,” says Travertine Garcia, Associate Director of Nutrition Programming & Compliance at DC Central Kitchen. “We want students’ experiences with school meals to help them become informed food citizens and develop healthy eating habits that extend beyond the cafeteria.”
And there’s even more to our healthy food programming for students in DC. For example, our award-winning partnership with Washington Nationals Philanthropies continues this year with cooking classes every Wednesday at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy. Our fan-favorite truck farm – DCCK’s mobile urban garden – will also visit schools across the District to give students hands-on learning opportunities with fresh fruits and vegetables.
To learn more about our nationally recognized Healthy School Food program, visit our site.