Suzanne Grass, director of county school food services has secured a highly coveted spot in the summer “school lunch boot camp” offered through the Orfalea Foundation in Santa Barbara! Suzanne and her kitchen manager will spend a week this summer learning more about running a “scratch cooking”, school lunch program!
This session is offered free of charge to schools and food service workers who desire to integrate more scratch cooking principles into their menus.
The School Food Initiative conducts week-long training events, called Culinary Boot Camps, for food service staff throughout Santa Barbara County. Working alongside Chef Educators and their peers, attendees practice the skills required to integrate more scratch cooking techniques into school kitchens.
A response to requests from food service staff members and directors during our initial Needs Assessment, Boot Camp provides continuing professional development and culinary training for food service staff. This program was developed by professional chefs, experienced in both school kitchens and educational settings, to specifically address the needs of school kitchens. Keeping in mind the stringent requirements that school food service personnel must meet, as well as the unique limitations of school facilities and budgets, Boot Camp exposes attendees to practical techniques and production methods for bringing scratch cooking to schools.