Diamond Lake School District

Project Description

As a food ambassador for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, Lindsey Shifley brought personal passion to the Project Produce Grant programing at West Oak Middle School. Each month Ms. Shifley hosted “Chef’s Tasting Table” events in the cafeteria.

At the events students received a fruit or vegetable sample that Ms. Shifley, along with other volunteers, had sourced and prepped. The students would either taste the fresh produce raw, or in a simple recipe that did little to change the flavor. When possible, Ms. Shifley held tastings that aligned with holidays or other cultural events. For example, during St. Patrick’s Day, she prepared Shamrock Spinach Smoothies. After the samples were passed out, Ms. Shifley would give a brief nutrition lesson on what the students were eating to help them better understand the benefits of fresh produce.

Ms. Shifley received permission from the district’s food service management company to prep food in the school kitchen. She quickly realized the opportunity to pursue a common mission of feeding students healthy fresh food. She developed a strong relationship with the food service management company with “positivity and an air of inclusion. We realized that we’re all in this together,” she explained.

The program was such a success that the district has decided to fund its continuation. The grant has even led to talks about the possibility of converting the cafeteria into a scratch cook operation!

Successes

• The school decided to fund the program after the closure of the Project Produce Grant.
• Less cafeteria food waste as a result of students being more enthusiastic about lunchtime.
• Positive community partnerships were formed with local purveyors, volunteers, the food service management company, and school faculty.

Challenges

• Coordinating the food prep with the food service management company that was doing no scratch cooking in the kitchen.
• Sourcing and prepping the right amount of food for the tastings.