School food has become increasingly more processed and less healthy. With the right knowledge and tools, schools can transform their kitchens and lunchrooms to support student health, wellbeing, and academic success.

Visit Overview
About Chef Ann Foundation
SCALE
FAQ
Supporting Research
Our Advisory Board

Recipes and menus are the heart of school food change. These recipes have been developed by school food professionals, kid-tested, and perfected in school kitchens.

Visit Overview
What is Scratch Cooking?
Recipes
Menu Development
Menu Cycles

We don’t need to tell you: COVID-19 has drastically changed the school food world. We’re here to help, whenever you’re ready.

Visit Overview
Food
Universal Meals
Scratch Cooking To-Go
Bulk Meal Packs
Commodities
Food Access
Marketing & Communications
Staff Appreciation
Additional Resources

Management is a general term for: fiscal management, human resources, facilities, assessment, and wellness policies. In order for a district’s food service department to be successful, the director has to be adept in a vast array of subjects.

Visit Overview
Roadmap for the School Year
Fiscal Management
Human Resources
Staff Appreciation
Professional Development
Training Videos
School Food Institute
Healthy School Food Pathway
Central Kitchens
Facilities
Assessment & Next Steps
Wellness Policy & Smart Snacks
Local Wellness Policy
Smart Snacks in Schools
Tools & Resources

Procurement is one of the most complex processes within food service departments. In the event of shifting a program from using processed, ready-to-heat foods to scratch cooked recipes, many processes change.

Visit Overview
A Fresh Start
Fresh Food Systems
Informal & Formal Procurement
Sustainable Procurement
Bulk Milk
Purchasing Co-operatives
What Are Co-ops?
Co-ops with a Cause
How to Start a Co-op
Tools & Resources

Marketing in food service ranges from finding local sponsors, to creating a brand and promotional materials, to hosting Junior Chef competitions, to engaging students in cooking and menu design.

Visit Overview
Branding Your Program
District Communications
Social Media Toolkit
Partnerships
Posters & Signs

Lunchroom education activities engage students with food-focused learning opportunities. Explore the wide world of fun food programs!

Visit Overview
Tastings
Rainbow Days
Art Contests
Chef Demonstrations
Junior Chef Competitions
Farm to School
Volunteers & Interns

This section is dedicated to the “Big Ideas” - areas we think make a huge impact and will play a large role in the future of school food.

Visit Overview
Salad Bars
Assessment & Planning
Procurement
Operations
Training
Marketing Your Salad Bar
Recipes
Tools & Resources
School Breakfast
Getting Started
Operations
Stakeholder Awareness
Preparing to Launch
Program Evaluation
Tools & Resources
Sustainable Lunchrooms
Plant Forward
Plant Forward Recipes
Case Study
Tools & Resources
Apply for a Grant
Get Schools Cooking
Salad Bars to Schools
Project Produce
Chef Ann Foundation
School Food Institute
Salad Bars To Schools
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School Food Institute
Salad Bars To Schools
Apply for a grant
Blog

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Why Scratch Cooking?

School food has become increasingly more processed and less healthy. With the right knowledge and tools, schools can transform their kitchens and lunchrooms to support student health, wellbeing, and academic success.

Visit Overview
About Chef Ann Foundation
SCALE
FAQ
Supporting Research
Our Advisory Board

Recipes & Menus

Recipes and menus are the heart of school food change. These recipes have been developed by school food professionals, kid-tested, and perfected in school kitchens.

Visit Overview
What is Scratch Cooking?
Recipes
Menu Development
Menu Cycles

Emergency Feeding

We don’t need to tell you: COVID-19 has drastically changed the school food world. We’re here to help, whenever you’re ready.

Visit Overview
Food
Universal Meals
Scratch Cooking To-Go
Bulk Meal Packs
Commodities
Food Access
Marketing & Communications
Staff Appreciation
Additional Resources

Management

Management is a general term for: fiscal management, human resources, facilities, assessment, and wellness policies. In order for a district’s food service department to be successful, the director has to be adept in a vast array of subjects.

Visit Overview
Roadmap for the School Year
Fiscal Management
Human Resources
Staff Appreciation
Professional Development
Training Videos
School Food Institute
Healthy School Food Pathway
Central Kitchens
Facilities
Assessment & Next Steps
Wellness Policy & Smart Snacks
Local Wellness Policy
Smart Snacks in Schools
Tools & Resources

Procurement

Procurement is one of the most complex processes within food service departments. In the event of shifting a program from using processed, ready-to-heat foods to scratch cooked recipes, many processes change.

Visit Overview
A Fresh Start
Fresh Food Systems
Informal & Formal Procurement
Sustainable Procurement
Bulk Milk
Purchasing Co-operatives
What Are Co-ops?
Co-ops with a Cause
How to Start a Co-op
Tools & Resources

Marketing

Marketing in food service ranges from finding local sponsors, to creating a brand and promotional materials, to hosting Junior Chef competitions, to engaging students in cooking and menu design.

Visit Overview
Branding Your Program
District Communications
Social Media Toolkit
Partnerships
Posters & Signs

Lunchroom Education

Lunchroom education activities engage students with food-focused learning opportunities. Explore the wide world of fun food programs!

Visit Overview
Tastings
Rainbow Days
Art Contests
Chef Demonstrations
Junior Chef Competitions
Farm to School
Volunteers & Interns

Fresh Food Initiatives

This section is dedicated to the “Big Ideas” - areas we think make a huge impact and will play a large role in the future of school food.

Visit Overview
Salad Bars
Assessment & Planning
Procurement
Operations
Training
Marketing Your Salad Bar
Recipes
Tools & Resources
School Breakfast
Getting Started
Operations
Stakeholder Awareness
Preparing to Launch
Program Evaluation
Tools & Resources
Sustainable Lunchrooms
Plant Forward
Plant Forward Recipes
Case Study
Tools & Resources
Apply for a Grant
Get Schools Cooking
Salad Bars to Schools
Project Produce

Welcome to The Lunch Box

The nation’s trusted resource for scratch cooking in schools, including recipes, tools and operational knowledge.

Learn more

Roadmap for Scratch Cook Operations

Check out our School Food Roadmap for tips on navigating your 2023 school food operations with ease.

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Steps Toward a Healthier Menu

Discover five simple, kid-approved recipes that can reduce the amount of highly-processed ingredients found on your students’ lunch trays.

Read more

Appreciating Your School Food Team

Check out our Staff Appreciation page for tips on recognizing your staff members and uplifting your team’s morale this holiday season!

Learn more

Check out our plant-forward recipes on The Lunch Box!

Visit our Recipe section on The Lunch Box to find delicious, protein-packed bean recipes to add to your next menu cycle!

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The Lunch Box

Welcome to the largest online resource for scratch cooking in schools! A program of the Chef Ann Foundation, this site features step-by-step guides, tools, and other resources to help schools improve their meal programs and convert to scratch-cooking.

By cooking from scratch (with whole, fresh ingredients), school food programs can provide delicious, nutritious meals for students. Research has shown scratch-cooking to have incredible benefits, like increased meal participation, improved student attendance, and decreased risk of diseases like diabetes.

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SCALE platform for self assessment

We’ve built the first free-access digital platform that offers the first comprehensive self-assessment focused on enhancing school meal programs and increasing scratch cooking.

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You have a wealth of valuable information for school districts to use. Thanks for all you do in providing schools with the tools they need to provide nutritious meals to our students.
Terri, Food Service Director at South Hamilton School District
Great tips and recommendations here to help implement change in our public schools. I am a substitute school nurse in Northern NJ with three kids in public schools and have been searching and searching for ways to help implement change for increasing plant-based foods in school lunches. This is a little slice of gold I have found in your site. I thank you very much!
TLB User
Your website is impressive and I love the huge emphasis on nutrition education. I think this is a key component of our salad bar success!
Melanie, Assistant Supervisor at Evergreen School District

New Content Areas

With this latest redesign of The Lunch Box, we’ve added a ton of new content for school food operators. Check out our newest additions below!

Why Scratch Cooking
Benefits of Scratch Cooking
COVID Resources
Central Kitchen case study
New recipes
Sustainable Lunchrooms practices

New Content Areas

With this latest redesign of The Lunch Box, we’ve added a ton of new content for school food operators. Check out our newest additions below!

Why Scratch Cooking
Benefits of Scratch Cooking
COVID Resources
Central Kitchen case study
New recipes
Sustainable Lunchrooms practices
video-play-button

Featured New Recipe

Chicken Pozole with Tortilla Chips

Hear from CAF’s Director of School Food Operations, Brandy Dreibelbis, how this home recipe was adapted for school meal service.

Meet Brandy
Origins of Chicken Pozole
Recipe

Featured New Recipe

Chicken Pozole with Tortilla Chips

Hear from CAF’s Director of School Food Operations, Brandy Dreibelbis, how this home recipe was adapted for school meal service.

Meet Brandy
Origins of Chicken Pozole
Recipe

Program Impact

The Lunch Box provides many digital resources and tools for school food professionals. Online registration also helps us track impact and support funding initiatives.
23,012

site users registered
103,131

downloaded resources
5,569

school districts registered

Program Impact

The Lunch Box provides many digital resources and tools for school food professionals. Online registration also helps us track impact and support funding initiatives.
23,012

site users registered
103,131

downloaded resources
5,569

school districts registered

Discover More

SCALE Assessment

We’ve built the first free-access digital platform that offers the first comprehensive self-assessment focused on enhancing school meal programs and increasing scratch cooking.

Learn More

Management Tools & Resources

Looking for meal cost worksheets, menu cycle plans, or food cost projection worksheets? Check out our collection of easy downloads to help plan your program.

Learn More

Supporting Research

Check out these significant research and case studies that outline the benefits of healthy school food programs, which can be helpful when discussing school food changes with school district administration and community stakeholders.

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Help The Lunch Box!

Please help us keep our tools & resources free for all users by registering here!

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