Starting from Scratch: A School Food Culinary Intensive
Boulder, Colorado | November 6–9, 2026
Join us for a first-of-its-kind, hands-on immersive experience designed specifically for the trailblazers of school food. Hosted by the Chef Ann Foundation in partnership with Boulder Valley School District, this three-day intensive immerses teams in production kitchens to master the culinary skills and operational systems essential for transitioning to a scratch-cooked program.
Applications will open on April 1 and close on May 15, 2026.
Starting from Scratch: A School Food Culinary Intensive
Boulder, Colorado | November 6–9, 2026
Join us for a first-of-its-kind, hands-on immersive experience designed specifically for the trailblazers of school food. Hosted by the Chef Ann Foundation in partnership with Boulder Valley School District, this three-day intensive immerses teams in production kitchens to master the culinary skills and operational systems essential for transitioning to a scratch-cooked program.
Applications will open on April 1 and close on May 15, 2026.
Why This Is Different
We’re trading lecture halls for real-world school kitchens to solve the unique challenges of high-volume, scratch-made meals.
- Real kitchens, real scale: You’ll be working in actual school kitchens, mastering techniques that work at the speed of a lunch rush.
- School food experts: This training is developed by school food professionals for school food professionals.
- Data-driven strategy: This training is about long-term impact. Bring your district’s actual data and turn it into an actionable operational roadmap.
- A room of peers: You’ll be side-by-side with other districts committed to the same goal: moving toward scratch cooking one step, and one meal, at a time.
Why This Is Different
We’re trading lecture halls for real-world school kitchens to solve the unique challenges of high-volume, scratch-made meals.
- Real kitchens, real scale: You’ll be working in actual school kitchens, mastering techniques that work at the speed of a lunch rush.
- School food experts: This training is developed by school food professionals for school food professionals.
- Data-driven strategy: This training is about long-term impact. Bring your district’s actual data and turn it into an actionable operational roadmap.
- A room of peers: You’ll be side-by-side with other districts committed to the same goal: moving toward scratch cooking one step, and one meal, at a time.
What You’ll Walk Away With
You won’t leave with just ideas; you’ll leave with a Scratch Cooking Operational Roadmap. This includes:
- Custom strategic plan: A roadmap covering a systems-change approach to school food reform across five key areas: food, finance, facilities, human resources, and marketing.
- District-specific spreadsheets: Practical tools to track, analyze, and budget your district’s specific food and labor costs.
- Resource library: Standardized templates and guides you can implement the moment you return to your district kitchen.
What You’ll Walk Away With
You won’t leave with just ideas; you’ll leave with a Scratch Cooking Operational Roadmap. This includes:
- Custom strategic plan: A roadmap covering a systems-change approach to school food reform across five key areas: food, finance, facilities, human resources, and marketing.
- District-specific spreadsheets: Practical tools to track, analyze, and budget your district’s specific food and labor costs.
- Resource library: Standardized templates and guides you can implement the moment you return to your district kitchen.
One Year of Support
This intensive is just the beginning. To ensure your vision becomes a reality, every district will get a year of virtual technical assistance support through community of practice calls:
- Five community of practice sessions: Deep-dive sessions with experts from the Chef Ann Foundation to review your strategic plan, engage in peer-to-peer learning with your cohort, and share wins to support your district’s scratch cooking journey.
- Closing celebration: Wrap up your year of scratch-cooking learning and celebrate your accomplishments.
One Year of Support
This intensive is just the beginning. To ensure your vision becomes a reality, every district will get a year of virtual technical assistance support through community of practice calls:
- Five community of practice sessions: Deep-dive sessions with experts from the Chef Ann Foundation to review your strategic plan, engage in peer-to-peer learning with your cohort, and share wins to support your district’s scratch cooking journey.
- Closing celebration: Wrap up your year of scratch-cooking learning and celebrate your accomplishments.
Chef Ann Cooper
President & Founder
Also known as the “Renegade Lunch Lady,“ Chef Ann served for 11 years as the Director of Food Services for Boulder Valley School District in Colorado.
Brandy Dreibelbis
Executive Director of Culinary
Former Director of Food Services for NOSH at Napa Valley Unified School District in California and former Executive Chef for Boulder Valley School District in Colorado.
Lori Nelson
Chief School Food Operations Officer
Chef and former Senior Director of Child Nutrition for KIPP Texas Public Schools.
Stephanie Lip
Senior Director of West Coast Operations
Chef and former School Nutrition Director with Pacific Grove Unified School District in California.
Rachel Reed-Sanow
School Food Operations Specialist
Chef and former school food professional at Boulder Valley School District in Colorado.
Vanessa Zajfen
Senior Director of Procurement
First farm-to-school specialist to work at the San Diego Unified School District in California, and a former farm-to-school regional lead at the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Jessica Keene
Senior Director of Assessment
Registered Dietitian, former Menu Systems Development RD and Regional Field Manager with San Diego Unified School District in California.
Patrick Kenneally
Senior School Food Operations Specialist
Chef and School Lunch Director with the Capital Region BOCES Shared Food Service program in New York state.
Josh Mathiasmeier
Senior Operations Specialist
Registered Dietitian and former Director of Nutritional Services at Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools.
Dani Chandler
Senior Marketing Coordinator, School Food Operations Programs
Holds a Bachelor of Arts in Health Communications, has experience in sustainable food systems, and has provided over 100 technical assistance sessions to schools.
Apply Now
This is more than training — it’s an investment in your students’ health and the future of your school food program. Space is limited for this inaugural cohort to ensure every district receives personalized attention.
If you have any questions, please contact startingfromscratch@chefannfoundation.org.
The application will open on April 1 and close on May 15, 2026.
Apply Now
This is more than training — it’s an investment in your students’ health and the future of your school food program. Space is limited for this inaugural cohort to ensure every district receives personalized attention.
If you have any questions, please contact startingfromscratch@chefannfoundation.org.
The application will open on April 1 and close on May 15, 2026.
