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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lunchroom education activities engage students with food-focused learning opportunities. Explore the wide world of fun food programs!
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.
Through our grant programs, we award special funding to schools that are committed to making real, positive changes to their food programs.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lunchroom education activities engage students with food-focused learning opportunities. Explore the wide world of fun food programs!
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.
Through our grant programs, we award special funding to schools that are committed to making real, positive changes to their food programs.
Rob Jaber, Executive Director of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) for DC Public Schools (DCPS) has spent over 30 years leading teams in hotels, restaurants, school food, and numerous other segments of the foodservice industry.
Rob Jaber, Executive Director of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) for DC Public Schools (DCPS) has spent over 30 years leading teams in hotels, restaurants, school food, and numerous other segments of the foodservice industry.
Rob received his undergraduate degrees in Culinary Arts and Food Service Management from Johnson & Wales University in 1993; he later went on to earn his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Maryland and an Executive Master’s in Leadership degree from Georgetown University.
Parenthood prompted Rob’s interest in school nutrition, and he believed that his experience in leading high-quality standards in food and service could carry over into the cafeteria. In 2010, Rob began his journey at DCPS overseeing FNS operations. Rob’s commitment to minimally processed, scratch cooked meals and superior service became recognized; and, in 2012 he was appointed by DCPS leadership to serve as the Executive Director of FNS. Rob is now responsible for overseeing nutrition programs and operations in 115 schools that serve nearly 10 million meals, annually.
Rob believes that community engagement is critical to program success, and FNS continually connects with students, parents, community and non-profit partners through its School Food Collaborative and social media channel “DCPSEats!”. Rob encourages his team to directly engage with stakeholders to exchange ideas and create innovative methods of improving the meal experience and connecting students with gardens, cooking programs and healthier lifestyles.
Rob is excited to contribute to the larger school food community through the CAF Board and hopes that sharing his experiences will help other districts overcome the many obstacles that he encountered along the way.
When he isn’t immersed in the school food world that he loves so much, Rob enjoys spending his personal time with his wife Angela, his son Zachary, and his daughters, Addison and Cassidy.
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