Get Schools Cooking: School Food Transformation Nationwide

Our Get Schools Cooking districts are transforming their school menus and impacting communities from Dillingham, Alaska, to Townshend, Vermont, and many places in between. Get Schools Cooking is an intensive three-year assessment and strategic planning program that provides public K-12 schools with the operational knowledge to transition from a heat-and-serve to a scratch cook operational model. 

Since its launch in 2016, Get Schools Cooking has helped 27 districts in 21 states serve more scratch-cooked school meals to approximately 180,000 students. Get Schools Cooking is the Chef Ann Foundation’s flagship program and is a uniquely comprehensive approach to school food innovation in five key areas of focus: Food, Facilities, Finance, Human Resources and Marketing. The Get Schools Cooking program breaks down what it means to truly cook from scratch, ensuring districts are given the foundational knowledge to create long-term change and build sustainable nutrition programs.

Spread across the nation, seven districts in our fifth cohort are transforming their school food programs through Get Schools Cooking: 

• Brownsville Independent School District (Brownsville, Texas)
  • 38,000 students, 54 schools
• Dillingham City School District (Dillingham, Alaska)
  • 425 students, 2 schools
• Ellensburg School District (Ellensburg, Washington)
  • 3,200 students, 6 schools
• Hardin Public Schools (Hardin, Montana)
  • 1,900 students, 7 schools
• Howard-Suamico School District (Green Bay, Wisconsin)
  • 5,900 students, 8 schools
• Lewiston Public Schools (Lewiston, Maine)
  • 5,200 students, 7 schools
• Windham Central Supervisory Union (Townshend, Vermont)
  • 780 students, 8 schools

These districts started their Get Schools Cooking journey in February 2023 and will continue through the spring of 2026. What exactly does this three-year transformation look like? Hear from our district participants to find out!

Following the workshop, districts receive intensive training through our School Food Institute, a set of online courses that provide professional development and critical components to successful scratch-cook operations. 

At the program’s start, we conduct a comprehensive assessment of the district’s menu, financial position, facilities infrastructure, staffing, and marketing efforts. We use these results to create a custom strategic plan to guide each district through actionable steps over the next three years and beyond.

[Scratch] Cooking Up Fresh Recipes 

With a plan in place, districts are ready to integrate their assessment results. As additional support to help meet scratch cooking goals, districts can apply for a systems assistance grant. With this grant, each district is awarded up to $35,000 to purchase new equipment such as ovens, dishwashers, or salad bars, conduct staff training, or implement new software.

Hardin Public Schools in Hardin, MT, purchased a blast chiller over the summer with their systems assistance grant funds. “We are looking forward to using the blast chiller to cool foods quickly and properly,” expressed Marlo Spreng, Director of School Nutrition Department at Hardin. “We plan on making soups and sauces from scratch in advance. The blast chiller will allow us to make tender pulled pork, turkey, and roasts because we will have the ability to cook and cool the item in the same day.”

Kristi Pfotenhauer, Nutrition Coordinator at Howard Suamico School District in Green Bay, WI, shared how their equipment upgrade has transformed their operations, “getting the new piece of equipment for the school that didn’t previously have cooking capacity has been a game-changer! What we didn’t realize we needed has now become an invaluable asset, dramatically improving our efficiency and enhancing the quality of our food. Its impact is evident in the way it streamlines processes, boosts productivity, and enriches the overall experience for both staff and students.”

Joaquina Cruz, Food & Nutrition Services Director at Brownsville Independent School District in Brownsville, TX, shares that they are thrilled to introduce more scratch-cooked meals and that their students are already enjoying a variety of delicious menu items including Chicken Flautas, Carne Guisada, Salsa Casera, Pico de Gallo, Overnight Oats, Berry Parfaits, and Breakfast Tacos with Corn Tortillas. 

As Joaquina mentioned, through the Get Schools Cooking program, districts prioritize more scratch-made menu items and emphasize local ingredients. 

Phil Hulett, Business Manager at Dillingham City School District in Dillingham, AK, shares about their local procurement efforts, “the kids thoroughly enjoy the scratch-made chili a lot more than the previous one. The kids get excited when it comes up on the menu. The onions in it are from Anchorage, so they are as local as we can get.”

Visions for Future Change

The Get Schools Cooking program is an opportunity for school districts to transform their school food operations and showcase what is possible for other school food programs across the country, collectively working towards systems change. Through this holistic approach, school food professionals have the resources, funding and support to provide healthy, delicious, cook from scratch meals that support the health of children and our planet.

Your District Could Be Next

The impact of the Get Schools Cooking program continues to grow as we search for our sixth cohort of districts. These districts will participate in the program from February 2025 through the spring of 2028. We are especially excited to emphasize sustainability and environmentally conscious procurement in this next cohort. 

Get Schools Cooking is now open to districts across the country. Interested in transforming your school food program and being part of the next cohort? Learn more and apply! Applications close September 30.

Thank you to our generous partners who support the Get Schools Cooking Program: Whole Kids, the Rachael Ray Foundation, and the Waverley Street Foundation.