What We Do
Cooking from scratch allows school districts the opportunity to provide fresh, healthy, whole ingredient-based meals.
Chef Ann Foundation is committed to helping school districts build, implement, and sustain a self-operated, cook-from-scratch program. We provide a continuum of programming that meets districts where they are, and helps support them in moving their program forward. You can see how we break this down in our Theory of Change and take a deeper dive into our individual programs below.
The Lunch Box
The Lunch Box is an online resource that is dedicated to supporting school districts and food service teams in transitioning their food programs from relying on processed foods to incorporating scratch cooking and fresh ingredients. The Lunch Box offers a wide range of free, in-depth tools and resources such as scalable and downloadable recipes, USDA compliant menu cycles, procurement tools, financial calculators, implementation strategies, training tools, marketing materials, and much more. The Lunch Box also shares best practices from around the United States–building a network of school food changemakers.
The Lunch Box
The Lunch Box is an online resource that is dedicated to supporting school districts and food service teams in transitioning their food programs from relying on processed foods to incorporating scratch cooking and fresh ingredients. The Lunch Box offers a wide range of free, in-depth tools and resources such as scalable and downloadable recipes, USDA compliant menu cycles, procurement tools, financial calculators, implementation strategies, training tools, marketing materials, and much more. The Lunch Box also shares best practices from around the United States–building a network of school food changemakers.
School Food Institute
The School Food Institute gives school food service professionals and childhood nutrition advocates the in-depth training, operational skills, and strategic vision necessary to make school food fresh, healthy, and sustainable. Our engaging online courses give you a front row seat in Chef Ann Cooper’s classroom, where you can learn directly from a leader in school food change on how to transition school meal programs to scratch-cooked operations that provide real, healthy food to kids at school every day.
School Food Institute
The School Food Institute gives school food service professionals and childhood nutrition advocates the in-depth training, operational skills, and strategic vision necessary to make school food fresh, healthy, and sustainable. Our engaging online courses give you a front row seat in Chef Ann Cooper’s classroom, where you can learn directly from a leader in school food change on how to transition school meal programs to scratch-cooked operations that provide real, healthy food to kids at school every day.
Healthy School Food Pathway
Healthy School Food Pathway is a work-based learning experience that aims to prepare individuals for job opportunities in healthy, scratch-cook school food programs. This new program supports workforce readiness and professional growth for new, incumbent, and displaced school food operators. The pipeline offers professionals the resources, hands-on training, and network to become confident leaders, from entry-level positions to school food leaders.
Healthy School Food Pathway
Healthy School Food Pathway is a work-based learning experience that aims to prepare individuals for job opportunities in healthy, scratch-cook school food programs. This new program supports workforce readiness and professional growth for new, incumbent, and displaced school food operators. The pipeline offers professionals the resources, hands-on training, and network to become confident leaders, from entry-level positions to school food leaders.
Get Schools Cooking
Get Schools Cooking, a program of Chef Ann Foundation, previously known as School Food Support Initiative, is for school districts who want to transition their food service operations from heat and serve processed foods to whole foods that are cooked from scratch. Through Get Schools Cooking, food service directors and their teams are guided through an intensive three-year program that includes an assessment of their meal program, strategic planning and grant funds to assist the district in making recommended changes.
Get Schools Cooking
Get Schools Cooking, a program of Chef Ann Foundation, previously known as School Food Support Initiative, is for school districts who want to transition their food service operations from heat and serve processed foods to whole foods that are cooked from scratch. Through Get Schools Cooking, food service directors and their teams are guided through an intensive three-year program that includes an assessment of their meal program, strategic planning and grant funds to assist the district in making recommended changes.
Salad Bars To Schools
Salad Bars to Schools (SB2S) supports schools in expanding their commitment to serving fresh fruits and vegetables by donating salad bars to school districts across the United States. Salad bars profoundly shift the typical school lunch by offering students not only a variety of foods, but also the opportunity to choose what they eat. As a founding and managing partner, CAF guides school districts through the grant application process and provides salad bar resources for food service staff.
Salad Bars To Schools
Salad Bars to Schools (SB2S) supports schools in expanding their commitment to serving fresh fruits and vegetables by donating salad bars to school districts across the United States. Salad bars profoundly shift the typical school lunch by offering students not only a variety of foods, but also the opportunity to choose what they eat. As a founding and managing partner, CAF guides school districts through the grant application process and provides salad bar resources for food service staff.
Bulk Milk
Bulk Milk donates bulk milk equipment to U.S. schools to support reduction of packaging and liquid waste, and support environmental sustainability in schools. This healthy school lunch initiative is a partnership founded by the Chef Ann Foundation and The Posner Foundation. This new granting program provides schools and districts with bulk milk dispensing equipment and support, program and marketing materials, and technical assistance.
Bulk Milk
Bulk Milk donates bulk milk equipment to U.S. schools to support reduction of packaging and liquid waste, and support environmental sustainability in schools. This healthy school lunch initiative is a partnership founded by the Chef Ann Foundation and The Posner Foundation. This new granting program provides schools and districts with bulk milk dispensing equipment and support, program and marketing materials, and technical assistance.
Specialized Programming
The Chef Ann Foundation administers and supports a variety of specialized programs seeking to improve the quality of school meals, increase the amount of scratch-cooking in schools, and advance systemic food systems change.
Specialized Programming
The Chef Ann Foundation administers and supports a variety of specialized programs seeking to improve the quality of school meals, increase the amount of scratch-cooking in schools, and advance systemic food systems change.
