I have been involved with school food service since 2007. I began with Tustin Unified School District as a cook in the central kitchen at Pioneer Middle School. I later became a manager at Tustin High School for 3 years before I transitioned to Alhambra USD in 2013 as the Central Production Manager. While at AUSD I was in charge of the production kitchen, food service warehouse, the catering department and Cafe AUSD at the district office. I think the biggest achievement is taking this kitchen and warehouse from a blank canvas to a functional operation without ever failing to serve the students. I was fortunate to have a strong team in both the kitchen and warehouse which allowed me to develop procedures that worked for our team and sites. I held that position for 10 years until the district created the Culinary Specialist position. Now I focus on menu planning, recipe development, product selection, site equipment procurement and staff training.