FoodCorps made an appearance on the Rachael Ray Show this month in a segment featuring the collaboration between New London Public Schools Director of Food Service Samantha Wilson and Chef Dan Giusti’s Brigaid, which brings chefs into K-12 school kitchens.
“This year for lunch, we have $3.41 to produce a meal for each student. Within that $3.41 you have to pay for labor, you have to pay for maintenance, really anything that you need to produce the meal — which leaves you with about $1.25 just for ingredients,” Dan says. “So with that $1.25 you need to offer a protein, a whole grain, a fruit and vegetable and a milk. But more importantly, a meal that kids really will enjoy eating.”
“If kids don’t enjoy the food, they’re very honest about their opinions,” Dan adds.
Marisa Kaplita, a FoodCorps AmeriCorps service member with New London Public Schools’ Food Services in New London, Connecticut, is interviewed in the segment about her role in getting kids excited to try healthy foods at school.
“When they see me, they understand that I’m always going to have something good for them to try and they get really excited to do that,” she says. “I think that trust is really important, especially with younger kids.”
“Every day we have an opportunity to make a student’s day a little better through the meals that we cook,” Dan says.
Watch the full segment at the Rachael Ray Show.
