The idea of farm to school is about more than what ends up on a student’s tray.
It’s a mindset that embraces the idea that food can be an entry point to healthy activity and education in a communal setting.
The Poughkeepsie City School District is seeking ways to incorporate farm to table principles more both with what is served in cafeterias and the opportunities to get hands-on within each school.
That’s why Food Service Director Shameka Watson and several district kitchen staff members joined dozens of school representatives from across the region at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park Wednesday morning for the Upper Hudson Valley Farm to School Gathering. The event, which was organized by Cornell Cooperative Extension in association with the state Education and Agriculture and Markets departments, brought together food service directors, administrators and kitchen staff from many area school districts to explore growing the farm to school movement, share resources to help facilitate that growth, and spark discussion among the professionals who make it happen.
“Making food important outside of the cafeteria is important for convincing kids to try new things,” Saoirse Maloney-Stevenson, Assistant Food Service Director for the Kingston City School District, said early Wednesday morning.
In addition to Watson, Marina Caraballo-Mangan, Derrick Frater, and Julia Takos, the cook managers for the high and middle schools, and Krieger elementary, respectively, attended a kitchen training session with groups from several schools, using New York-sourced ingredients. The elements they produced became the lunch served to the whole group. The Poughkeepsie contingent made butternut squash vegan brownies.
“They learned a lot. We’re thankful Cornell chose us to be part of it,” Watson said. “I was happy they could take something away from the day, new recipes we can try on the line.”
Watson said the event overall was informative. Watson is continually looking for ways to use fresh ingredients on school’s menu and already uses local ingredients whenever possible, such as dairy from Poughkeepsie-bases Sinon Farms and fruit from Red Barn Produce.
The summit grouped attendees by job responsibility for several different tracks of education. While food directors and administrators shared big-picture ideas and discussed sourcing, there were separate rooms for those focusing on elementary or secondary education to learn how to teach farm to school concepts in schools. Vendors operated tables where the district representatives could sample local products, from tomato sauce and apples to tortilla chips and venison meat. In addition to local producers, major New York brands like Mott’s and Polly-O were represented.
Food samples were far from the only thing being shared. Organizers connected attendees with links to such resources as lists of local producers, directions on how to procure product bids, and a trove of recipes incorporating local ingredients. And, other food service directors shared their strategies for increasing the amount of local food in meals, such as baking their own bread.
“When bread rises in schools, so do grades,” Pine Plains Food Director Mike Dandola said.
Watson and others within district administration have been working to obtain funding and plan systems to make better use of school gardens, a topic several spoke about Wednesday.
“We’re working to establish a farm to school program that would allow us to have gardens at each school and grow existing gardens, where we could use fresh fruits and vegetables from those gardens,” she said.