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FCPS Salad Bars Roll Out
"I'm so glad we have this salad bar!"
Chicken, cheese, oranges and greens, with a splattering of Italian dressing, were on the plate of this Terre Centre ES student, one of the first through the line for their new salad bar which opened November 2. Cafeteria staff were delighted to see plentiful amounts of greens, fruit and vegetables on the trays of students moving through the line for their hot entrée. FCPS Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) has teamed up with Real Food for Kids on Phase I of these salad bars and will proceed with a full elementary school expansion.
Terre Centre is the fifth of 18 salad bars opening this school year in FCPS elementary schools, following Vienna, Lynbrook, Mount Vernon Woods and Gunston. Aldrin is slated to open November 16 and Riverside before the Winter Break. Within five years, all elementary schools will have salad bars, thanks to the vision of new FNS Director, Rodney Taylor (see related story below).
Prior to the official launch, students spend some time with Christie St. Pierre, a member of the FNS staff to be trained on how to use the salad bar. While that may seem a no-brainer, the students need to become familiar with a few safety rules - one squirt of hand sanitizer before you get your tray - use the tongs, not your fingers - don't take more than you think you will really eat, because you can't put it back.
"I'm so excited we have this salad bar!" exclaimed one student as he squirted dressing on his apples and chicken. Similar enthusiasm was heard around the room, including delight from one gluten intolerant student who is now able to self-select foods she can eat. A number of brown-baggers chose to buy lunch at Terre Centre's launch following the training so they could check it out "for real," and were very pleased with the choices.
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When Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed, please consider Real Food for Kids on #Giving Tuesday. Your donation enables us to continue the important work of expanding food literacy and ensuring every student has access to fresh, whole foods where they live and learn.
Donate at Our Website
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Upcoming RFFK Meetings
Real Food for Kids monthly meetings are open to anyone interested in learning more about our ongoing work in the county, getting your school involved, or becoming one of our valued volunteers. Please join us.
November 17
FCPS Gatehouse Center
Room 5050
December 15
South County Government Center
Room 1
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The New Good Food Guy
Rodney Taylor is Changing Up the Lunch Line at FCPS
R
o
dn
ey Ta
ylor and Real Food for Kids share the belief that
when kids eat
better, they do b
etter. Since being
named Director of Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) for FCPS in 2015, Taylor has been tossing aside old notions of pre-packaged, preservative-laden school food to introduce items that
are fresh, local, and appealing to even the pickiest eaters, supporting the science that there's a direct correlation between food, behavior and learning. And he's just getting started. Here are some highlights...
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The School
Behind the Lunch Line
RFFK Chef Academy Trains School Staff to Prep Fresh Foods
During three, week-long sessions this past summer and early fall, more than 100 kitchen managers participated in the Real Fo
od for Kids' Chef Academy program at
Willowsford
in Ashburn, Virginia. The academy, funded through a $30k grant from the Life Time Foundation,
is designed to help school cafeteria staff learn how to best prepare fresh-from-the-farm ingredients that now play a more significant role in their breakfast and lunch menus, reducing the number of processed foods that have been traditionally served.
In partnership with Real Food for Kids, Bonnie Moore, Willowsford Culinary
Director and RFFK board member, developed the Chef Academy along with Dr. Becky Bays, Director of Loudoun County Public School's School Nutrition Services, Including this class, the program has reached nearly 400 school culinary staff members.
The program includes..
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Is School Food Good Enough for Restaurants?
Find Out What's On the Menu at RIS
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RFFK Welcomes Back Mary Porter
Mary Porter returns to Real Food for Kids following two years as Program Manager with Junior Achievement of Greater Washington. Mary served as RFFK's Director of Communications and Outreach from 2011-2014 and returns as Director of Programs including our newsletter and social media, as well as volunteer engagement. You can reach Mary directly at [email protected].
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