Lunch Lesson Kitchen Sessions

Western Culinary InstituteOregon Department of Agriculture

March 11th and 12th, 2009 Portland, Oregon

What to consider when sponsoring a lunch lesson kitchen session

Contact a culinary program in your area. Community College, City College, Pro-Start High School Program or a Cordon Bleu Program.

Explore mutual benefits and how farm to school, processed products and scratch cooking can be used

in school cafeterias.

Is there a culinary instructor that wants to develop curriculum

that would include school lunch programs?

Does the culinary school want the student body to consider

supporting school lunch programs as a working option post graduation?

Find sponsors such as local processors, mills, produce companies

and broad line distributors that will benefit from exploring options for local foods and scratch

cooking programs in schools.

Partner with Broad-line Distribution Companies

Produce specialist Randy Gehrig and Chef Mark Bernetich from Sysco Food Services discuss local product, seasonal availability, how it can be ordered and cooked

Broad-line Distribution Assisting with Tracking Oregon Products

These workshops included discussions with Sysco Food Services about tracking Oregon products sold into schools to assist with framing the economic development aspect of farm to school programs in Oregon

Partnerships with LocalFood Companies

Bob’s Red Mill Food Services of America Truitt Brothers Organically Grown Coop Oregon State University

Food Innovation Center

Which Recipes?

Use tested recipes from school kitchens

Ann Cooper shared recipes from the Berkeley school lunch program

Bobbi Phillips from Springfield, Oregon offered tested recipes from her cafeteria

Price Point Equation

The workshops included food cost analysis. Local product can be more expensive and scratch cooking takes more time.This could translate to higher labor cost or re-thinking production methods. The actual hard cost of running the sessions not including industry in-kind hours or filming was under $1000.00

Cooking Skills are not the Primary Barrier

This group of 26 women and 2 men had excellent skills and went right to work.

Some produced recipes beyond the written curriculum.

Baked Polenta Sticks

Mariana Sauce with Zucchini and Minestrone Soup

Calzone with Marinara Sauce and Zucchini

Bobs Red Mill Gluten-Free Bread SticksTruitt Brothers Vegetarian Chili with Commodity Ground TurkeyTurkey Meatballs with Roasted Leeks and Quinoa

Finished Product for 8th Grade Student Feedback

Student Feedback

This portion of the training was added for feedback and press value. The 8th grade students from Laurelhurst School in Portland enjoyed the tour and the food, and they seemed most excited about turkey meatballs with leeks and quinoa prepared by Jim Rowan.

Cooking from Scratch

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Spread The Word

DVD’s of the sessions will be distributed to farm to school groups, Cordon Bleu certified culinary schools, state agricultural agencies and departments of education as an example of potential training programs to consider. Available May 2009

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.