Salad bars in schools are about more than simply offering kids fresh fruits and vegetables daily; innovative salad bars take students on culinary adventures and prove that healthy eating can be an exciting journey of flavors and textures. While keeping it simple is a good start, salad bars offer a…
Fresh Beginnings: Salad Bars and Farm to School Practices in the Cleveland Metro School District
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Schools: 87
Executive Director of Nutrition Services: Robert Gorman
Rebecca Rodriguez’s journey from a certified pastry chef to a passionate advocate for nutritious school meals is as diverse as the fruits and vegetables she champions.
Rodriguez’s educational…
In the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) in Virginia, a culinary revolution is underway, and at the forefront is Shaun Sawko, the district’s dynamic new Food Service Director alongside the amazing FCPS food service team. With a wealth of experience drawn from his time working in school food service in…
A robust salad bar program in K-12 schools can be a game-changer when it comes to encouraging kids to make nutritious food choices. To ensure the success and sustainability of your school’s salad bar program, effective marketing tactics play a pivotal role. In this blog, we’ll explore some innovative strategies…
Salad Bars represent a significant service model shift for any district. To prepare the team, the director should provide training that includes how the salad bar impacts the menu plan, product ordering and preparation, setting up and breaking down the bar, and addressing meal service with a salad bar. For…
Thanks to Salad Bars to Schools, Taylor Elementary School in Foxborough, MA was granted a salad bar in 2013 (along with 3 other schools in the district), and in 2015, thanks to Whole Kids Foundation, the school received a $2,500 school garden grant. With the grant funds, former Food Service…
Creating bright and attractive school salad bars supports both staff engagement and student participation! Let’s head over to the Humboldt Unified School District (HUSD) in Prescott Valley, Arizona to chat with Lake Valley Elementary School Kitchen Manager Robyn Miller and District Director of Food and Nutrition Jody Buckle to learn…
Salad Bars to Schools recently caught up with Food Service Director Warren DeShields and FoodCorps service member Jenny Reed at the Bridgeton Public Schools in New Jersey to learn a little more about their meal program, salad bars and how they bring it all together with some engaging nutrition education…
We recently caught up with Lori Danella, Food Service Director (FSD) for Lee’s Summit School District in Missouri. Lori applied for the Salad Bars to Schools grant in 2019 and was one of the last recipients of salad bars before the program paused due to the COVID outbreak and school…
It might be cold and gray outside, but school lunches in Michigan are getting more colorful this winter! Thanks to donations from United Fresh Start Foundation (UFSF) and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBS MI), 23 salad bars were just recently granted to Michigan schools through Salad Bars to…
Salad bars are one of the best ways to get kids eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, and having a strong salad bar plan can ensure the success of your salad bar program. The School Food Institute’s (SFI) online Salad Bars in Schools course goes in-depth into the planning and…
This school year, like last year, brings both new challenges, and new opportunities. With school meals free to all students again this year, and more pre-packaged and processed foods being served to schools due to the pandemic, it’s more important than ever to serve fresh fruits and vegetables, and cooked-from-scratch…
How to Get Creative Serving Fresh Produce During COVID
Due to the pandemic, school food programs have not been able to utilize their salad bars in their normal capacity and may be looking for other creative ways to serve fresh fruits and vegetables. We sat down to discuss this topic with…
Are you looking for ways to continue incorporating scratch cookings with the constantly evolving new feeding reality? We know that to-go salads have been a great option for many districts, so we have pulled together some resources from SB2S partner organization, Chef Ann Foundation. Through these resources, we hope to…
Many of you may be recipients of the Cambro Versa Bar through the Salad Bars to Schools program. We know your meal programs are having to adapt quickly with the times – and we want you to know that the equipment we granted, and the equipment you may already have…
In Payson, Arizona, the community comes first. It’s Madelyn Ellis’s first year as a food service director in the town she was born and raised in. She’s passionate about the health of her community and has taken incredible steps towards scratch cooking in her short tenure. If there’s anything this…
Dear Salad Bars to Schools Grantees,
Thank you for all the hard work you do every day to bring healthy meals to children in your community, and especially this week as so many of you are going above and beyond.
With the current situation, we know many of you are working through…
By Messa
Our Salad Bars to Schools program administrator fields regular inquiries regarding the grant application process. This blog will address some of the most common questions so you can submit a successful application and have a strong understanding of the program and what you will receive. If you have a…
A look at placing salad bars in alternate locations along the serving line
By: Jeremy West, SNS
The Salad Bars to Schools partnership truly believes that salad bars are the best option for offering a variety of fresh produce for students at school. They are visually appealing and make it easy for…
We recently caught up with Robert Lewis, Food Service Director for El Monte City School District in California. Lewis applied for the Salad Bars to Schools grant in 2017, and this is the second year that all 14 schools have used the bars. Here, he shares some insights about operating…
Salad bar program offers fresh fruit & veggies for students, teachers, and parents alike
By Georgina Rupp
“You cannot teach a hungry child.”
These were the words that Salad Bars To Schools grantee Dawndrea Daly offered when asked why school food is important. Without hesitation or pause to choose her words, the answer was clear, and…
We took a look at 5 years of evaluations to determine the most common challenges reported by salad bar grantees, along with resources to help districts overcome them.
By Messa
Twice a year, the Salad Bars to Schools program runs an evaluation report where grantees report back on their successes, share statistical…
A salad bar incorporated into a school meal program can be one of the best ways to increase healthy eating habits and fresh fruit and vegetable consumption. It can also allow for increased learning potential for both students and food service staff. If your school is interested in procuring a…
By Heidi Stimac
Kristen Mcguan’s creative spirit shines through the East Grand School District salad bar program where she has been Food Service Director for the past 3 years. Her favorite part about the program is when she sees students take ideas from the bars home. When kale chips and jicama…
With over 5,000 salad bars granted to schools across the U.S., the Salad Bars to Schools program has been able to help schools incorporate more fresh fruits and veggies into their meal programs. But to better understand the impacts and use of these salad bars we grant, we send every…
Marblehead Community Charter Public School revamps their salad bar participation with new equipment from SB2S.
By: Heidi Stimac
Marblehead Community Charter Public School (MCCPS) has been serving children in the Boston area for about 24 years, and has always had a salad bar. So what makes their participation in the Salad Bars…
Vista Unified School District is Bridging the Gap Between Students and Their Food Sources
By: Heidi Stimac
Roasted chickpeas and fresh pomegranates are items you probably don’t expect to see in an ordinary school cafeteria. But luckily for the students at Vista Unified School District (VUSD) in Oceanside, California, Director of Child…
How Produce Industry Leaders are Combining their Passion for Bikes and Broccoli to Bring Salad Bars to Schools in California, Colorado, Texas and Virginia
By Kate Olender
People from all walks of life value school salad bars, which allow students to choose a variety of healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables to fill…
The mission of a Director of Nutrition Services to bring salad bars to students of all ages.
By Faith Akgun
When Kayla Leu joined Iowa’s Bettendorf Community School District as Director of Nutrition Services, there were already existing salad bars* in the district’s middle and high schools. She quickly set out to…
How one school district has empowered children to make healthy choices through salad bars
By Faith Akgun
When Peggy Bodnar became the Food & Nutrition Services Supervisor at Boise School District in 2007, she was inheriting a progressive school lunch program that was already profoundly committed to improving the health and wellness…
How a farm in Maine brought their dedication to healthy school food
By Faith Akgun
Madison Public Schools in Madison, ME teamed up with their local tomato farmer to bring the Farm to School movement to the district, giving students access to fresh and healthy options every day. In 2015, nearby Backyard…
How one Georgia school district brought salad bars to all their schools.
By: Laura Peuquet
School Nutrition Director Wimberly Brackett knew that if she could place salad bars in all Dalton Public Schools, both kids and staff would eat more whole, fresh foods. She was also confident that she could lead her…
Elementary Students Protest for Salad Bar Access
By: Molly Brown
Green and orange signs filled the air in the Bates Academy cafeteria. The students of this K-8 school made their voices heard, but not in the typical way you’d imagine for young children. No, the third- through fifth-graders here engaged in a…
Over ten years ago, when I was the Director of Nutrition Services at Berkeley Unified School District, I implemented Salad Bars in every school in the district for all of our K-12 students. When I began the program, there was a fair amount of “push-back.” I heard statements like; “little…
For three elementary schools in Washington, fresh produce from the salad bar has become the new norm.
When it comes to making changes to school lunch options around the country, food service directors are often met with resistance from staff, parents, and students. However, Patrick Garmong from Ellensburg, WA didn’t let…
How a Salad Bar Helped Save One School
By: Emily Gallivan
School salad bars may live in the cafeteria, but the impact they have on the school reaches well beyond the lunchroom doors. Food service professionals working within the cafeteria as well as staff, administrators, and teachers outside of it can…
By: Emily Gallivan
Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools is excited to be celebrating National Farm to School Month this October, paying homage to the hard work and dedication of food service professionals, farmers and educators across the country who are connecting their communities with fresh, healthy and local food. And what…
By: Emily Gallivan
After 20 years of working as a Food Service Director Carrie Beegle knows her way around a school kitchen. She has dedicated her career to working in schools throughout Ohio and has spent the past seven years heading up the food program for Cloverleaf Local Schools, a small…
How to win over naysayers and show them it can be done
By: Beth Collins
These days, it’s a lot harder to argue against using a salad bar in a school program than it once was. The USDA has backed salad bars as one of the most efficient ways schools can meet…
Making Salad Bars Work Against All Odds
By Carly Olson
“The weather is changing a little bit down here… getting a bunch of rain but we’re still keeping our kids healthy, especially with our salad bars!” Robert Cuellar’s voice is cheerful and enthusiastic as he begins to describe his school’s vibrant salad…
Fundraising on your own behalf
by: Emily Miller
At Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools (LMSB2S), we are dedicated to donating salad bars to U.S. schools so that every child has daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We encourage school districts nationwide to apply for one (or more!) of our salad…
In Celebration of National Farm to School Month
By Emily Miller
Picture your child walking into the school lunchroom on their first day back to school. The doors swing open and what do they see? A salad bar brimming with fresh from the farm fruits and vegetables. Juicy grape tomatoes, red bell…
Your Guide to the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools Grant Application
By: Emily Miller
Sometimes applying for grants can be a complicated process—from making sure you meet the eligibility criteria to filling out the application. At Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, our primary objective is to get the most salad…
An Interview with San Diego Unified School District
By: Emily Miller
Salad bars are the heart of the meal program at San Diego Unified School District, and with the bountiful farm-fresh harvest of Southern California right on their doorstep, it’s easy to understand why. Since 2006, San Diego USD has been introducing…
By: Emily Miller
Five years ago, Amelia Anderson and Marley Santos were Kindergarteners starting out at their new school, Foothill Elementary in Boulder, Colorado. Foothill was one of the first schools to receive a salad bar from Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools. Now in 5th grade, Amelia and Marley have…
By: Beth Collins
Spring is a time of renewal, and in school food service kitchens, I often find that teams are counting down the days before they split for the summer. Before you lose focus in the bright sunshine, carve out some specific time for yourself and your teams to reflect…
by: Emily Miller
The date is May 5, 2014. It’s lunchtime at Wethersfield CUSD #230 in Illinois and excitement is in the air. The two-school district has just received two brand new salad bars, one sized for k-6 students, the other for grades 7-12, and today is their big debut. Food service director…
By: Emily Miller
Mt. Diablo Unified School District in northern California has a devilishly good salad bar program thanks to the hard work and dedication of Food Service Director Anna Fisher. Fisher, who began her career as a clinical dietitian, transitioned to school food service 19 years ago and hasn’t looked…
Stocking Your Salad Bar
By: Beth Collins
The winter has been very persistent where I live up in the northwest corner of Michigan’s mitten, but right around this time I start dreaming of planting seeds and gardens. Our farmers, however, have been working their winter plans since their last harvest of the…
Instead of insisting that students take one fruit or vegetable each day at lunch, West New York School District (WNYSD) students willingly fill their lunch trays with healthy produce. Occasionally, Sal Valenza, the WNYSD nutrition services director, will point to a student’s tray and ask: “Are you sure you’re going…
Vegetable and Fruit Placement for your Salad Bar
By: Beth Collins
In our last blog we discussed salad bar location ‒ where it’s placed within the lunchroom. Before the hot line? Integrated into the service line? After the hot line? Before the POS? Every school site is different and presents different challenges…
An interview with Food Service Director Tom Vance
Lakeside School District in Hot Springs, Arkansas can boast about their salad bar success led by food service director Tom Vance. His career began as a culinary specialist in the navy, followed by a stint crafting food menus for county jails, then finally…
When a district is first considering reconfiguring their menu planning to include a salad bar (aka “harvest”, “veggie,” “fruit and veggie,” and “garden” bar) the concept alone is very attractive. Why? The salad bar assists in meeting the vegetable subgroup requirement, it offers that coveted “student choice” we always talk…
An interview with Linda Waters, Food Service Director at Gilmer County Schools, Georgia
Six years ago, food service director extraordinaire, Linda Waters, kicked off her mission to serve up fresh fruits and veggies to Gilmer County Schools in Elijay, Georgia. This was not new territory for Waters, since she’d spent the…
Revolutionizing your lunchrooms with salad bars is a complex process from the initial idea to the actual implementation. What many of us may not be fully prepared for is the students’ lull in salad bar participation after the initial excitement wears off. So, just how do we build and sustain…
From School Gardens to Slice-and-Dice Competitions: Addison Northeast Food Service Cooperative (ANFSC)
Number of kids enrolled at ANFSC: 1,600
Number of schools in district: 6
Percentage who are free and reduced: 40%
Number of local farms worked with in a given year: 10
Kids’ favorite local produce: Berries, apples, carrots,…
Salad bars add variety, choice, and color to lunch trays nationwide. It is the start of the school year, and if you haven’t already, now is the perfect time to start exploring the tips, tricks, and how to’s of The Lunch Box. With the launch of the new Lunch Box…
An interview with Misti Figueroa, Food Service Director
When Misti Figueroa made the career switch from restaurant chef to Food Service Director for Cardinal Ritter High School in Indiana, she discovered the lunch menu was, well, “simplistic” at best.
After years of being a professional chef, she felt there were not nearly as…
An interview with Nancy Weiss, Food Service Director
Shortly after finishing her degrees in English and Economics at UCSB, Nancy Weiss had a sudden realization—food was her true passion. So, in 1985, she threw open the doors of her very own restaurant: SOHO Restaurant and Music Club (an establishment still open…
Number of kids served at KSD: 1013
Percentage who qualify for free and reduced-priced meals: 35%
Annual number of local farms partners: 4 farms
Kids’ favorite local produce: beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and leafy greens
A year has passed since Kittery School District in Maine received three brand new salad bars from Let’s Move Salad…
An interview with school food service expert Tim Cipriano
Chef Tim Cipriano started his career in the kitchen as a child, but who wouldn’t with a great grandmother nicknamed “Nana Noodles”? Tim spent many years working in restaurants before starting a family. It was at that pivotal point in his life that…
A New Study Shows Effects of Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools
More than 1.7 million school-age children in the United States have better access to fresh fruits and vegetables thanks to new salad bars donated to schools through Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools. Recently, the program partnership released results…
School nurse and food services director of Iowa’s United Community Schools, Lori Good, is a firm believer in salad bars in schools. Her approach to gaining acceptance from the students focuses on nutrition as well as many other aspects of health and wellness.
United Community Schools recently adopted a Mileage Club…
Watch this video to learn about how school salad bars nationwide are earning top marks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKZPYOSLL4U&feature=youtu.be
When Culinary and Nutrition Service Director Bertrand Weber joined Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) two and a half years ago, implementing a salad bar program was a top priority. The food service model within the district was 100% pre-packed, centrally prepared, and delivered in trays—vegetables included. (Picture soggy green beans and…
An Interview with Rodney Taylor, Food Services Director
Rodney Taylor knows a few things about feeding children healthy and delicious food. He and his staff serve over 35,000 students a day in the 47 schools that make up Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) in California. Of those students, 68% qualify for…
An Interview with Michelle Denk, Food Services Director
Schools are doing local food right all across the country. For Mount Horeb Area School District in Wisconsin, it’s not a new idea. Food Services Director Michelle Denk says they’ve had a Harvest of the Month program for ten years. Now armed with…
Hello and welcome to the new Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools (LMSB2S) website! First, you’ve already discovered our revamped blog, The Mix, where we will keep you updated on news, stories, and tips for salad bar success. Next, we recommend visiting our Get a Salad Bar section that has a…
