Scott's Free Lunch Blog
1/2/23 - Winter Squash
Chef Josh Meeker
As Winter has set in, I start to think about winter squash. Winter squash is not harvested in the winter, it is typically harvested in late summer or early fall. The reason why they are called “winter” squash is because of their tough outer skin and long shelf life without the need for refrigeration. Examples of winter squash are butternut squash, acorn squash, delicata squash, hubbard squash, spaghetti squash, and kabocha squash to name a few. These squashes are technically fruit, and they can be roasted, sauteed, braised, and/or steamed. Roasted butternut squash soup is my go-to soup for a hearty meal.
On Thursday, we'll have Josh's Roasted Butternut Squash Recipe posted in the recipe section. Make sure to follow us on all the social media platforms to see what we're doing, sharing, and communicating in the community!
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12/21/22 - Christmas Around the World
Chef Chris Gardner
It is important for students and staff alike to not only be educating, but to also have fun with them. Learning can, and should be, fun! One way we can do this in foodservice is to promote and encourage theme days!
This time of year brings us an exceptional opportunity to do just that: Christmas Around the World! Here are some interesting facts from around the world!
France: Christmas celebrations start on December 6th which marks St. Nicholas Day. Children get small gifts and candy. On Christmas Eve, children get to polish their shoes in front of the fireplace for Pere Noel (Santa Claus) and he leaves candy in their polished shoes.
Traditional Holiday foods from France are roasted turkey, chestnut stuffing, roasted potatoes, baked apples, boudin blanc (white sausage), and oysters on the half shell. For dessert, Bushe de Noel (Christmas Log), a traditional chocolate cake made to look like a log decorated with meringue.
Germany: Christmas Markets are an integral part of the Christmas experience. These markets will have vendors selling handmade gifts, incredible food options, and Christmas decorations. Christmas trees are typically decorated with fair lights and festive ornaments, but tradition calls for them to put up and unveil their trees on Christmas Eve.
Traditional Holidays foods from Germany are goose, rabbit or pork roast, apple and sausage stuffing, braised red cabbage, and potato dumplings. For dessert, Christstollen, which is a sweet bread filled with marzipan and raisins, and Lebkuchen, which is similar to gingerbread cookies.
Dominican Republic: One of the most fun places to celebrate the Christmas holiday season, their Christmas season lasts almost 3 months! Their Christmas trees are called Charamicos. Because they don't have a lot of fir trees to cut down on the island, these Charamicos are handcrafted by island artisans and displayed from front porches to town squares. On La Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) is when they celebrate with big family feasts and many Christmas songs sung. Children don't actually get their presents until the night of January 5, which is known as 3 Kings Day.
Traditional Holiday foods from the Dominican Republic include pernil (Dominican Pork Roast aka Puerco Asado), ensalada, rusa (potato salad that contains corn and beets), spaghetti, pasteles (tamales), and Christmas rice. For dessert, ponche, turrones, and gomitas (similar to gummy bears) are all local favorites.
While this is a small sample of what different countries do for Christmas, do your research and see what other fun traditions are out there. Engage the students and make it fun during this festive holiday season!
12/9/22 - Taste the Rainbow
Chef Carl Fazio
To ensure that your kids are getting a wide spectrum
of nutrients, try to bring lots of color into their lunches.
Not only is it visually appealing, but it provides a rich
diversity of phytonutrients along with other vitamins and
minerals.
Kids eat with their eyes, as well as their tummies. For instance, adding a tablespoon of Jello to applesauce will increase the rate at which students will include that in their meal choice ... because it looks more delicious. Having kids test the items and using their feedback, as well as the actual data of consumption, will help you determine what is a lunch meal winner in the long run. So think about the list below as well as alternative ways that you can introduce these into your school menu.
PURPLE Plums, Red Grapes, Kidney Beans, Beats
BLUE Blueberries, Blue Potatoes, Blue Corn
GREEN Broccoli, Green Peppers, Pear, Kiwi, Snap Peas, Avocado
RED Pomegranate, Red Meat, Most Apples, Cherries, Tomatoes
PINK Watermelon, Grapefruit, Rhubarb, Raspberries
ORANGE Apricots, Sweet Potatoes, Cantaloupe, Oranges, Papaya
YELLOW Pineapple, Summer Squash, Mango, Honey, Egg Yolks
WHITE / TAN / BROWN Mushrooms, Coconut, Turkey, Lentils, Dates
BLACK Black Beans, Blackberries, Black Olives, Black Rice
What kind of theme days/traditions do you celebrate in your schools? Make sure to let us know in your preferred social media platform:
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https://twitter.com/ScottsFreeLunch
https://www.instagram.com/scottsfreelunch/
12/1/22 - Leveraging Partnerships in the Foodservice Industry
Chef Jeff White
Sometimes having a valuable partner in your corner can
change the path of your food service operations. I was
recently able to speak at the Indiana School Nutrition
Association's annual meeting in November about using
your existing partners and finding new sources to help
make your nutrition program better.
If you look at the many facets of our industry, from broadliners to equipment and food manufactuers, the Health Department, serve safe instructors, and even equipment service companies, there are many sources to leverage your partnership to help your program. We may have never thought about, or even considered, how we an use these partnerships with these culinary professionals, but when we take a step back and look at how schools can partner, it opens our eyes to endless possibilities.
Take the American Dairy Association of Indiana for example. They're a great partner because of the numerous resources that they offer schools. If you look at their website www.winnersdrinkmilk.com/food-service-directors, you'll see all the resources to help increase breakfast participation, webinars on various topics, and fun ways to help market your program.
A partnership goes both ways though and that means sharing your expertise with others as well. During the presentation, I was able to use their Dairy product to create a Panna Cotta with the help of a member of the audience. By sharing my expertise on a new recipe using the product of the American Dairy Association, the Dairy Association now has a new tasty recipe that they can use to promote going forward.
Use your partnerships and resources to your advantage and help make your food program. In fact, I used this annual meeting to talk to the host Scott Anderson who was in attendance of my presentation. Together, we can make our industry better as a whole and impact generations to come for the better.
Make sure to join our Facebook group and let us know what kind of resources and partnerships you use to make your program better.
11/18/2022 - A Long Way from Philly
Chef Mike Herskowitz
What do you get when a seasoned restaurateur is
tasked with making an impact on school food service?
An elevated food offering for the school community as a whole.
Did i mention reduced food and labor costs? More efficient production and reducing energy usage? Well that's exactly what is happening on the banks of Lake Superior. By embracing technology and outside the box thinking, food service director Jamie Wilson, SNS for the Superior School District has done just that. Rolling out a conveyor heavy approach, the entire district is buzzing with excitement. And it's not just pizza they're excited about, here's what we recently said when I had a chance to talk to her.
"We were only able to cook eighteen 16", 8 slice pizzas in our program using our combi or rack ovens. Currently, we are making 45+ each day. We have not changed any ingredients, only the equipment, and this change has been phenomenal. We are hearing from teachers, principals, and of course our students how much they love our school pizza. It has completely changed our operation as we never run out of pizza and this in turn helps us better predict numbers at our other five stations.
We are so happy with our one oven and anxious to get #2 and #3 up and running. We love our oven!! We can't wait to see what #2 and #3 can do for us!!"
With initial testing of a "fresh-scratch" sandwich program to be rolled out in 2023, we may not need to go all the way to Philadelphia for a proper cheese steak. Just remember your jacket as we see some pretty cold weather in Northern Minnesota.
