Innovative NC K-12 Culinary Institute Increases School Meal Appeal

School Nutrition professionals from across North Carolina have the opportunity to participate in regional NC K-12 Culinary Institute workshops this summer. The institute was developed by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Office of School Nutrition in cooperation with a team of registered dietitians and chefs to increase the availability of fresh, appealing, nutritious meals at school.

“The North Carolina K-12 Culinary Institute offers innovative, engaging training and equips our School Nutrition professionals with the culinary skills, recipes and resources needed to prepare and serve nutritious school meals that support student success in and out of the classroom,” said Senior Director of the Office of School Nutrition Rachel Findley.

The Office of School Nutrition worked with Chef Cyndie Story and the nationally-accomplished K-12 Culinary Team to develop the Institute to meet five core objectives:

• Improve student health, well-being and academic success through nutritious, appealing meals at school;
• Expand capacity of local School Nutrition Programs to purchase, prepare and serve fresh, locally grown produce;
• Increase consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grain-rich foods; and
• Provide continuing education opportunities for our talented School Nutrition personnel.

Providing School Nutrition professionals with equipment, educational resources and culinary skills can positively impact the preparation, service and consumption of school meals. Since the NC K-12 Culinary Institute was launched in 2016, more than 1,460 School Nutrition professionals have graduated as culinary specialists from School Food Authorities statewide, including traditional public school units (PSUs), charter schools, non-public schools and residential child-care institutions.

Through the NC K-12 Culinary Institute, over 200 recipes have been developed for school meals in North Carolina, featuring whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, low-fat dairy and locally grown ingredients. A family resource offers a collection of the NC K-12 Culinary Institute recipes that students and their families can prepare at home.

Recipes developed by NC Jr. Chef teams have also been incorporated into the NC K-12 Institute recipe database and workshops. For the NC Jr. Chef Competition, high school students across the state work with their teachers and local School Nutrition Programs to create school lunch entrée recipes that appeal to their peers while adhering to National School Lunch Program nutrition guidelines and including North Carolina-grown ingredients.

The three-day NC K-12 Culinary Institute workshops include interactive classroom and in-kitchen instruction. Planned instructional segments cover topics such as knife skills, weighing and measuring accurately, effective use of equipment, quality food preparation, and service for a variety of meats, grains, fruits and vegetables. In addition, merchandising, marketing and nutrition education best practices are addressed. Participants in the NC K-12 Culinary Institute graduate as chef ambassadors. Utilizing teach-it-forward lessons and resources, the ambassadors are charged with teaching skills learned during the workshops to other School Nutrition professionals at the local district or school level.

The Office of School Nutrition and the K-12 Culinary team work with local PSUs to offer NC K-12 Culinary Institute workshops in July and August. PSUs hosting the regional workshops this summer are Cleveland County Schools, Craven County Schools, Orange County Schools and New Hanover County Schools.

The Office of School Nutrition is the state agency in North Carolina administering the School Breakfast Program, National School Lunch Program, Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program, Special Milk Program, After School Snack Program, Seamless Summer Option and Summer Food Service Program with federal assistance from USDA. Additional information regarding School Nutrition Programs in North Carolina and the NC K-12 Culinary Institute can be found on the Office of School Nutrition website.

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In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

1. Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
   Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
   1400 Independence Avenue, SW
   Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
2. Phone: (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442
3. Email: program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.