February 6, 2010 by Amy.

The menu is posted on the website www.wsbe.unh.edu/gourmetdinner . If you have local food available at medium-to large quantity, please contact Amy Winans at amy.winans@unh.edu. For everyone else, join us!-do you dare? 

Enjoy Some Sinful Indulgence at the UNH Gourmet Dinner March 5 and 6 

DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire will serve up seven courses of sinful indulgence at two gourmet dinners in March.   Organized by the hospitality management students at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics, “Sinful Indulgence” gourmet dinners will be held Friday, March 5, and Saturday, March 6, 2010, at Stillings, 20 Ballard Drive, Durham, NH, beginning with a cocktail hour and hors d’oeuvres at 6 o’clock and dinner to follow.
The concept of the dinner revolves around the Seven Cardinal Sins. Each course will include locally produced foods and represent each of the sins. The menu will be paired with elegant décor that will transform Stillings into an atmosphere where guests will experience the seven indulgences representing greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, pride, sloth, and envy.
“This event challenges the students of UNH’s Advanced Food and Beverage Operations Management class to design, organize, and direct two gourmet dinners for approximately 200 guests per night. The event prepares students for what to expect in the world of hospitality management beyond the college classroom, and it provides hands-on management experience from the beginning to end of formal event planning,” said Bridget McCartney, marketing manager for Sinful Indulgence. Students have six weeks to plan and execute the dinner, and take on real-world executive management positions in the process, including general manager, chief financial officer, front of the house manager, executive chef, human resource director, and director of marketing.  

Tickets for Sinful Indulgence are $50 per person and may be purchased online at http://www.wsbe.unh.edu/gourmetdinner.  

The UNH Department of Hospitality Management combines business fundamentals as well as classes geared toward the service industry sector. Hands-on education proves to be a strong and integral part of the experiential and academic curriculum. The department also offers the first-ever EcoGastronomy Program, which integrates UNH’s strengths in sustainable agriculture, hospitality management, and nutrition to offer a unique academic program emphasizing the interdisciplinary, international, and experiential knowledge that connects all three fields.  

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state’s flagship public institution, enrolling more than 12,200 undergraduate and 2,200 graduate students. 

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April 6, 2009 by Amy.

So many questions were posed at the latest meeting. How best to calculate nutritional information for diabetic students? Does it make sense to raise the cost of school lunch to provide healthy, sustainable options? Where are the parents?This write-up is by Ashley Blake, UNH Nutritional Science graduate and volunteer.

The morning welcomed an eager and enthusiastic group in Dover for the bi-monthly Dover School District Dining Facilities Council meeting. The group met at 9:00 am on Thursday, March 26, 2009 at Horne Street Elementary School. 

Old matters were first on the agenda, starting with discussion around the Guiding Stars program. Concerns were expressed about cost of the program. The annual licensing fee is at about $1,000 per year per school. Mark Covell, School Lunch Program Director, pointed out that the cost of the program would be approximately a nickel increase per hot lunch in order to cover $1,000 per school. Mark would like to raise the cost of hot lunch by $.15 to cover improvements to the current system. When speaking in terms of cost efficiency, this program is well worth the money.  Efforts to apply for grants is still encouraged and appreciated. The ability to receive funds necessary is feasible. 

Questions were also raised about the desire for this program if Dover was already in accordance with national dietary guidelines. However, Dover has just begun the long process of reviewing food labels and progressing towards all that the program has to offer. In regards to how the star labels would be presented to the kids, determination of this has not yet been established. Though, the star labels may be displayed on the serving line.

Will there be a gap in education with the star ratings? This was a valid question brought to the group’s attention. Do the kids really know why they would be choosing a 3-star food over a 1-star food? The education component of the Guiding Stars program cannot be dropped. The schools must continue to educate their students on healthy eating and lifestyle choices. Guiding Stars also provides education as a part of the contract. Dover has also agreed that it will not serve foods without any star ratings. 

As far as parental response, it is difficult to predict. Will parents respond in a positive way to healthier meals for their children? The numbers of meals served cannot be predicted until the changes are made and undergo a trial period. Parents must also receive education regarding the meals being served in the schools, as consistency is important. 

Next, Amy Winans shared about the experience with her UNH Field Experience students in the taste-testing that occurred on March 12, 2009 at the Woodman Park Elementary School. She shared that the feedback from students, teachers, and the kitchen staff was all-around positive. Some attendees at the meeting hope to participate at the two taste-testings that will take place at Horne Street and Garrison Elementary in May.

In regards to micro grants or stimulus grant funds available for school lunch programs, the government passed a $100 million grant for food service equipment, which will be presented in micro grants. Mark hopes to qualify in some way.  However, the guidelines include that there must be 50% of students receiving free and reduced lunches. Out of 500 schools in New Hampshire only around 30 have this program. Dover has one school on the edge of being eligible. Mark put in for a grant for extra allocation for fruits and vegetables for snacks. This is separate from the afterschool snack program, which has so many restrictions. The snacks provided for afterschool cannot be eaten or served until after school hours. 

Concerns with middle schoolers’ snacking habits was brought to the group’s attention. Because the middle school age is a transition age for many adolescents, they are caught between independent and dependent. A lot of parents struggle with this transition and expect (rightfully so!) a certain level of responsibility for their children. As a result, many students forget their snacks and find themselves hungry during snack time. Although there is currently no money in the budget to help with snacks at the middle school level, coming up with grant money for snacks, educating parents, along with letters home to parents are reasonable interventions for this issue.

After old business was discussed, I, a UNH nutritional sciences graduate, gave a presentation on my findings with the nutrition labels of all of the foods served throughout the district. I flagged foods containing trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and indicated opportunities to incorporate more whole grains. I also expressed concern with high sodium content in some meats and canned vegetables.  The presentation was well-received and the next step is replacing the flagged foods with alternatives!

The district will be testing Yo Zone healthy vending in the high school. These vending machines contain organic and natural snacks, which are more expensive than the run of the mill candy bars. The current machines will be eliminated if the Yo Zone vending machines attract students. The big question is: will the students pay more? 

The next Dining Facilities Council meeting will be held on May 21 at Garrison Elementary.

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April 2, 2009 by Amy.

 So… we are finally cookin’ in Dover! The piece below is written by Ashley Blake, UNH Nutritional Sciences grad and fellow volunteer with our Dover school food project.

UNH Nutritional Sciences Field Experience students prepared quesadillas for Woodman Park Elementary School students in Dover on Thursday, March 12.  The group of interns, supervised by UNH lecturer and Dover parent, Amy Winans, made the whole wheat tortilla quesadillas with black beans, broccoli (sneaky!), garlic and white cheddar cheese in an effort to revamp the menu and make strides towards healthier eating.   

In a yearlong effort to change school meals and vending items in the Dover schools, the three UNH Field Experience students, Dana Poist, Kimberly Povec, and Ashli Franck planned the quesadilla taste testing, which was served with locally made salsa, donated by Blue Mermaid restaurant in Portsmouth.   

“This first taste testing session has given us a lot of hope and I think it is feasible to start getting more nutrient dense foods into the schools,” reflected Dana.   “It is difficult to find fresh local produce during the winter months in New England, due to the harsh winters. We hope that for the tastings this spring, farmers will be able to donate some fresh spring vegetables,” stated Ashli after her efforts to incorporate local foods in the tasting.  

The Field Experience students have not only tried to allow healthier choices in Dover schools, but have also tried to embrace the concept of sustainability. “The ladies that were working with us could not have been nicer and were more than willing to help us in anyway,” commented Dana.   

Lynne Chavez, Woodman Park Elementary Kitchen Manager, and her staff Jean Rae Richard and Christine Marston, were excited to have the UNH group in the kitchen and found the project motivating. Lynne plans to find ways to cook more food from scratch.  She hopes to purchase some ingredients at the Dover Farmer’s Market during the spring and fall seasons. 

Student social interaction is encouraged during the short lunch period and large round tables facilitate student chit chat. Eyeing the room, it took one brave student to take the first bite and claim the quesadilla’s tastiness in order for others to go for it.  

“It was fun to be able to expose the kids to food they might not have tried before and give them something nutritious that still tasted good,” said Kimberly.  The near 300 Dover elementary students, although apprehensive at first, tried the quesadillas and the positive feedback from students proved the event a success! 

The elementary school taste-testings will determine if quesadillas will be served at all grade levels and incorporated into district menus. The Field Experience students will host two more taste-tastings on May 12 at Horne Street Elementary School and May 13 at Garrison Elementary. 

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February 2, 2009 by Amy.

An excellent meeting all around, Jim McBride, Director of Information and Systems, and Misty Smalley, Client Services Manager of Guiding Stars, a nutrition navigation system, gave an hour long presentation and question answer session for the council. By the end, all members were seemingly onboard with trying to incorporate Guiding Stars or some form of it into Dover school cafeterias.

The council met on January 22, 2009 at Dover high school.  Before this gathering, it was thought that the UNH dietetic interns would recalculate the nutritional information for all menu items and then create a labeling system to help Dover school students choose healthful or not so healthful, foods from the offered selection. Moving forward, the council has decided to have the interns take digital photos (entire food label and packaging information) of all products served, categorize items (combine labels that create a menu item, name the item and mark serving size)and then house this organized information for future use when collaborating with Guiding Stars. Since the meeting, the interns have taken hundreds of photos and are in the process of organizing the data.

Guiding Stars uses evidence based algorithms to formulate food debits like trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium and sugars and credits vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and whole grains. The system rates foods either no rating, one star (good), two (better), or three stars (best) according to the nutritional density of the food.  The representatives shared that the system is not a weight loss program, but a fair and consistent way of looking at overall nutrition. For example, walnuts are high in calories, but the calories come from a nutrient dense food that provides good fat, vitamins and fiber. Guiding Stars is a subsidiary of Hannaford, but they are branded separately, the grocery chain brand would not accompany printed material placed in the schools. For more information on Guiding Stars, check out the Web site www.guidingstars.com.

Immediate action, all food products containing peanut butter were removed from district food service thanks to the national peanut butter recall. A Blakely, Ga., plant, owned by Peanut Corp. of America, violated health inspection violations and released peanut paste tainted with salmonella. The district worked under the direction of the State of New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Division of Public Health Services.

Old news, the committee continues to look into grant options and has applied for one as of this meeting, and the subcommittee continues to seek funds for health and wellness-based projects.  More information and links to healthy resources are being posted on the district Web site. The high school Eco Club continues to investigate alternative options to Styrofoam usage.  And UNH interns will be meeting with high school student council representatives in the next month to discuss school food menu options. The interns have selected numerous interesting and doable recipes from Fresh from the Farm: The Massachusetts Farm to School Cookbook http://www.mass.gov/agr.markets/Farm_to_school. Chosen and approved recipes will be incorporated into the menu end of 2009 school year.

The Dining Facilities Council (wellness committee) will meet again Thursday, March 26, 2009 at 9:00am at Horne Street Elementary School cafeteria.  We await patiently for a thaw, and by the next meeting hope to have some colorful and tasty produce on display in Woodman Park Elementary for the farmers market table and tasting, Garrison and Horne street to follow. A shout out—are there any Seacoast farmers willing to set-up a mini table and answer elementary students’ questions or donate produce? If so, please send an email to amy.winans@gmail.com.  Any collaboration is much appreciated.

In the news:

Obama’s New Chef Skewers School Lunches

By Tara Parker-Pope

January 29, 2009

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/29/new-white-house-chef-skewers-school-lunches/?emc=eta1

Washington, DC based non-profit organization Food & Water Watch is launching a campaign to get rBGH-free (artificial hormone free) and organic milk into the National School Lunch Program.

For more information on this campaign you can go to: http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/school-milk

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December 4, 2008 by Amy.

Enthusiasm runs deep with this crew and so does angst. The aggression is thankfully not pitted at each other but at bad food; the lame floppy objects labeled pizza, chicken patty or otherwise served on Styrofoam trays in school cafeterias.  That’s how the Dover Dining Facilities Council accomplishes tasks. Members get fired up sans fists, and seek change.

The latest meeting took place November 20, 2008 at Dover middle school.  There is much to report, so I’ll keep the commentary thin.

Old biz revisited:

• Menus are now disclosed on the district Web site in Word format.  Food information is available to the public—there is nothing to hide.
• Parents do not want to see marshmallows or Jell-O on the district list of “recommended food items.” Parents, if you bring food to a school event, make it worth the calories. Rule of thumb, if your food choice isn’t healthful, this is not the best platform.
• Taste testing is moving along. Mark Covell, food service director, passed a spreadsheet listing items tried at the various schools. Items that were a hit: ham and cheese wrap with lettuce and tomato; baked macaroni and cheese with ham; fresh cucumber and zucchini sticks; homemade enchiladas; open face tuna melt; fresh plums, bananas, peaches and pears. Slated for taste testing: Italian-style chicken—as Mark calls it—breast strips, lightly breaded with whole wheat flour and seasoned with Italian herbs.  Chicken nuggets might be booted if kids go commando for Italian-style chicken.
• Styrofoam situation is under consideration. Mark is working with high school students to figure out the best scenario for the district (cost) and planet (waste). Novel, get the students involved.  A Styrofoam tray recycler was mentioned.

New Biz:

• Big idea for a council or board: break it up into subcommittees to get tasks done. Laurie Verville, district business manager and head of the Dining Facilities Council, strongly encouraged members to create subcommittees. Technically, the group has already formed several subcommittees: grant writing and research, UNH dietetic intern program, UNH nursing intern program, healthy snack/newsletter writing, communications, Styrofoam research, and farm to school.
• Over achievers? Maybe, but they can handle it. UNH dietetic interns, Dana Poist and Kimberly Povec presented their plan for Spring semester 2009: introduce one new nutrient dense recipe that can be used in all schools; incorporate more whole grains in current recipes by helping Mark purchase products that contain whole grains; add an increased number of fresh fruits and veggies and get them in front of the students (i.e. not old apples in a bowl behind the counter); make a muffin mix from scratch and incorporate whole grains; use dietetic software to calculate nutritional information for recipes and “flag” foods that contain trans fats in an effort to eliminate said items from the menu; Elementary schools: conduct cooking demos and a tasting in each cafe focusing on fresh local ingredients, think farm to school; also have a fresh fruit and veggie “this is what it looks like table”… like a mini farmers market, with fruits and veggies whole and cut ready for tasting; Middle/High school: conduct focus groups to establish how best to market healthful foods/farm to table ideology to the students. Create posters to hang in the cafes and create a labeling system, nutrition info cards to be placed next to each dish in the cafes. Note: Ashli Franck, third UNH dietetic intern could not make this meeting.
• Parent Amy Middleton gave a brief presentation on grant subcommittee status. The team is creating a spreadsheet of district wants and needs with goals, objectives and projected dollar amounts assigned to each.  Next step is to research grants and apply for grant money. An example, enroll all kitchen staff in a professional development nutrition certificate program like that offered through the School Nutrition Association http://www.schoolnutrition.org/.
• Melissa Snow, parent, Registered and Licensed Dietitian, and healthy snack subcommittee member presented a one-sheet listing healthy snack suggestions and best practices for pairing food items for optimum nutrition… match a protein packed food with a whole grain carb and fresh fruit or veggie. If interested in eyeing the doc, leave a comment at the end of the blog with an email address. An exceptional bit to share—ZERO brand names are listed!

Round table:

• YMCA afterschool program continues to serve unhealthy snacks. Technically the program is on school grounds; therefore they need to clean up their act.
• School nurses need an accurate breakdown of all items served each day. This will help eliminate issues with incorrect amounts of insulin given to diabetic students.
• Prices for snack items need to be listed on rack of snacks.
• Two middle school student council members joined the meeting. They attest that they and friends seek healthier food options. They like the UNH dietetic intern idea of creating a basic labeling system for menu items.
• Parents want to know more than just fat, calorie, sugar, carb content of menu items. Some are curious to see full ingredient lists. Why? Sneaky preservatives and scary additives. And what about GMOs, antibiotics and growth hormones?
• FREE live Webcast from Action for Healthy Kids http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/. Call to Leadership: Elevating School Wellness to a Higher Level, December 8, 2008 from 3-4:30pm EST.
• UNH nursing interns created an art competition for Dover middle school students “Fruit and Veggies Matter: A Rainbow of Colors”. A grand prize of an iPod Nano was awarded to the winning artist. First, second and third place winners were chosen from each grade level. All artwork is displayed in the school.

Next council meeting January 22, 2009—next year! The holidays are upon us, a wonderful time to scale back, slow down, love and teach our children. For an inspiring jolt into sustainable living check out groups.yahoo.com/group/thecompact—they and you too can make Santa proud. 

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October 4, 2008 by Amy.

Back to school, already. As an adult, it is hard to remember day one jitters, that giddy feeling kids get as they step foot on school grounds in their new skirts and jeans. How nice to have a fresh start each year.

This September is different.  Monday, September 29, the Dow dropped over 700 points, the largest one day dollar drop in history. With the economy wavering, how does one clamor back and focus? Dover Public School food must get better—luckily reform is already in progress.

Mark Covell, food service director is up to his earring in financial woes. The main dishwasher is threatening to retire (a mere $40,000 replacement cost); the district food delivery truck went in for repairs; the Point of Sales (POS) system is going on 10 years; and the obvious, food prices are higher than they’ve ever been. Besides monetary setbacks, kids are picky eaters and dining services must sell food to make money, to keep it all in motion.

The first Dining Facility Council meeting of the year took place September 25. After a quick open discussion of the June 11 meeting minutes, the group tackled the slated six most important recommendations of the 17 that will be given to the School Board on October 6. Here’s the meat of what was discussed in the order of the agenda:

1. Provide parents with a list of healthy snack options posted on the district Website. Mark is assigned this task and will get it done.

2. Menus on Edline (the district-wide computer program for parents, students and staff to stay abreast of the latest) are not readable, the font is too small. Menus are run in Foster’s Daily Democrat, but without nutritional information. Mark will contact district IT staff to figure out the kink. In the meantime he will post menus in Word or Adobe. Mark is also looking to purchase a menu builder that will calculate nutritional values to meet upcoming state and federal guidelines. He is researching federal recommendations for the purchase.

3. A taste testing schedule for all schools will be devised.  This is in the works for elementary, middle and high school with food items suitable for the age group. Tasting is already in progress. Local plums, peaches and nectarines, while in season, made it into the schools. Guess what?—they were gobbled up. Hooray for Mark, he purchased local fruit.

4. School newsletters to be used as a communiqué.  Hand in the air; I volunteered to write material for Mark in an effort to keep parents in the loop about school food and proper nutrition. Farm to school is also an area that parents need to hear more about.

5. Visual displays will be posted in common areas in all schools to promote healthy eating and exercise habits. Mark has the posters but not frames. Readers: if you have large (poster size) frames in good condition, a donation would be much appreciated.

6. Public Information forums are one of the many ways to reach parents and encourage better eating and exercise habits at home. What happens at home is a strong indicator of how children will perceive and accept food and exercise at school. Parents also need to acknowledge the importance of purchasing locally grown foods. Dover schools are part of the UNH Farm to School program. It was thought that Apple Harvest Day might be a good place for UNH Office of Sustainability to educate parents. This year, was too late in planning a booth, but printed information will be available.  

Another important item on the agenda but not part of the dining facilities annual report was the Produce for Kids (PFK) mini- grant, a PBS Kids partner for school-based healthy eating. School representatives at the meeting were encouraged to ask health teachers to participate. Further information about the classroom contest and deadline can be found at http://fconline.foundationcenter.org/pnd/15015006/produceforkids.

One last bit, Styrofoam trays are used in some cafeterias because the dishwashers are not utilized, again due to monetary reasons—cost of water, detergent, and staff. Mark shared that back in the day when he started his career at Dover, the students helped wash trays at the end of lunch. This is not the case anymore thanks to liability issues. Mark was encouraged to look into who is stating the liability; local or state regulations. In schools around the nation, kids are in the kitchen cooking—using knives, and pots and pans on hot burners. Let’s think outside of the lunch box. Laurie thoughtfully stated that $45,000 is spent in garbage removal. At a glance, the cost of using reusable trays or compostable paper could offset garbage. Mark needs to run the numbers and share with the council.

The next meeting is set for November 20 at 9:00am at Dover Middle School in the café.  Progress is made at every meeting. It’s inspiring to see change happening at a local level, despite bleak times. I encourage parents and the public to get involved.

***

A question for blog readers… what do you think is fair, fun, and healthful (even sustainable) for Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO) to sell as school fundraisers? Some ideas to get the cogs turning: pencils, stickers, crayons, homemade jewelry, school supplies, knitted socks, raw veggie sticks or slices, fresh fruit, work certificates for yard work like raking leaves, etc.

Let us know if you have innovative ideas to share with school PTOs!

***

Reading assignment—from The New York Times:

Local Carrots with a Side of Red Tape

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/17/dining/17carr.html

6 Food Mistakes Parents Make

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/15/health/healthspecial2/15eat.html

***

A grant to consider if it fits district goals:

Healthy Sprouts Awards

The National Gardening Association administers the Healthy Sprouts Awards, sponsored by Gardener’s Supply Company. These awards support school and youth garden programs that teach about nutrition and the issue of hunger in the United States. To be eligible for the 2008 Healthy Sprouts Awards, your school or organization must plan to garden in 2009 with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18. The selection of winners is based on the demonstrated relationship between the garden program and nutrition and hunger issues in the United States. Winning programs receive seeds, curriculum, and gift certificates for purchase of gardening materials. Due date: October 15, 2008. For more info, see: http://www.kidsgardening.com/healthysprouts.asp

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June 26, 2008 by Amy.

One glance around the table proves that summer is upon us, short sleeves and cool beverages abound. Dorothea Hooper, School Board member, had a Coke that she was complaining about. “This stuff is awful,” she said, “but there wasn’t any water for me to buy.” She purchased it from a machine in the staff lounge. Luckily student vending machines offer only water and 100% juice.

This might be the big Wellness Policy planning session, but the group appears smaller than that of the previous meeting. June is a hectic month for all. The purpose of the meeting is to summarize what has been achieved by the council over the past year then submit a report to the School Board.

The most accurate and appealing way to communicate what was addressed is to write straight from the agenda set forth. Thanks to preplanning by Laurie Verville, Business Manager and head of the council, the meeting format was well organized.

Current Policy Highlights:
1. Nutrition education is integrated in as many areas of the curriculum as possible including health, physical education and science instruction. There are also wellness signs in the cafeterias and the district has a culinary program. Nurses work with students who have medical needs like diabetes.

2. The School Meals Program will work to offer several balanced meal choices to students on a daily basis. Food Service Director Mark Covell stated that the cafés are gradually moving away from canned fruit and more fresh fruit like apples, oranges and mini bananas will be offered when affordable. Currently, dark leafy greens are added to the iceberg salad mix two to three times per week. Fresh broccoli florets were added in 2007/2008, and zucchini and carrot sticks will be on the menu in 2008/2009. Breaded items are being reduced, and the food in the elementary schools will be improved all around—bravo!

3. Faculty, staff and the school community will work together to promote and reinforce healthy lifestyle habits during school hours, and for after school activities sponsored by the district. As of 2007/2008 there was not a Parent Teacher Association (PTA) or Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) board member on the council, but it would be a stellar movement to link with these groups. Snack options will be discussed with head of the YMCA after school program.  Edline, the district online communication source for staff, parents and students lists healthy snacks and fundraising items. Nutrition Nuggets, a quick read nutrition information box, is generally printed in the parent newsletter. And this last year, middle school diabetic students met with a nutritionist from Hannaford Supermarkets.

4. Food will not be used as a reward or punishment unless specified in a student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or behavior plan. The council feels that improvement is needed under this section. An example, at Woodman Park elementary, it was noticed that teachers were giving out bright colored freeze pops on hot days as a hydrating treat. According to Claudia Lynch, school nurse, some students are hypersensitive to food color additives used in processed foods. Another example, at the middle school, students in two separate classrooms were given lollipops. The council agreed that teachers need to be educated and held responsible for not following the Wellness Policy. A possible solution: provide a written document explaining the policy at the beginning of each school year.

5. Food and beverages offered in school stores and vending machines, accessible to students, will be consistent with the state vending guidelines. Mark said vending machines under his management meet state guidelines. The student store, however, is an ongoing issue—big cans of iced tea were sold even after the instructor in charge was schooled on the Wellness Policy. This is to be addressed along with the culinary arts program. High school students with huge cookies were seen wandering the halls, and it’s likely they bought the cookies through the culinary arts program. Good news—chips will not be sold in the elementary schools beginning 2008/2009. Dorothea reiterated once elementary students eat healthier, they will continue with good eating habits into middle and high school. This will help with the movement towards a stronger, healthier food program. A consistent message about healthful eating is the obtainable long term goal.

6. Organizations and classes should look for alternate ways to fundraise other than the sale of food. All is well in this area, creative fundraisers like jewelry, coffee and flower bulb sales keep school programs funded.

7. Monitoring the Wellness Policy will be reported to the School Board on an annual basis. Dorothea reports to the School Board at least once a month on issues and changes.

A few bits to chew:
- The group agreed that it is on track: issues were acknowledged, some changes were made and council members have heightened awareness.
- Dover has complied with state policies, which are lenient at best. The district strives not only to meet, but to go well above the state nutritional guidelines.
- New and old recipe student taste testing will happen again in the 2008/2009 school year.
- University of New Hampshire (UNH) nutritional science interns are a viable source of aid. A meeting is set for late summer to discuss direction.
- The UNH Office of Sustainability is also a go-to source.  In fact, they just recommended the following source of farm to school information and recipes: Fresh From the Farm: The Massachusetts Farm to School Cookbook. Check it out. http://www.mass.gov/agr/markets/Farm_to_school/farm_to_school_cookbook.pdf
- The committee will look into grants to fund specific needs as they are assessed.
- Better education and communication amongst staff, parents and students is necessary for successful policy implementation. A couple of ideas that came up: print and provide healthy snack shopping lists for parents, Open House or PTA/PTO education sessions.
- All Dining Facility Council meeting dates for 2008/2009 were scheduled—excellent news for all involved. This bodes well for continuing the momentum.

The next Dover Dining Facility Council write-up will come before you know it, after school is in session, late September. For now, relax… take the kids to your local farm and dig into the Seacoast’s scrumptious bounty.

Posted in author: Amy | Print | No Comments »

May 23, 2008 by Amy.

Step back four decades to 1967, when Dover High School’s kitchen was brand spanking new, cranking out fish sticks and French fries like nobody’s business. Ten years ago, milk was delivered in crates from Scrouton’s Dairy farm in Dover and kitchen compost was held for a local pig farmer to come pick up the loot. The latter is no longer the case, but the 40 year old equipment still grinds away, and the frozen processed food still stands. The funky rose colored doors on the industrial fridge and freezer caught my eye. An interesting color pairing, the walls are tiled sunflower yellow. The entire kitchen is sparkly clean, a cheery space with plenty of room and equipment to cook, and I mean really cook.

Our group tour of Dover High School’s kitchen was scheduled to give volunteer members of the Dining Facilities Council a sense of what Food Service Director Mark Covell has to work with. The majority of the district’s food is prepared in this kitchen and then trucked to the middle and three elementary schools. The district has its own small truck to maneuver the goods.

Mark’s budget is comprised solely of school breakfast and lunch sales. To put this into perspective, high school and middle school breakfast is priced at $1.25 and lunch is $2.25. An elementary school breakfast is also $1.25, lunch is $1.75. His budget covers food, kitchen equipment purchases and repairs, which includes the dishwashers; purchase of the transportation truck, maintenance and fuel costs; and staffing all five schools.

Mark also receives a small amount from the government for free, reduced and paid meals; the highest reimbursement is for free and the lowest for paid. For twelve years he’s been ending the school year in the black, but he feels that this year might be an exception with rising food cost due to higher fuel prices. This past week he bought a case of celery for over $40; a week ago the same amount cost $14.

The cafeteria was bustling with activity upon arrival at 10am. The space is used for study hall throughout the day. It was worth the trip to gawk. We can’t do much to improve the system, if we don’t have a grasp of the day-to-day operations.

Along with the committee members, Mark agrees that goals need to be established and they must be realistic. Institutional food service management has barriers, like increased governmental regulation that you don’t have with a restaurant.

Mark added, “I think it is important to convey a positive note in regard to where we are today as compared to just five to six years ago. The district, my staff and numerous others have worked very hard to get to this point. Is it perfect? No, but it is a 100 percent improvement over where we were.”

Four parent volunteers attended and we were all curious to see the dimensions of the walk-in freezer and refrigerator, as well as the dry storage area. One of our many initial ideas is to find a local farm willing and able to sell wholesale produce like green beans at the peak of ripeness that volunteers can then blanch and freeze one day over the summer for use in the upcoming school year. To do this, we need equipment and freezer storage space.

Although we knew what to expect, I think our greatest let down was not the actual size of the storage spaces, but rather what was using it up—box upon box and stacked cans of processed, ready to serve food product. Enriched white bread, Chef Boyardee ravioli and frozen chicken patties anyone? I asked if organic, canned products and other bulk foods could be purchased over conventional, and as expected, Mark confirmed they are way too pricey and hard to get through his mainstream distributers.

What makes it onto a 15 year old’s lunch tray? Veggies, veggies, veggies… the kids bopping through the line chose vegetables like sliced raw green pepper and broccoli florets to accompany their hamburger taco meat and orange goo (better known as Cheese Wiz-type sauce). The salad was pretty sad, your typical iceberg lettuce with orange and purple flecks of carrot and red cabbage. We asked Mark why not leafy greens? The darker green salad mixes are tough to purchase at an affordable price, but he does buy whole leaf spinach and heads of romaine when he can.

The federal government’s commodity program isn’t a reliable source of food. The random food items that are shipped are not enough to ease Mark’s tight budget. Projected food may or may not arrive and the quality of food is often subpar.

In other areas of the high school café, we spotted bagels, soft pretzels, and bagged snack items like chips hanging for sale. Mark mentioned that homemade soups are an option for the kids, and there is generally one prepared from scratch hot item on the menu each day. The kitchen staff experiments with the hot item—catering to his clientele’s sophomoric taste.

A little unnerving, the kids only get 25 minutes for lunch. Back in the day when I attended high school, we had an entire period, which was 55 minutes. Apparently one of the kitchen’s battles is getting the food to the kids fast enough so that they have time to eat. 

There is a trickle-down effect taking place in the cafeterias. The high school kids get the best selection of food, middle and elementary schools, not so much. This again, is a result of the short lunch period. It is tough for the younger students to make a choice with a large variety, so their choices are limited.

One of the parents was also concerned with Styrofoam trays being used for the lower grade levels. She asked if thick paper or even recyclable or reusable plastic could be used. Again, price is the issue. The district can’t afford a sustainable solution. All of the kitchens have dish machines, but the cost to staff a dishwasher and to buy the chemical solution to run the machines is far too much.

Our group of volunteers has a lot to digest, and despite all of the grand ideas that we have to improve the food and sustainability practices of the district, we all agree that we must stay positive and find a focus if we want to see change. We are eager to seek grant money or other donations if that is what it takes to put tasty, nutritious, real food on the tables. Cost continues to be at the forefront of all discussion.

In two weeks, we meet again at Garrison elementary school to examine progress of the Health, Wellness and Nutrition school district policy. A brainstorming session is on the agenda, and an updated report will be submitted to the school board. It would be ideal if tasty morsels could be made from scratch, using local food—that’s our old school solution. Till next time, eat well.

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