Gourmet Dinner Event Funds School Lunch Improvements
Posted by Sandra Sims on 06 Mar 2007 in: Dinners, Events
What are kids being served for school lunches? Most school food programs are presided over by a nutritionist to make sure meals are healthy. However, the definition of healthy can vary widely. Plus most schools are under tight budgets. Kids are often left with unappealing lunch choices. (And leave the “healthy” stuff on the plate.)
Kids at a Montreal, Quebec school had a particular dislike for their school cafeteria food. The vast majority of students were brown bagging it every day. Parents knew there had to be a change when less than 15% percent of the students were purchasing lunch from the cafeteria.
Parents got together and decided to completely overall the school meal program. Meals would not only be nutritious, but flavorful and appealing to students. Student would also learn more about good food choices through cooking classes and nutrition talks.
Parents raised funds by holding a $250 a plate gourmet dinner at a restaurant owned by one of the parents, a well known chef.
With the dedication of parents to provide healthy and desirable lunches, $18,000 was raised by the private school’s foundation. Now the school has a completely new kitchen with a professional chef preparing tasty delicious foods. Everyone was pleased to discover that the cost of hiring a chef was actually quite comparable to the previous caterer.
Choices include freshly made pizza with grilled vegetables and salad, grilled chicken with salsa, a variety of wraps, roast tilapia with brown rice, tacos with vegetables, and – to Drummond’s satisfaction – “nothing out of a box or can.” She has even reformed the baking ingredients; muffins include ground flaxseed, and pizza dough is made with unprocessed whole-wheat flour.Certain dishes, such as Kwong Tam’s version of General Tao’s chicken, broccoli calzone and the fish dishes, sell briskly.
Source: Montreal Gazette
Parents at this school found a way to provide delicious meals that kids would really like. The gourmet dinner and resources of parents made this a successful project.
