Chef Ann Foundation

http://www.chefannfoundation.org/

The Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) is a registered, tax-exempt 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, governed by a dedicated Board of Directors who share our mission. Our diverse board supports the growth of our foundation by offering guidance in key areas. Click on each name below to read more about these accomplished individuals.

http://www.chefannfoundation.org/about-us/the-team/

I envision a time, soon, when being a chef working to feed children fresh, delicious, and nourishing food will no longer be considered renegade.” – Chef Ann Cooper

Why do we want kids eating more fresh fruits and veggies? Take a look at the current state of our children’s health:

1. Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years.
2. Most children currently do not meet minimum intake requirements for fruits and vegetables as specified by Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
3. Children and adolescents who are obese are likely to be obese as adults, increasing their risk of health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, several types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.

These startling facts demand a healthy change for our country, which is why we are rolling up our sleeves and getting to work! Fresh fruits and vegetables are key to children's healthy eating. They make their bodies feel better and their minds work better.

Skoop is donating 3% of every purchase to the Chef Ann Foundation to fund Mission Nutrition grants to get more vegetables and fruits in front of school age children. Education is key for change to take hold, which is why Mission Nutrition schools will create planned lunchroom activities to showcase and taste fresh vegetables and fruits. That way, kids can taste the goodness and learn about the goodness that healthy foods provide their bodies.

Join our campaign to get more kids eating fresh fruits and veggies!

To buy Skoop and to learn more about their superfood blends visit the Skoop site.

Chef Ann Cooper is an internationally recognized author, chef, educator, public speaker, and advocate of healthy food for all children. In a nation where kids are born with shorter estimated life expectancies than their parents due to diet-related disease, Chef Ann has been a constant champion of school food reform as an important avenue through which to improve childhood nutrition. In 2009, Chef Ann founded the Food Family Farming Foundation (now the Chef Ann Foundation), a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping schools take action so that every child has daily access to fresh, healthy food. CAF programs include Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, Mission Nutrition, Parent Advocacy Initiative, Healthy Breakfast for Kids, as well as The Lunch Box, an online resource that provides free step-by-step guides, tools, and recipes to help schools improve their food programs. Also known as the “Renegade Lunch Lady,“ Chef Ann serves as Director of Food Services for Boulder Valley School District in Boulder, Colorado, and is Partner of Lunch Lessons, LLC, a consultancy for school districts going through large-scale food change. She also writes a monthly blog for U.S. News & World Report and performs regular Speaking Engagements throughout the country. Visit our Multimedia Content page to view some of Ann’s notable lectures, including her four TED Talks.

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Ann has over 30 years of experience as a chef, including more than 15 years in school food programs. Her books Bitter Harvest and Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children have made her a leading advocate for safe, sustainable food. 

To raise further awareness about the value of healthy food systems, Chef Ann has held several advisory positions:

• Executive committee member, Chefs Collaborative
• Fellow, W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food & Society Policy
• Board member, USDA’s National Organic Standards Board (by congressional appointment)
• Member, Google Innovation Lab for Food Experiences
• President and board member, Women's Chefs and Restaurateurs
• President, American Culinary Federation of Central Vermont
• Advisory Board Member, Real Food for Kids

Chef Ann has also been honored by the National Resources Defense Council, awarded an honorary doctorate from SUNY Cobleskill for her work on sustainable agriculture, and received IACP’s 2012 Humanitarian of the Year award.  Named one of the “Influential 20” by Food Service Director Magazine and one of the top 15 Crusaders for Health in the Food Industry by Greatist.com, Ann has also received the Women Chefs and Restaurateurs’ Community Service Award and a Special Inspirational Award from the Susan B. Komen Foundation.

Email Ann: ann@chefannfoundation.org

http://www.thelunchbox.org/

The menu cycles are comprised of six-week lunch and one- and two-week breakfast cycles depending on the age group. You can download information including: USDA certification worksheets for each cycle week, nutrient analysis by day, and cycle and menu cost information (based on Boulder’s current pricing).

Breakfast is offered as a regular two-week cafeteria service model for K-5, and one-week cycles for K-8, 6-8, and 9-12 age groups as well as a two-week classroom model for K-5. The breakfast menus in Boulder are based on ready-to-eat foods, some of which Boulder has worked closely with local companies to develop, like their burritos, muffins, and bagels. In Boulder, this type of breakfast menu is most compatible with their demographic and labor model.

We do have a handful of scratch cooked breakfast items in our Recipes database that you may want to incorporate into your menu cycles. Lunch, like breakfast is offered for all age groups. The cycles are six-week cycles and are based on Boulder’s current menu cycles with the exception of some custom prepared foods that are not available nationwide.

K-5, K-8, 6-8, 9-12

http://www.thelunchbox.org/recipes-menus/recipes/

Salad bars

http://www.thelunchbox.org/programs/salad-bars/

Salad bar layout

http://www.thelunchbox.org/programs/salad-bars/operations/?tab=the-salad-bar-layout

Item cost case study

http://www.thelunchbox.org/programs/salad-bars/salad-bar-procurement/?tab=salad-bar-item-cost-case-study

Salad bar procurement

http://www.thelunchbox.org/programs/salad-bars/salad-bar-procurement/?tab=forecasting-produce-purchases-for-rfps

Breakfast for kids

http://www.chefannfoundation.org/programs/healthy-breakfast-for-kids