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Watauga County Schools Nutrition Professionals Participate in K-12 Culinary Institute

Last Updated on March 26, 2022 2:49 pm

N.C. School nutrition managers from across the state are participating in the North Carolina K-12 Culinary Institute.

Five school nutrition managers, Rebecca Trivette, Mildred Johnson, Carolyn Miller, Betty Moretz and Anna Miller from Watauga County Schools participated in a K-12 Culinary Institute regional workshop. “The K-12 Culinary Institute is a unique opportunity for our school nutrition professionals to enhance culinary skills and glean tools and information critical to their important roles in providing quality, nutritious school meals,” said Monica Bolick, director of the Watauga County Schools School Nutrition Program.

The face to face and virtual institute was developed by the NCDPI, School Nutrition Section, and Chef Cyndie Story’s K-12 Culinary Team, in order to meet five core objectives:

  • Improve student health, well-being and academic success through nutritious, appealing meals at school,

  • Increase participation in high quality, enticing school nutrition programs,

  • 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 school nutrition personnel.

The menus and recipes developed for the K-12 Culinary Institute include:

  • Scratch, convenience, and modified scratch products and techniques,

  • Instructions written for production amounts consistent with pack or pan sizes commonly available in school kitchens, and

  • Nutritional analysis files for easy import into software programs and adjustments for standardization in Local Education Agencies (LEAs).

Planned instructional segments include topics such as knife skills, weighing and measuring accurately, preparing foods for just-in-time service, work simplification and scheduling, effective use of equipment, and quality food preparation and service for a variety of meats, grains, fruits, vegetables, and condiments.

North Carolina K-12 Culinary Institute graduates become chef ambassadors prepared to teach other school nutrition professionals at the Local Education Agency/school level.

K-12 Culinary Institute Attendees from L to R:
Rebecca Trivette – Manager at Hardin Park
Mildred Johnson – Manager at Blowing Rock
Chef V – Instructor
Carolyn Miller – Manager at Cove Creek
Betty Moretz – Manager at Green Valley
Anna Miller – Manager at Parkway
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