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“Kids nowadays just know a lot more about food,” he says. “They have such access to information that we didn’t have when we were younger, so they have higher expectations than we used to.”

Chef Kevin is working to exceed those expectations by elevating his district’s school lunch menu to the level of a college dining hall, with lots of healthy options, as well as items for those on alternative diets. And he’s sourcing many of his ingredients locally. In some cases, very locally.

FoodCorps service members are supporting his efforts through a local farm-to-school program, integrating the district’s 2.5-acre Drew Farm—located on the grounds of a vocational school—into the curriculum through field trips, hands-on lessons, and harvesting produce for meals. The FoodCorps team also runs taste tests that give students the chance to try new foods, and provides cafeteria leaders with direct feedback from students.

“What excites me most,” he says, “is the opportunity to introduce kids to foods that they might not have had otherwise. From an equity standpoint, I owe it to my students to ensure that the foods served accurately reflect the ethnic makeup of the district, and also to introduce them to as much of what the culinary world has to offer as I can.”

Newman’s Own proudly supports FoodCorps, which helps to provide food education and nourishing school meals for more than 120,000 students every year.

The foods we grow up with are such a big part of our identity, and the memories of food can stay with us throughout our lifetime. So it’s helpful when teaching about new foods to first connect with children in terms they can relate to.

Paloma Jones was a FoodCorps service member before she joined Edible Schoolyard NYC. “A big part of what drew me to FoodCorps was the opportunity to work with kids who can relate to me and hopefully see some of themselves in me.”

Paloma considers herself multi-ethnic, with roots tracing back to the Caribbean, Europe, and South Asia, and it’s through her own cultural experiences that she connects with her largely Latinx students at Brooklyn’s Evergreen Middle School. As a food educator, she strives both to introduce her students to new dishes and to celebrate treasured familiar ones, like Dominican mangú (mashed plantains). “It helps them feel connected to both their heritage and their new community here.” She also helps them grow a small garden full of vegetables she says they’ve never seen before. “We grow eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash.” They know lettuce, she adds, but swiss chard and kale were revelations.

“In my time as a student, I did not always have teachers who looked like me. It cannot be said enough, but representation is important, especially when it comes to both education and health.”

Newman’s Own proudly supports FoodCorps, which helps to provide food education and nourishing school meals for more than 120,000 students every year.