I remember my grade school cafeteria. We had two head chefs, both brusque and burley women in white aprons and hair nets. We called them Rosie, interchangeably, and imagined
they had tattoos on their meaty shoulders and hair on their backs.

They weren’t gourmet chefs, these women—their standard fare was spaghetti and Salisbury steak, and they endured their share of “mystery meat” jokes—but they cooked. And they served hot food, made from scratch, including beans, grains and actual vegetables.

Over the years, though, increasing costs of labor and equipment, coupled with a lack of space, forced the closure of school cafeteria kitchens. The Rosies were fired, and kitchens were converted to classrooms. Food was prepared offsite and shipped to schools, where it
could be reheated and served. Meanwhile, as funding became more meager, dollars allocated for school lunch programs dwindled until, on average, cafeteria managers are left with only about 72 cents per meal to spend on food—and that’s on processed, plastic wrapped fare that’s filled with extra chemicals, preservatives, and possibly antibiotics and growth hormones.

Which brings me to my point: we’re cutting corners on school lunch programs, but it’s no bargain. We’ll pay the price, in the form of unhealthy children.

Enter Ann Cooper, star chef, graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and outspoken proponent of a return to real food in school cafeterias. Last spring, Boulder Valley School District launched the School Food Project, a massive revamping of the district’s lunch program. Headed by Cooper and her consulting firm, Lunch Lessons, the program aims to eliminate processed foods from public school menus in three years, and to serve healthy, whole foods meals made from scratch.

In other area schools, Denver’s school district has recently become involved in the School Food Focus, says Cooper, a Kellogg Foundation project working to help large school districts make positive changes in their food programs. Ideally, of course, schools across the nation would enjoy the benefits of a healthy, cooked-from-scratch program.

Meanwhile, what can parents do to help? “We need more kids to eat!” says Cooper. “From a support standpoint, parents can encourage kids to eat the school lunches. They can also support the School Food Project by volunteering and/or offering financial support.” For more information, visit ChefAnn.com or bvsd.org/schoolfoodproject.

And for a sneak preview of some of the foods to come, try the recipes below. They may change your mind about school lunch programs – even Rosie would approve.

Recipes
Recipes by Ann Cooper and Lunch Lessons

Pasta with Greens and Feta
Eight servings
2/3 lb penne pasta
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups spinach, washed and chopped
¼ cup water
2 ¼ teaspoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoons ground black pepper
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
In a large pot of salted water cook the penne pasta al dente. Drain and set aside. Saute the onions in oil until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes. Add the spinach and water to steam the spinach, and cook for 3 more minutes. When the spinach has wilted add the pasta and toss to heat through. Add lemon and pepper and toss again. Top with feta cheese and serve.

Harvest Hash
Eight servings
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 cup onions medium dice
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 ¼ cups rutabaga, large dice
1 ¼ cups red potatoes, large dice
1 ¼ cups butternut squash, peeled and cut in large dice
1 ¼ cups parsnips, peeled and cut in large dice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped
4 Tablespoons vegetable stock
In a large pan with a cover, saute the garlic and onions in butter and oil until onions are lightly browned. Add the rutabaga, red potatoes, butternut squash, and parsnips and sauté for five minutes. Add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and fresh sage and stir to combine. Add the stock and mix well. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Serve.

Kale and White Bean Soup
Eight servings
1 cup onion, diced
1 1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 pound cannellini beans dry weight, cooked (roughly 2 1/2 cups cooked)
4 cups vegetable stock (plus a bit more to adjust liquid to your personal taste)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups carrots, medium dice
7 cups kale, chopped
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Sauté onions in oil for 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
Add cooked beans, stock, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and rosemary and simmer for 10
minutes. Add carrots and cook another 5 minutes. Add kale and cook about 12 minutes or
until kale is tender. Add more vegetable stock if your soup needs more liquid, and
warm through. Check seasoning, adjust as needed, and serve sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese.

Pumpkin Curry
Eight servings
2 cups garbanzo beans, dry
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 cups fresh pumpkin, peeled and diced
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 cups kale, washed and roughly chopped
2 Tablespoons curry powder
2 cups coconut milk
6 cups vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper as needed
The night before: soak the garbanzo beans in water. The next day cook the garbanzo beans in water until soft, approximately 2 1/2 hours at a simmer. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large pot and add the pumpkin, onion, kale, and curry powder. Saute 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. Add the garbanzos, coconut milk, vegetable stock, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. Serve with rice.

Lisa Turner is a chef and food writer in Boulder. She also teaches cooking and nutrition classes at Bauman College, and offers catering and nutrition consulting. Visit TheHealthyGourmet.net or InspiredEating.com for more details.