Local Food for Local Schools

Friday, August 29th | 8:00am-6:30pm (10.5 hrs)

A must-do for educators and activists interested in changing food in the schools. Hosted by Slow Food Yolo.

General Itinerary

  • University of California, Davis – Participants visited the UC Davis Children’s Garden with Carol Hillhouse, Director. This is a teaching garden to train k-12 teachers in garden-based learning.
  • University Dining Services by Sodexo at UC Davis – A behind-the-scenes look at this viable model for a zero waste institutional food program (just one of several ways they implement their sustainability goals). Brenan Connolly, General Manager, Resident Dining, spoke about their special events and procurement practices that help to strengthen the campus connection with regional farms.
  • Slow Lunch – A Slow Lunch in the dining commons and chance to hear how the Davis Farmer’s Market plays a role in the campus food system from the Davis Joint Unified School District from award-winning Market Manager Randi MacNear.
  • Davis Joint Unified School District Central Kitchen – The first community in the nation to approve through a district-wide vote the use of a “parcel tax” to augment the school lunch budget to purchase farm fresh produce and the labor to prepare and serve it. Participants toured the central kitchen to see why it is an important model for other school districts and where the food service employees receive monthly cooking classes using seasonal products.
  • Local school garden tour – Delaine Eastin, former California Superintendent of Public Instruction, the first in the nation to call for a garden in every school, guided participants at this inspiring garden.
  • Rominger West Winery – A chance to digest what everyone had learned with wine and appetizers in this award winning winery co-owned by a historic Yolo County farm family.

Cost: $129

Promotional description:

This journey is a must-do for educators and activists interested in changing food in the schools or working on a farm to school program. This tour will combine, at both the university and the K-12 level, the concepts of waste reduction, local sourcing, and garden-based learning. It’s a package sure to change the way people think about the potential for solutions at home.

You will get a behind-the-scenes look at how a public university has created a zero waste kitchen as a part of its campus sustainability policy, and how it purchases foods from regional farmers to serve in its dining halls (the problems and successes.) A look at its vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian offerings as well as their wood-fired pizza ovens, stir fries, pasta, soup and salad bars.

Naturally, you’ll enjoy a locally sourced Slow Lunch in the dining room with university students, prepared by Executive Chef Andy Burtis and his culinary team. During lunch, local produce distributors specializing in local product will talk about their role. You’ll also hear from the market manager of the Davis Farmers Market, which plays a role in providing produce and food educational experiences at the k-12 level, as well as operating a farmers’ market on the university campus – it’s all integrated in this local food system.

Tour the Davis Joint Unified School District Farm to School Connection – the first in the nation to use a “parcel tax”, voted on by the district taxpayers, to raise $70,000 per year to augment the school lunch budget to purchase farm fresh produce and the labor needed to prepare and serve it (a portion of total tax raised, most of which goes to classroom education.) See the Central Kitchen where food is prepared, hear from the Director of Student Nutrition Services Rafaelita Curva, and learn what noted cookbook author Georgeanne Brennan feels is the key to their success (she’s worked with the food service team to teach the flavor profiles of local produce and recipe development skills on a seasonal basis).

Delaine Eastin, former Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of California and founder of the “Garden in Every School Program” will be your guide on a tour of a local school garden site.

These people and other leaders will meet at the end of the day for a chance to “digest” what has been seen, heard and experienced over wine and appetizers in the cool cellars of the first wine tasting room in Davis – Rominger West Winery.