MAGAZINE SCHOOLS COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
Magazine Schools is proud to announce its partnership with K-12 Culinary Connection to give its students restaurant-quality food and healthier menu options for breakfast and lunch on a daily basis in the cafeteria this school year.
K-12 Culinary Connection is an Arkansas-based consulting firm “that takes pride in helping school districts meet their foodservice goals through our resources and years of experience.” Its approach is individualized for each district because “we know that every school district is different.”
It works with the current staff in the school’s Child Nutrition Department, showing them easier and different ways to meet the goals of the department and district.
K-12 Culinary Connection will be bringing more than 1,000 new recipes to the school district to sample and enjoy. Some of the new recipes may include made-from-scratch pizza, orange chicken and fried rice, homemade meatloaf, and chicken enchiladas, as well as some of the traditional school favorites.
“Our years of experience in different areas of school nutrition allow us to take a unique approach when partnering with school districts. Our staff takes pride in menu planning and development, ensuring all menus are USDA compliant while offering fun, delicious options for students,” the company states on its website. “Our chefs will offer their expertise in recipe creation and production, kitchen efficiency, and presentation skills to ensure the food looks as good as it tastes.”
The federal USDA waiver that previously allowed school districts to provide meals at no cost to all students expired in June, and the USDA did not extend the waiver for this school year. Families who do not qualify for free or reduced-priced meals can expect to resume paying full price for school meals.
This school year, student cafeteria meal prices will be 85 cents for breakfast and $1.85 for lunch.
Those who qualify for free or reduced-price meals are encouraged to apply. Information about the free and reduced-price lunch program and a downloadable, paper application are available on the Magazine Schools website by clicking here. Applications will also be sent home with students during the first week of school, which begins on Aug. 15.