Ithaca students are finding more fresh, locally sourced food on their lunch trays as part of a collaboration with neighboring school districts. The Ithaca City School District is one of six school food programs in Tompkins County working with the Chef Ann Foundation to replace ultra-processed foods with meals cooked from scratch, using locally grown and produced ingredients.
The effort is part of the School Food Reboot program, a partnership with the Chef Ann Foundation and the Park Foundation. Along with the ICSD, it includes the Dryden, Groton, Lansing, and Newfield central school districts, and TST BOCES. Together, these programs serve more than 10,000 students across the county.
One of the biggest benefits of working together is the ability to buy together in larger quantities. Instead of each district placing its own order, the group sends one shared contract to local farmers, farm co-ops, and distributors. Farmers get a larger, more predictable order, and schools get fresh, local food at a price that fits school budgets.
In the ICSD, local produce is the highlight of the salad bar.
“We prioritize local produce whenever possible and offer it on our salad bar,” Beth Krause, Director of Child Nutrition, said. “Take delicata squash: we roast it with simple ingredients to bring out its natural sweetness, leaving the edible skin intact to save prep time. It brings a warm, autumnal pop of color to the line that the students genuinely get excited about.”
As part of this effort, all six Tompkins County districts are planning to launch Tompkins Tuesday. Once a month, every participating school will serve the same locally sourced menu item, so students across the county will be eating the same local dish.
To see how all six Tompkins County districts are bringing local food into their cafeterias, read the Chef Ann Foundation’s full story: Farm-to-School: How 6 New York School Districts Champion Local Food.