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The Scoop Behind Every Scoop

Writer's picture: Daisy JonesDaisy Jones
COOK. Program manager Cierra Hunziker preparing trays of made pizza before they go into the oven. Our food program makes the majority of the food from scratch, and locally sources many ingredients. Photo courtesy of Daisy Jones.
COOK. Program manager Cierra Hunziker preparing trays of made pizza before they go into the oven. Our food program makes the majority of the food from scratch, and locally sources many ingredients. Photo courtesy of Daisy Jones.

At 5:00 a.m. on a Thursday, the school is dark and empty, except for one room: the kitchen. The chefs show up to begin making today's lunch— pizza from scratch. Dough is rolled, sauce spread, cheese sprinkled, and the famous kale salad gets carefully prepared. But what sets our school apart from others isn’t just the early hours, it’s the remarkable care and quality that is put into the school lunches.

“Our breakfasts and lunches are thought out, planned, prepared, and made here on-site almost exclusively,” Program Manager Cierra Hunziker said.

Instead of buying pre-made food, the kitchen staff makes the majority of their food themselves.

“About 80% is from scratch and 20% is more pre-made,” Program Manager Eileen Burke said.

Much of the produce, like the kale in the salads, is locally grown. Vashon School District works with Matsuda Farms to get fruits and vegetables. Matsuda, a vibrant community farm located just two miles away from campus, provides fresh produce such as salad greens, squash, and brussels sprouts—all delivered to the school on a weekly basis.

“Besides bananas and pineapples, we get a lot of seasonal stuff from Matsuda,” Burke said.

Teaming up with Matsuda is a great way to support a local nonprofit, and of course, they also provide the school community with fresh, delicious food.

Even food that is not sourced from the island is still pretty local. Last year, the district partnered with regional suppliers to source a large variety of food, including bison, salmon, turkey, and berries, all farmed or raised within 400 miles of the school.

Additionally, the district also partners with larger food distributors like U.S. Foods and Charlie’s Produce. The way the food providers are selected is an interesting process; the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) facilitates contracts with different food distributors, and the companies make bids to USDA to get contracts to provide to schools.

“Right now our best prices are through U.S. foods, because they have the contract with the USDA," Hunziker explained.

But it’s not all smooth sailing; with our school being located on an island, there are certain obstacles that the cooks run into. For example, some food distributors refuse to deliver to the island.

“There are a number of milk providers out there that we reached out to at the beginning of the year that just simply do not deliver to the island, whether it's [the] cost of the ferries or maybe we're not in their service area,” Hunziker said.

Even though we already have a strong food program here on the island, the district is still looking for ways to improve our lunches.

“We are exploring options to broaden suppliers on the island that we're able to purchase from, and we're in the process of working with a couple entities to get some grant funding,” Hunziker said.

Behind every scoop served in the cafeteria, there is a story of dedication and community partnership. Whether it’s the fresh kale from Matsuda Farms or bison sourced from 400 miles away, our food program tells a story of dedication and local partnership. The next time you pass through the lunch lines, thank the chefs, and enjoy the fresh, homemade meal.

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