Onsite with FSD

October is National Seafood Month, and to celebrate, we sat down with Jason Tepper who is the Executive Chef at Alexandria City Public Schools in Alexandria, Virginia. 

Since coming to the district in 2021, Tepper has introduced students to a variety of seafood dishes, including fish tacos and kelp meatballs. In addition, he is one of several chefs partnering with Food For Climate League this month to help other chefs in the Onsite dining space look for ways to incorporate more sustainable seafood options into their menus. 

During our conversation, Jason shared how he has worked to bring more sustainable seafood dishes to the district and how his fellow K-12 operators can do the same at their schools.

On this episode of Onsite with FSD, the podcast of FoodService Director, we get to know Amy and Dan Stocking, who are third-generation owners at Turner’s Blueberry Farm, where they brought the farm into this century with social media, and have become part of a community where they help educate people on agriculture and the delicious superfood. They share what it’s been like to leave the relatively big city of Detroit and pick up old family roots to try their hand at making it grow. They also share their best tips for blueberries on the menu for any time of year. 

At Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, student engagement with the dining program has never been better thanks to the team’s student led, student fed initiative. Launched a couple years ago, the program enables student groups across campus to work with dining services to host their own events, voice their feedback and more. 

The program has resulted in numerous ways for students to leave their mark on the dining program. Last year, for example, the team worked with Black Student Services to create a special menu in honor of Black History Month. 

On our latest episode of Onsite with FSD, we sat down with LMU Dining Resident District Manager Kyle Suerth who shared how the program came to be, how it works and what the dining team has in store for it this school year.

On this episode of Onsite with FSD, the podcast of FoodService Director, we are getting all the dirt on watermelon farming.

Did you know that it really does work to thump the watermelon when picking a good one?

Long before that moment in the grocery store, farmers like Rachel Syngo, Foodservice Committee Chair for the National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) and CMO for Melon1, are planting the seeds, nurturing the plants, studying the soil, the weather and so many other factors.

Syngo also travels around as an ambassador, sharing the resources the Watermelon Board has to offer, like recipes, flavor pairings and ways to reduce food waste by using the whole watermelon. And this bonus recipe from FSD and NWPB uses the rind.

The nutrition department at Greenville County School District in Greenville County, South Carolina has had a relationship with the district’s Special Education Department for many years now and special education students are able to participate in a  kitchen internship program at the district’s Roper Mountain Science Center.

On this episode of Onsite with FSD, we sat down with Director of Nutrition Services for Greeenville County Schools Ron Jones and Registered Dietician and Culinary Specialist for Greeenville County Schools Lauren Couchois to talk about how their partnership with the Special Education Department came to be and how it provides benefits to both students and the nutrition department as a whole.

On this episode of Onsite with FSD, FoodService Director’s podcast, we have a conversation with two campus executive chefs from North Carolina State University who, over the last few years, have become known for their leadership chops.

“What I like about them the most is that they are servant leaders who value and respect their employees and one another,” says NC State’s Director of Strategic Marketing and Communication Jennifer Gilmore. “I see them together often, and they utilize each other's strengths for the betterment of our campus.”

Chefs Yolanda Santiago and Chad Cliffe get us up to date on what’s happening with the dining team as classes begin and the campus gets into the familiar routine of back to school and all the meals, snacks and fun events that will make the memories.

On this episode of Onsite with FSD, FoodService Director's podcast, we learn about what it takes to put cultural diversity into the menu. After hearing that students were looking for more culturally inclusive menu items at lunch, Food Service Director for Littleton Public Schools in Massachusetts Leah Botko set out to create a menu that would better reflect the diversity of the student body.

Now, three years later, dishes like chana masala and teriyaki chicken grace the menu, and the district has won a Healthy Meals Incentive Recognition Award from Action for Healthy Kids and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for their work on making the menu more diverse.

Listen as Botko shares how the nutrition team was able to introduce these new dishes to the menu and what the response has been to the new additions.

Wholesale food costs have started rising again, the White House invests in school kitchen equipment, and robots are putting down roots on more campuses.

Texas Christian University’s Healthy Frogs program offers students a well-rounded, holistic approach to health and wellness.

Since the program’s launch in 2020, it has grown to include several events throughout the year that provide nutrition education and other resources to help students lead their healthiest lives.

Listen, as campus dietitian and head of the Healthy Frogs program Maddie Jacobs shares her goals for the program, the role students play in it and her tips for other C&U operators looking to start their own student wellness program at their campus.

On this episode of Onsite with FSD, FoodService Director’s podcast, we talk with Colin Cureton, director of adoption and scaling for the University of Minnesota (UMN) Forever Green Initiative and Emma Dempsey, sales and marketing manager of the American Hazelnut Company, who share with us the strides they’re making with regenerative farming.

UMN’s Forever Green Initiative is developing and improving winter-hardy annual and perennial crops that protect soil and water while boosting farmers. This means creating new crops for Minnesota farmers, ensuring they meet the goal of land preservation.

One new crop is a type of hazelnut, and it’s interesting to see what agriculture can do to really change lives for the better.