Salad Bars and Farm-to-School in the Cleveland Metro School District
March 29, 2024 | By
We connected with Rebecca Rodriguez, the farm-to-school coordinator for Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Food Services Department, to learn about the exciting fresh food initiatives taking root in the district.
Meet Rebecca Rodriguez
Rebecca Rodriguez’s journey from a certified pastry chef to a passionate advocate for nutritious school meals is as diverse as the fruits and vegetables she champions. Rodriguez’s educational background spans from culinary arts to nutrition education, with a focus on childhood malnutrition through a public health lens. She’s held various roles in different cities and school systems, including working in Napa Valley, California and for the New York City Department of Education. Today, as the farm-to-school coordinator for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Food Services Department, she draws from her multifaceted experiences to spearhead innovative school food. We caught up with Rebecca to learn about the exciting initiatives taking root in the district.
Meet Rebecca Rodriguez
Rebecca Rodriguez’s journey from a certified pastry chef to a passionate advocate for nutritious school meals is as diverse as the fruits and vegetables she champions. Rodriguez’s educational background spans from culinary arts to nutrition education, with a focus on childhood malnutrition through a public health lens. She’s held various roles in different cities and school systems, including working in Napa Valley, California and for the New York City Department of Education. Today, as the farm-to-school coordinator for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s Food Services Department, she draws from her multifaceted experiences to spearhead innovative school food. We caught up with Rebecca to learn about the exciting initiatives taking root in the district.
Salad Bars: A Fresh Approach
Cleveland Metro’s salad bar program, launched just over a year ago, is a significant stride toward promoting healthy eating habits among students. With 16 schools currently equipped with fruit and vegetable bars, and plans to expand to 19 this spring, the initiative has been met with enthusiasm from both students and staff.
Funding for the salad bars primarily came from grants, with the USDA Farm to School Grant playing a pivotal role. Rodriguez is actively pursuing additional grant opportunities to add fruit and vegetable bars to the remainder of the district’s schools, where students are already requesting salad bars for their schools.
Salad Bars: A Fresh Approach
Cleveland Metro’s salad bar program, launched just over a year ago, is a significant stride toward promoting healthy eating habits among students. With 16 schools currently equipped with fruit and vegetable bars, and plans to expand to 19 this spring, the initiative has been met with enthusiasm from both students and staff.
Funding for the salad bars primarily came from grants, with the USDA Farm to School Grant playing a pivotal role. Rodriguez is actively pursuing additional grant opportunities to add fruit and vegetable bars to the remainder of the district’s schools, where students are already requesting salad bars for their schools.
Training and Education
Salad bar training sessions for staff focused not only on food safety and handling, but also on the nuances of preparing and presenting fresh produce. Staff training also emphasized the importance of understanding students’ preferences and adjusting orders accordingly, as well as proper processing for produce items, such as how to properly cut larger items like watermelon and cantaloupes as well as smaller items like kiwi and grapefruit.
Training and Education
Salad bar training sessions for staff focused not only on food safety and handling, but also on the nuances of preparing and presenting fresh produce. Staff training also emphasized the importance of understanding students’ preferences and adjusting orders accordingly, as well as proper processing for produce items, such as how to properly cut larger items like watermelon and cantaloupes as well as smaller items like kiwi and grapefruit.
Harvest of the Month: Celebrating Local Produce
Education doesn’t stop at the staff level. Rodriguez and her team, along with support from Feed Our Future, — a Cuyahoga County Board of Health organization that supports local procurement in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — engages students in taste-testing sessions, introducing them to new and seasonal items like kiwi, grapefruit, pears, and sungold tomatoes. These experiences not only broaden students’ palates but also foster a deeper appreciation for where their food comes from.
The Cleveland Metro School District team along with Feed Our Future also integrates Ohio Harvest of the Month promotions into the cafeteria. These initiatives showcase a monthly locally grown product — including apples, sweet potatoes, hydroponic lettuce, and chickpeas — reinforcing the connection between food, community, and health.
Harvest of the Month: Celebrating Local Produce
Education doesn’t stop at the staff level. Rodriguez and her team, along with support from Feed Our Future, — a Cuyahoga County Board of Health organization that supports local procurement in Cuyahoga County, Ohio — engages students in taste-testing sessions, introducing them to new and seasonal items like kiwi, grapefruit, pears, and sungold tomatoes. These experiences not only broaden students’ palates but also foster a deeper appreciation for where their food comes from.
The Cleveland Metro School District team along with Feed Our Future also integrates Ohio Harvest of the Month promotions into the cafeteria. These initiatives showcase a monthly locally grown product — including apples, sweet potatoes, hydroponic lettuce, and chickpeas — reinforcing the connection between food, community, and health.
