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Chef Ann Cooper

President & Founder

Chef Ann Cooper is an internationally recognized author, chef, educator, public speaker, and advocate of healthy food for all children. In a nation where kids are born with shorter estimated life expectancies than their parents due to diet-related disease, Chef Ann has been a constant champion of school food reform as an important avenue through which to improve childhood nutrition.

Chef Ann Cooper

President & Founder

Chef Ann Cooper is an internationally recognized author, chef, educator, public speaker, and advocate of healthy food for all children. In a nation where kids are born with shorter estimated life expectancies than their parents due to diet-related disease, Chef Ann has been a constant champion of school food reform as an important avenue through which to improve childhood nutrition.

In 2009, Chef Ann founded the Chef Ann Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping schools take action so that every child has daily access to fresh, healthy food.

Also known as the “Renegade Lunch Lady,“ Chef Ann served for 11 years as the Director of Food Services for Boulder Valley School District in Boulder, Colorado. Currently, Ann is Partner of Lunch Lessons, LLC, a consultancy for school districts going through large-scale food change. Ann attends many national conferences and performs regular Speaking Engagements. (Want Ann to speak at your next event? Click here.)

A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Ann has over 45 years of experience as a cook and chef, including 20 years in school food programs. Her books Bitter Harvest and Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children have made her a leading advocate for safe, sustainable food.

Learn more about Chef Ann at her dedicated founder page.


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Who We Are

The Chef Ann Foundation is dedicated to promoting whole-ingredient, scratch-cooking in schools. Scratch-cooking enables schools to serve the healthiest, tastiest meals so that kids are well-fed and ready to learn.

Our Mission

Ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding and support they need to provide fresh, healthy, delicious, cook from scratch meals that support the health of children and our planet.

Why School Food Matters

American kids start their life-path in K–12 schools where they learn the skills necessary to thrive & meet their potential. While the country debates the best ways to teach them math, science & English, we spend little to no time on food & nutrition.

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