For this episode, I am joined by the very wise, thoughtful, and patient Yousef Buzayan. Yousef is the Farm to Market Senior Manager for the Community Alliance with Family Farmers, commonly known as CAFF.

Our conversation is a great way to kick off a new calendar year as we’re looking at new opportunities. Yousef shares the amazing resources that CAFF has developed for both school nutrition leaders and family farmers to help connect them and benefit one another.

He also inspires us to keep pressing forward at a time when the possibilities and resources for farm-to-school have never been greater, and the work to be done is ever-expanding into areas of greater equity, social- and environmental justice.

Please visit the links to learn more about CAFF and their wonderful work, including their Farm to Market team.

LINKS

CAFF

CAFF Farm to Cafeteria

Bid Generator

I am thrilled to be joined by Jenifer McNeil, founder of LunchAssist, and one of the most inspiring and uplifting people I’ve met in the world of School Nutrition.

LunchAssist is an invaluable resource for hundreds of school nutrition programs, empowering directors, supervisors, and frontline staff alike with resources that make things like training and compliance easier AND more meaningful, which in turn empowers teams to give more focus to the children and families they serve.

Jen and I recorded this episode at the California School Nutrition Conference in Palm Springs in late October 2023. Our initial plan was to be very southern California and record it poolside, but the background music was a bit much, so we just found a quiet spot outside the convention center and had a great talk. 

You’ll also hear us talk about the California Farm 2 School Conference which was held just before the CA School Nutrition conference, and those events, back to back, made for an incredible week of learning, being inspired, and connecting with amazing people.

LINKS

• LunchAssist

• Pictures from CSNA and CA Farm 2 School Conferences

• CDFA Farm 2 School Conference

• CSNA Conference Website

The guest for this episode is Chef Patrick Garmong, the Associate Director of Culinary Education and Training with the Institute of Child Nutrition. He’s also the host of The Mixup, an iBites Podcast that I highly recommend.

Chef Patrick has a rich career history in food service. He trained at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, has been an Executive Chef in restaurant, catering, and educational settings, and served for five years as the Child Nutrition Director for the Ellensburg School District in Washington state.  

We had a wide-ranging talk about the amazing resources that the Institute provides at no cost for schools across the country, as well as Chef Patrick’s career path and why school nutrition is a great and too often overlooked path for culinary professionals.

And if you watch the TV show The Bear, we also touch on that and the changing culture of food service.