Chartwells outlines scratch-cooking, tasting programs and parent controls at Holmdel schools

Chartwells, the district—s contracted food service provider, presented a package of menu changes, student engagement programs and tech features to the Holmdel Township School District at the board—s public meeting. Scott Thibodeaux, Chartwells area director, described monthly tasting events, more scratch cooking at the high school and pilots planned for the coming school year.

The presentation stressed hands‑on student programming and menu experimentation. "I cover 14 school districts in New Jersey, 1 of them being Holmdel," Thibodeaux said as he introduced Chartwells— local team and described recent initiatives. He highlighted Discovery Kitchen, a demonstration program at Village and Indian Hill that offers monthly themed tastings and recipe cards for students to take home.

Why it matters: The district—s food program affects daily student nutrition, in‑school purchasing revenue and parent concerns about allergens and spending. Several board members asked for data on program uptake and school‑level rollouts, and Chartwells outlined next steps for piloting new offerings and improving parent communications.

Chartwells highlights and pilots

- Discovery Kitchen: hands‑on demos and tastings at the elementary schools. Recent themes included "plant power" samples (spinach and artichoke hummus, cranberry spinach salad, kale pasta salad) and a "waste warrior" lesson using broccoli slaw to show how to use more of the vegetable. - Scratch cooking and local sourcing: presenters said the high school kitchen is increasing items prepared in‑house, from scratch granola and baked goods to pulled pork roasted from whole cuts and house‑roasted deli beef. "We're trying to do as many things as we can cook in house," Chef Guy said during the presentation. - Trend‑driven retail offerings at the high school: acai bowls, sushi rolls and a bubble‑tea product were cited as recent additions to the Hive (the high school retail point). Presenters said the bubble tea is sold in a 15‑ounce cup and priced at $5.60 at the high school coffee shop. - Marketing and participatory menus: Chartwells plans a Student Choice voting program so students can sample and vote on entrees, and a fall campaign called "Dip Into Flavor" featuring limited‑time dips and themed marketing. - Nutrition and athlete programming: Chartwells described a pilot called PowerUp, a sports‑nutrition program that would bring a dietitian on site for athlete and performance‑oriented demonstrations.

Parent controls, menus and operations

Chartwells said it has increased parent communication via monthly newsletters and interactive menus on NutriSlice, which provide ingredient lists, nutrition data and allergen information.

On parental limits in the point‑of‑sale system, presenters said the district—s POS allows parents to deselect items (for example, cookies) and to set daily spending caps. Chartwells staff demonstrated how parents can use the system to restrict purchases without requiring office staff intervention.

Questions and follow‑ups from the board and public

Board members and parents pressed Chartwells on: how often Discovery Kitchen recipes are added to regular menus (presenters said sampled items are often placed on menus a few days after tastings), what items proved most popular (homemade yogurt parfait with granola was cited), and how account balances are refunded when students leave the district (Chartwells said parents must request a refund and the company initiates a purchase‑order process to return funds).

Board members asked for two items they said would help oversight and transparency: (1) a top‑10 SKU list (most purchased items) by school, and (2) year‑over‑year revenue and participation numbers so the board can monitor program growth; Chartwells agreed to supply those metrics upon request.

No board action required

The presentation was informational; the meeting record shows no motions or votes tied to the Chartwells presentation. Board members thanked Chartwells staff and asked administrators to accept the company—s offer to provide additional program metrics and rollout plans.

Ending

Chartwells said it will continue Discovery Kitchen at Village and Indian Hill and pilot the marketing and nutrition programs in the coming year while working with Holmdel staff on data and communications. Board members requested SKU and revenue reports to review at a later meeting.