Dixon Unified to test scratch‑cooking menus, central kitchen and local vendors in push to improve school meals

Cynthia Raub, a program chef with Brigade working in partnership with Dixon Unified School District’s Child Nutrition Services, told the school board that the district will test “speed scratch” and scratch‑made items next school year to replace many prepackaged lunch components.

Raub said the partnership’s immediate goals are to elevate food quality, improve student satisfaction and create a sustainable staff training model so kitchens can consistently prepare made‑from‑scratch items. She described a test of a central kitchen at Dixon High School—where storage and equipment are strongest—that would prepare larger batches to be distributed to other sites, improving menu consistency across schools.

The secondary menus Raub showed will include daily options such as a “salad of the week,” a “wrap of the week,” a hot entrée and a portable hot sandwich; elementary menus will test one hot entrée per day with vegetarian and gluten‑free substitutions so most students receive the same primary choice. Raub said the initial phase focuses on removing individually wrapped (IW) prepackaged lunch items from the lunch line and assembling those items on site instead.

Raub said the district has identified local suppliers: La Tapatilla (sourced in Sacramento) for tortillas and chips, and Spoon Fork Hub (Davis) for locally sourced produce. She described plans for sampling events with farmers to increase fruit and vegetable offerings and menu signage so families can plan in advance.

Board members asked whether portion sizes would change and how the district will avoid the “illusion of choice” that left many students disappointed in past years when popular items ran out. Raub said portion sizes will remain guided by National School Lunch Program requirements and that production quantities will be adjusted rapidly based on demand; the district will use an initial two‑week menu cycle to build familiarity and collect participation data.

Superintendent Barley and CBO Joanna Hola noted that the district’s nutrition staff played a central role in developing the plan and that the change aims to move away from the COVID era practice of packaged meals. Raub and district leaders said staff training, produce washing/processing and some equipment adaptation will be required, and that the district expects to refine menus after collecting early feedback from students and families.

The presentation was informational; no formal vote was required.