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TUSD highlights nutrition services: roughly 21,000 students served daily, all-electric service vehicle arriving at Foothill
Summary
District nutrition leaders showcased scratch-cooking operations, partnerships with local farmers and plans for an all-electric food service vehicle and multi-million dollar kitchen modernizations.
Tustin Unified’s nutrition services leaders presented a district "bright spot," describing a largely in-house, scratch-cooking operation that serves roughly 21,000 students daily across 27 cafeterias and a central kitchen.
Director Mark Chavez said the department operates with about 150 staff and a self-sustaining annual budget of approximately $15 million. He reported that so far this school year the district has served about 1,870,000 meals across 126 serving days — roughly 14,900 meals per day by his calculation.
Assistant Director Lucille Albera highlighted farm-to-school partnerships, the return of a wellness committee, professional development and the district’s first registered dietitian, Raffney Min. Chavez unveiled an all-electric food service vehicle that will be deployed at Foothill High School and discussed long-term plans to invest about $6–7 million in kitchen modernizations across campuses to improve service efficiency and student experience.
Board members praised the department for expanding fresh-menu offerings and for its role supporting students, especially under universal-meal policies. A board member said the programs reduce family stress and improve student attention in class.
What’s next: nutrition staff will continue culinary training, expand farm-fresh partnerships, and bring plans for cafeteria modernizations to future budget and facilities discussions.
