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Oakdale nutrition director says revamped meals, farm‑to‑school program boosted participation and plans for central kitchen expansion
Summary
Chef Jason Peach told trustees his five‑year overhaul put the child nutrition program in the black, expanded menu cycles, replaced most equipment, launched a ranch‑to‑school partnership sourcing local beef, and is planning a central kitchen to expand scratch cooking.
Chef Jason Peach, director of Child Nutrition, told the Oakdale Joint Unified board on April 13 that the district’s nutrition program has undergone a multi‑year revitalization that increased participation, modernized equipment and facilities, and created new local sourcing partnerships.
Peach said the program moved from operating losses to a positive balance, replaced roughly 90% of kitchen equipment across sites, expanded to a six‑week menu cycle, upgraded point‑of‑sale and inventory systems, and rebuilt the vehicle fleet. "We put the program in the black," he told trustees, adding that these changes allowed reinvestment without drawing on general‑fund dollars.
He highlighted a local "ranch‑to‑school" partnership that brings Oakdale‑sourced beef into school meals and said the district is one of the earliest California districts pursuing that model. Peach said the department is pursuing greater scratch cooking and estimates the program is nearing a point where 90% of items could be made from basic ingredients with added storage and production capacity.
Participation and funding: trustees asked about the effect of universal free meals; Peach estimated elementary participation has increased about 250–300% since universal meals were implemented and said state and federal funding for universal programs remains year‑to‑year dependent. He also said the program receives about $5 per meal in reimbursement and described the financial balancing act of improving quality while sustaining operations.
Facilities and next steps: Peach described a planned central kitchen expansion to increase storage and production capacity, enabling more scratch cooking and district catering services. He invited trustees to tour the central kitchen and to consider promoting school meals as an on‑campus alternative to off‑campus commercial options for students.
Board reaction: trustees and staff praised the team, noted local economic benefits of using district and county farmers, and encouraged sharing menus and arranging a kitchen tour. The board asked staff to continue exploring partnerships with the district’s agricultural program and report back on scalability and funding options.
What’s next: district staff said they will continue central kitchen design work, pursue applicable grant opportunities (including CDFA grants mentioned during the presentation), and return with implementation details and budget implications.
