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Food-service director outlines menu changes, participation, new kitchen plans
Summary
Food Service Director Dennis Stromer told the board the department serves hundreds of thousands of meals each year, is moving toward more scratch cooking and fresh options, used $242,591 in commodity diversion, and expects a new kitchen and serving line in September to support fresh-made offerings.
Dennis Stromer, the district's food service director, delivered a detailed update on school meals and operations, emphasizing participation growth, menu shifts and capital upgrades planned for September.
"We have 42 staff members," Stromer said as he opened the report and walked the board through participation figures for 2024-25: "we did 282,014 breakfast, 441,321 for lunch, over 20,000 snacks, our supper meals at 2,700, and our summer feeding program 18,570." He described efforts to increase fresh offerings and reduce waste by using an "offer versus serve" approach while encouraging students to take more components.
Stromer described menu experimentation at the high school and middle school — specials such as smash burgers, stuffed French toast, honey pizza, and a stuffed-potato bar — and said the department is working toward more scratch cooking. "Scratch cooking is the way to go," he said, while noting the training and logistics required to scale that approach.
He described the district's use of federal commodity programs and diversion dollars: "we're able to use $242,591 in our diversion," which helps the district obtain whole-muscle chicken and other commodities and process them into products for school meals. He also highlighted farm-to-school partnerships supplying local apples, squash and carrots and said Lucky 7 supplies fresh ground beef used in tacos and other items.
Looking ahead, Stromer said the district will open a new kitchen with a full serving line, convection ovens, refrigeration and a dishwasher that will allow hot, freshly prepared meals to be served onsite. He called that change "the start of a new beginning" and said it should support moving away from pre-pack and reheated items toward fresher offerings beginning in September.
Board members thanked Stromer and his assistant Brenda Brown for the work. No board action was required; the report served as an operational update the board can reference as the district implements menu and facility changes.
