Boeing grant provides culinary training for District Five cafeteria workers, students

IRMO, SC – Cafeteria workers in Lexington-Richland School District Five are sharpening their skills, thanks to an initiative and grant funded by Boeing.

Culinary Institute of Charleston Certified Chef Miles Huff kicked off five days of training with District Five cafeteria staff on Dec. 7. His visit was part of a $14,000 grant awarded to the district this summer through a College of Charleston-based Farm to School initiative funded by Boeing. Organizers say the training and grant are both aimed at promoting the use of more local ingredients in school meals.

“Students are reluctant to try these types of foods, so we want to introduce them to the great flavors and benefits that come along with eating local ingredients like broccoli,” Huff said. “Next year, students will grow the broccoli in school gardens and greenhouses, then bring it to cafeterias were staff will prepare it into the delicious dishes I’ve shown them. We hope the broccoli recipes will be the start, encouraging more students to select healthy options and local ingredients.”

Cafeteria staff at Spring Hill High School prepare broccoli recipes as part of a training funded by Boeing. Culinary Institute of Charleston Certified Chef Miles Huff kicked off five days of training with District Five cafeteria staff on Dec. 7. His visit was part of a $14,000 grant awarded to the district this summer through a College of Charleston-based Farm to School initiative funded by Boeing. 

Huff’s visit included training cafeteria staff at Spring Hill High, Seven Oaks Elementary, Leaphart Elementary, Irmo Middle and Dutch Fork Elementary schools. He also showed recipes to culinary arts students at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies on Dec. 7. District Five was one of four districts selected for the initiative; which was launched in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties and expanded statewide this year.

“This grant is important for a number of reasons. It promotes healthy meal options for our students, strengthens the connection students have with fresh food and growers, and provides key training for our cafeteria staff,” said District Five Director of Student Nutrition Todd Bedenbaugh. “Grants like these are also planting seeds of sorts: a new way of thinking about student nutrition and a new path to healthy meals for our students.”

Culinary Institute of Charleston Certified Chef Miles Huff talks to cafeteria staff at Spring Hill High School on Dec. 7 about fresh broccoli dishes. His visit was part of a $14,000 grant awarded to the district this summer through a College of Charleston-based Farm to School initiative funded by Boeing. 

The December training is the latest of several initiatives and programs promoting healthy meals in District Five through grants and sponsorships. In November, the district announced it had been awarded its second consecutive U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm to School grant, totaling nearly $100,000. This summer, Student Nutrition Department officials unveiled a new grant-funded food truck to serve high school students throughout the school year and deliver food to students in need during the summer. Grants also have provided cooking demonstrations, summer training for cafeteria staff, teacher and staff field trips to local farms, and upgrades to several school gardens.

“The initiatives we’ve been able to implement through grants have made a tremendous difference in our school cafeterias and in the lives of our students,” Bedenbaugh said. “We’re excited to see how the training by Chef Huff and other Farm to School initiatives will benefit our students long-term.”