LOS ANGELES — Powered by School Food Professionals, a first-of-its-kind public-education campaign that puts a spotlight on the skill, creativity and commitment of School Food Professionals working to improve school meals for kids across California, announces today its awards competition is open for nominations. A cornerstone of its 2024-2025 campaign, Powered by School Food Professionals Awards celebrates the skilled professionals leading the movement for fresher, healthier meals and more scratch cooking in school food programs across the state, and invites those working in a California K-12 public school food program to submit their teams – or on behalf of another California K-12 program – for an opportunity to receive national media recognition and win exclusive prizes.
The competition aims to attract submissions across the following categories: Best Original Recipe, Best Scratch-Cooked Adaptation, Best Farm to School Recipe, Best Take on a Culinary Trend and Best Culturally Relevant Recipe. Additionally, the competition will award a community-driven recognition: the Community Choice Recipe. As part of its prize package, six winning programs will receive an all-expenses-paid trip for two team members to Los Angeles, where they will be honored at a celebratory event that spotlights their award-winning recipes. Winning programs will also be recognized with a personalized award that memorializes their meaningful contributions.
California is leading the nation when it comes to school food improvements and providing more nutritious meals for K-12 students across the state. The School Meals for All program, funded by the state, ensures that over 5.9 million students have access to nutritious meals at no cost, supporting their learning and well-being. School Food Professionals play a crucial role in this initiative by designing, preparing and delivering high-quality, balanced meals that meet diverse needs, and their expertise helps to ensure that students receive fresher and healthier meals, promoting better concentration, academic performance, and overall health.
“Powered by School Food Professionals Awards presents an incredible opportunity to recognize the dedicated school food professionals in California who redefine what school food can be every single day,” said Mara Fleishman, CEO of Chef Ann Foundation. “We are excited to shine a well-deserved light on the school food programs making a difference in their communities, driving us toward a healthier future for our kids.”
Supported by the Chef Ann Foundation, Powered by School Food Professionals Awards will enlist a judging panel comprised of school food experts to vote on the submissions and determine the winning school food programs and recipes. A total of six winning programs will be selected from the following categories:
Best Original Recipe – Demonstrates originality through creative use of ingredients, flavors or cooking techniques.
Best Scratch-Cooked Adaptation – Takes a classic school dish typically made with pre-packaged or processed ingredients and reimagines it as scratch-cooked.
Best Farm to School Recipe – Emphasizes the use of fresh, locally sourced and seasonal ingredients.
Best Take on a Culinary Trend – Creatively blends contemporary flavors, culinary techniques or trending ingredients in a surprising and modern school food recipe.
Best Culturally Relevant Recipe – Authentically represents a dish that is meaningful to the cultural or ethnic heritage of part of the student population.
Community Choice Recipe – Gives the power to students, parents and staff to vote for a recipe from the school food program most committed to cooking up better school food.
The entry period for submissions opens today, October 30, 2024, and will remain open until December 1, 2024. There is no limit to the number of entries that can be submitted by an individual or team, and there is no fee to enter. For more information about Powered by School Food Professionals Awards, and to submit, visit www.schoolfoodpros.org/awards.
About Powered by School Food Professionals
Powered by School Food Professionals is a first-of-its-kind public-education campaign that puts a spotlight on the skill, creativity and commitment of School Food Professionals working to improve school meals for kids across California. Over the course of a year, the campaign will take Californians behind-the-scenes to show how these professionals are planning, preparing and cooking fresher, healthier, tastier meals for more kids across the state. Powered by School Food Professionals is managed by 501(c)(3) nonprofit Chef Ann Foundation through a grant provided by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and in partnership with the State of California. This effort has received tremendous support and guidance from a steering committee comprised of California-based leaders across school food, labor, education, agriculture, nonprofits and philanthropy. For more information, visit: www.schoolfoodpros.org.
About Chef Ann Foundation
Chef Ann Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding, and support they need to provide fresh, delicious, scratch-cooked meals that support the health of children and our planet. Learn more at www.chefannfoundation.org/.
