Our Vision, Mission, and Objectives
The s’Cool Food Initiative envisions the children of Santa Barbara County making healthy food choices throughout their lives.
Provide ongoing culinary training for school food service staff through Culinary Boot Camps and In-Service Training.
Offer funding for school kitchen equipment and upgrades.
Continue to connect local farmers and distributors to school districts to promote farm to cafeteria efforts.
Encourage school districts to increase their revenue by funding marketing expansion events for Food Service Departments.
Continue to offer educational programming such as Food Play and Jr. Chef Day in partnering elementary schools.
Support the Santa Barbara City College’s Center for Sustainability’s s’Cool Gardens program.
The mission of the s’Cool Food Initiative is to empower school districts in Santa Barbara County to implement and sustain nourishing cook-from-scratch food programs by:
Providing education and training opportunities for school communities
Intensive culinary workshops, in-service training, and ongoing professional development programs are coupled with food systems education to empower food service staff and facilitate change in their programs. In parallel, students form a personal relationship with real foods through hands-on cooking and gardening experiences on their own campuses.
Assisting with the establishment of local Farm to Cafeteria purchasing systems
A healthy school food culture supports and is supported by local agriculture. Connecting cafeterias with our community’s farms ensures fresh and healthy produce and avoids the environmental impacts and costs associated with long-distance distribution. The s’Cool Food Initiative facilitates local procurement by connecting farmers with Food Service Directors and assisting in the development of local food distribution networks.
Providing strategic resources
Whether consulting on commodities ordering, menu planning, kitchen redesign, or creation of Hazard Assessment and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plans, the s’Cool Food Initiative is committed to supporting school districts as they make progress towards implementing cooked-from-scratch meals.
Increasing public awareness of the links between real food and health
The s’Cool Food Initiative promotes events and educational opportunities that educate the public about food system issues and related topics. The changes in school menus can also be reflected in the food system of the community at large, and an understanding of the need for this change encourages action.
Working for national level reform
Galvanizing local and national resources spreads school food reformation beyond our county’s limits and engages an ever widening range of individuals and organizations. Dispersal of the Initiative’s best practices and a general road map will pave the way for others as they join the movement towards more healthful school food for every one of our nation’s students.