Training
Cooking for Kids
We provide recipes, training and professional consultations for Oklahoma schools adjusting to the updated USDA school nutrition requirements. We’re here to help, working side by side with child nutrition professionals to determine positive changes we can make in Oklahoma school lunchrooms.
Our Goals
Cooking for Kids aims to change the landscape of school nutrition through chef-led culinary training for school nutrition professionals resulting in:
Greater availability of freshly prepared foods
Increased student participation in school meals
- Expanded public support for child nutrition programs
Our Process
We offer Culinary Skill Development Training, Child Nutrition Leadership Training, and school-site chef consultations.
Online Training:
Webinars
Refresh Your Menus
Join Chef Callie as she discusses how to "Refresh Your Menus." Topics will include:
• Building bento boxes for your grab and go menus
• Utilizing substitutions
• Incorporating commodities
• Introducing seasonal recipes
Wednesday, February 24th, 2020- 1:00 pm
Back to the Table: School Gardens
Cooking for Kids, the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, and the Oklahoma Junior Master Gardener program team up to present a three part webinar series about school gardens. We encourage you to watch this webinar with potential school garden team members such as teachers, local extension educators, or other community partners. Don't have a school garden team? Join us to gain ideas about building or expanding your team!
Part 1 | Thursday, April 8th | Virtual Farm Tour, Procurement, & Funding & Resources
Part 2 | Thursday, April 15th | School Garden Champions & Cafeteria Recipes
Part 3 | Thursday, April 22nd | Garden Skills
Summer Training:
Culinary Skill Development
Cooking for Kids Culinary Skill Development Training is a comprehensive, three-day culinary training program for child nutrition professionals. Priority will be given to kitchen managers and head cooks with enrollment of up to five representatives per school district. Culinary Skill Development Training enhances Child Nutrition Leadership Training. When combined they prepare a school district for personalized lunchroom planning with a Cooking for Kids professional chef consultant.
Culinary Skill Development Training covers learning how to:
- Review and taste new recipes
- Strengthen focus on food safety, knife skills and mise en place
- Effectively use flavor-enhancing herbs
- Improve results with whole grains and vegetables
*Each training session is three consecutive days. You must attend all three days to receive a continuing education certificate.
School Site:
Chef Consultation
During the Cooking for Kids Chef Consultation, an industry trained consulting chef will partner with the SFA to assess needs and develop a personalized action plan for the school district. This will be achieved through a series of onsite visits during the school year. The service is provided at no charge to the school district. An on-site consultation with one of our professional chefs will teach you how to:
- Develop your menu
- Assess your procurement process and equipment
- Develop work schedules
- Develop and implement a marketing plan
Priority will be given to those school districts that have completed Culinary Skill Development Training and Child Nutrition Leadership Training.