Serving scratch-cooked meals in schools nationwide improves student nutrition by reducing (and in many cases eliminating) foods that are high in added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium, according to the Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council. With labor shortages and rising food costs, we MUST support school food professionals as they work towards serving healthier food to those 31 million kids who eat school lunch every day. The Chef Ann Foundation is uniquely positioned to help schools throug
0:07
Serving scratch-cooked meals in schools nationwide improves student nutrition by reducing (and in many cases eliminating) foods that are high in added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium, according to the Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council. With labor shortages and rising food costs, we MUST support school food professionals as they work towards serving healthier food to those 31 million kids who eat school lunch every day. The Chef Ann Foundation is uniquely positioned to help schools throug
3.6K viewsDec 8, 2022
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
The foods we eat in childhood influence our lifelong eating habits. Ensuring our children eat healthy, made-from-scratch meals now cultivates healthy eating habits for life. | Chef Ann Foundation
0:08
The foods we eat in childhood influence our lifelong eating habits. Ensuring our children eat healthy, made-from-scratch meals now cultivates healthy eating habits for life. | Chef Ann Foundation
656 views4 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
Learn more about the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in this short video! Don't forget to follow us on TikTok (@chefannfoundation) for more school food content. 🥦 | Chef Ann Foundation
0:51
Learn more about the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act in this short video! Don't forget to follow us on TikTok (@chefannfoundation) for more school food content. 🥦 | Chef Ann Foundation
62 viewsJul 16, 2021
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
"Everything about scratch cooking is positive, and there are schools all over the country that are embracing it." - Chef Ann Cooper As schools prepare to open this year, our founder shared encouraging words for anyone who feels that scratch cooking is too difficult or unachievable. She reminds us that change doesn't happen overnight, and with gradual steps, transitioning from heat-and-serve operations to a scratch-cook model is definitely possible. We would like to thank the Wisconsin Department
1:04
"Everything about scratch cooking is positive, and there are schools all over the country that are embracing it." - Chef Ann Cooper As schools prepare to open this year, our founder shared encouraging words for anyone who feels that scratch cooking is too difficult or unachievable. She reminds us that change doesn't happen overnight, and with gradual steps, transitioning from heat-and-serve operations to a scratch-cook model is definitely possible. We would like to thank the Wisconsin Department
733 views9 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
🎉Big news! Action for Healthy Kids, Chef Ann Foundation and RMC Health are thrilled to celebrate the 28 incredible school districts that recently received a Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Recognition Award! From scratch cooking and nutrition education to creative menu and recipe revamps, these trailblazing schools are leading the way in student wellness. 🔗 Read more about each awardee here: https://bit.ly/40PkiSl 🏆Award recipients earn nationwide recognition and an invite to the Fall 2025 Hea
2:25
🎉Big news! Action for Healthy Kids, Chef Ann Foundation and RMC Health are thrilled to celebrate the 28 incredible school districts that recently received a Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) Recognition Award! From scratch cooking and nutrition education to creative menu and recipe revamps, these trailblazing schools are leading the way in student wellness. 🔗 Read more about each awardee here: https://bit.ly/40PkiSl 🏆Award recipients earn nationwide recognition and an invite to the Fall 2025 Hea
288 viewsJan 28, 2025
FacebookAction for Healthy Kids
Check out Ann Cooper on Good Day Colorado! Ann shows the host why scratch cooking in schools is so important, and shares information on the NEW www.schoolfoodinstitute.org and how CO school food service employees can take courses for free thanks to The Colorado Health Foundation. | Chef Ann Foundation
4:46
Check out Ann Cooper on Good Day Colorado! Ann shows the host why scratch cooking in schools is so important, and shares information on the NEW www.schoolfoodinstitute.org and how CO school food service employees can take courses for free thanks to The Colorado Health Foundation. | Chef Ann Foundation
4.8K viewsOct 26, 2017
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
We’re so grateful to our team and community of school food professionals and healthy school food advocates for their support throughout 2022. Here’s to a happy 2023 filled with healthy school meals! #schoollunch #schoolfood #schoolmeals #2023
0:13
We’re so grateful to our team and community of school food professionals and healthy school food advocates for their support throughout 2022. Here’s to a happy 2023 filled with healthy school meals! #schoollunch #schoolfood #schoolmeals #2023
3.5K viewsDec 31, 2022
TikTokchefannfoundation
0:52
A school district’s journey toward scratch cooking will be featured on your screens in 2026. 🎥 Brownsville Independent School District in Brownsville, Texas, a district participant in our Get Schools Cooking program, will be featured in a BBC short film showcasing their transition from a heat-and-processed operation to a scratch-cook model. Over the years, this district has prioritized whole ingredients and culturally relevant meals in their menu, and they're gaining students' hearts because of
6.7K views7 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
0:11
👋 Algorithm! Send us all the people advocating for healthier meals for children everywhere. It takes all of us 🫶 | Chef Ann Foundation
235 views3 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
#Ad paid & presented by Chef Ann Foundation | The transformation of school food
2 months ago
bbc.com
0:29
This #NationalSchoolLunchWeek, we’ve selected and are celebrating 10 School Food Renegades from across the U.S. who challenge status quos and reimagine what's possible when fresh ingredients, creative menus, and genuine care come together on a lunch tray.. In honor of #NSLW25, we’ll introduce all 10 throughout the week. If you’re feeling antsy, check out the full lineup on our blog: https://ow.ly/8X0n50X8t4a | Chef Ann Foundation
457 views6 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
2:09
Meet Chef Melissa "Missy" Terrell – a mother of three, the newly appointed Production and Catering Manager for Pittsburgh Public Schools, 2024 Healthy School Food Pathway Fellow, and 2023 Gloria Pepin Memorial Grant recipient. As a "country girl with a city heart" and graduate of the culinary program at Community Kitchen Pittsburgh, Chef Missy has experience cooking for First Lady Jill Biden and other high-ranking government officials in the Biden administration, working in several Pittsburgh ea
516 viewsFeb 27, 2025
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
59:15
School Meals for a Sustainable Future: Local, Organic, & Regenerative
293 views5 months ago
YouTubeChef Ann Foundation
0:39
🎥 Fox 17 spotlighted our 2025 School Food Renegade, Elissa Penczar! She's not only transforming school meals but also fighting to restore Michigan's 10 Cents a Meal program, which was recently cut from the state budget. Watch Elissa advocate for local food access and support her mission to bring this vital program back: https://ow.ly/X0KG50Xkqej @muskegonctc | Chef Ann Foundation
203 views6 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
0:15
Sharpen your skills, build confidence and train in a local K–12 school kitchen. Take your next step today. Apply now! | Chef Ann Foundation
2.2K views6 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
0:05
Sharpen your skills, build confidence and train in a local K–12 school kitchen. Take your next step today. Apply now! | Chef Ann Foundation
6.1K views6 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
0:47
Central kitchens for school districts support better tasting, higher quality food, a better bottom line, and regional agriculture. There are several benefits, including: 👩‍🍳 Increased meal consistency & quality control 👩‍🍳 Reduced production & labor costs 👩‍🍳Opportunities for partnership & business development Boulder Valley School District decided it would need a central kitchen after an assessment of food services was completed and presented to the school board in 2008. In April of 2019,
571 viewsOct 24, 2024
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
You cannot have delicious, healthy school food without a skilled workforce who knows how to make it. Since today kicks off National Apprenticeship Week, we want to spend the next week introducing you to some of the all-stars in our Healthy School Food Pathway program! Day in and day out, these folks are transforming school meals and making a lasting impact. Before we get into their stories, let’s slow our roll. What is this program all about? The Healthy School Food Pathway program is the first-
92 viewsNov 17, 2024
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
0:49
Finance is a big piece to the puzzle in serving delicious, fresh and healthy school food. Learn from national school food expert Chef Ann Cooper how to look at the finance piece to ensure you have more money to spend on higher quality food. Space is limited | Chef Ann Foundation
2.2K viewsFeb 3, 2018
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
1:45
"An inclusive and equitable school meal program means that we're supporting and uplifting everyone from the school food professional to the student to the local farmer, and ensuring that queer folks within each of those communities are supported." — MJ Kepner (He/Him) Listen to our Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy as he explains how healthy school meals for all can eliminate barriers to accessing school meals, what constitutes an inclusive school meal program, and why representation is imp
468 views10 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
1:01
Why are salad bars in schools so important? Salad bars give students the CHOICE to have nutritious meals and regular exposure to fresh fruits and veggies. In 15 years, our Salad Bars to Schools initiative has installed 6,083 salad bars in public schools across the country, bolstering the nutrition of over 3 million kids. By allowing students to build their own salads, these vibrant displays cultivate healthy habits and a lifelong palate for nutritious foods. | Chef Ann Foundation
107 viewsNov 11, 2024
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
0:28
Meet Kamilah Williams! She is the assistant director of nutrition services at Menifee Union School District in Menifee, California, and a recent graduate of our Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship. For Kamilah, Black History Month is a time to celebrate the culture, struggles, and contributions of African American ancestors and trailblazers, and to honor their impact on rights and civil rights today. Through her Fellowship capstone project, she engaged students in hands-on cooking classes to
325 views2 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
1:28
“When I was at a … school district where we did not have [the Community Eligibility Provision] … we saw that parents were telling their kids: ‘Only eat one meal a day—whether you eat breakfast or lunch, you gotta choose. I can’t afford to pay for both.” —Toni Jackson During a recent Congressional briefing on Capitol Hill, Chef Ann Foundation Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship graduate and Nutrition Director of Trimble County Public Schools in Kentucky, Toni Jackson, testified to the importan
1.1K views11 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
0:41
Changing school food is hard, but it is one of the most important things we can do to help our children. Our children deserve REAL food, and the Chef Ann Foundation will not stop until that happens. If you can do ONE THING, donate today: https://bit.ly/4i4isng | Chef Ann Foundation
2.7K viewsNov 28, 2024
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
1:06
Hear from MJ Kepner, our senior director of policy and advocacy, explain why ultra-processed foods are a major issue in school meals in the United States. If you're interested in hearing more about this topic, visit our YouTube channel to watch the recording of our recent webinar addressing ultra-processed foods in schools: https://youtu.be/z3nlA_xu2Ko?si=KGsz1UKH3827679P | Chef Ann Foundation
306 views7 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
1:23
How can school districts and local communities advocate for stronger policies that prioritize food and packaging waste while ensuring equitable access to quality meals? Hear from Yvette Cabrera, Food Waste Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), as she shares examples of how students in Virginia took the initiative to address food waste in their school district, how to amplify your voice in policy by joining the Zero Food Waste Coalition, and more. Watch our "Feeding Minds, Not
66 views10 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
0:30
"Once you see what it looks like to help kids, you kinda can't unring that bell. In fact, you should keep ringing it so hard the rope comes off in your hands. Because we have the power to ensure that no kid in this country is hungry when school gets dismissed. And we should be exercising that power." –John Oliver, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver When's the last time you saw a late night talk show host talk about the in's and out's of the National School Lunch Program? John Oliver's advocacy i
292 viewsSep 14, 2024
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
1:15
🎉 Chef Ann Cooper—our organization's founder and our nation's Renegade Lunch Lady—is turning 70 on December 2nd! Chef Ann has been stirring up school food and food systems change for more than 45 years. She's fought tirelessly for protecting the health and wellbeing of all kids, for building sustainable community-based food systems, and for giving school food professionals the hard-earned recognition they deserve. We hope you'll join us in wishing Chef Ann a happy 70th birthday and honoring all
851 viewsDec 1, 2023
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
0:06
Nearly 30 million kids eat school breakfast and lunch. That’s more than half of the 55 million students enrolled in K-12 public and private schools across the U.S. 🤯 | Chef Ann Foundation
174 views3 months ago
FacebookChef Ann Foundation
1:34
Meet Chef Ann Cooper
256 viewsAug 6, 2014
YouTubeChef Ann Foundation
See more