School Lunch Reform: An Interview with Chef Ann Cooper (Podcast #120)

by The Meal Makeover Moms on October 15th, 2010

There has been a lot of talk these days about school lunch reform, and on this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast, we joined the conversation … in a big way. No, Jamie Oliver, host of the hit TV series, Food Revolution was not on the show. And no, First Lady Michelle Obama who launched Let’s Move, did not join us. Our star guest, Chef Ann Cooper, has been working tirelessly for over a decade to improve school lunches for kids across the country.  She is author of several books, including the award-winning Lunch Lessons, and known to millions nationwide as The Renegade Lunch Lady.

Ann is the Director of Nutrition Services for the Boulder Valley School District and Founder of the Food Family Farming Foundation. The two main projects of the foundation are The Lunch Box and the Great American Salad Bar Project. The Lunch Box provides tried-and-true tools and recipes to transform school lunch from processed meals to fresh, whole foods. The Great American Salad Bar Project is bringing free salad bars to hundreds of schools across the country (YOUR school can apply so check it out).

Chef Ann spoke to us via Skype, and and we hope you’ll tune in. She inspired us and we’re sure you will be impressed by her passion. This is how Ann describes her mission: “My life’s work is to transform how we feed our children in school each day, from highly processed to highly nourishing food — one school lunch at a time.” She had lots to share … and as always, we hope you’ll share too.  If you’ve used any of Ann’s resources or you have a story to tell about school lunch reform (or lack thereof) in your own community, post a comment!

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