John Turenne has been listed as a
Food Professional on Jamie Oliver's
Food Revolution website!
Swing by and meet all of the Food Professionals
and Food Heros!
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Check out
Lunch Wars,
authored by our friend and colleague,
Amy Kalafa!
Meet Amy at our
Food Day event on October 24th where you can purchase the book and have it signed too!
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John Turenne, recently contributed a chapter in the new book "Greening Food & Beverage Services - A Green Seal Guide to Transforming the Industry".
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What will you do with your post-Halloween pumpkins?
One of our favorite blogs:
Pays To Live Green
had some
wonderful ideas!
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Enjoy these tasty pumpkin dessert recipes
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Living the Environmental Liberal Arts The online Masters of Science in Sustainable Food Systems is the first program of its kind in the country
Registration being accepted through November 15th
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October is All About School Food
And We Like It!
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We've been involved in improving school food for some time now. For a long time food has been all about quantity and convenience. Now it's changing to being more focused on 'Quality and Sustenance'. We applaud the increased awareness around the importance of a healthy, balanced diet, especially for children, and ask you to celebrate with us, food and the folks who have taken a grassroots movement and started a revolution! We are right in the middle of School Food Week, last year Congress officially designated October as National Farm to School Month and this year for the first time, Food Day will be held on October 24th.
This newsletter contains some resources for you to browse. We are participating in a few events around New England too! Please feel free to share any information or events you or your organizations are involved in on our Facebook Page or Twitter. Whether you are a food service professional, a farmer, a teacher or a food-loving family, there are plenty of ways to celebrate and get involved!
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 School Food Week - this year's theme is Let's Grow Healthy and encourages schools to offer new and locally sourced foods; or create a harvest-of-the-month menu; or host an "Invite Your Parents To Lunch" Day; or come up with your own ideas and please share!
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 Farm to School Month - connecting schools and local farms to improve school food and help kids better understand and respect food - Farm to School programs exist in all 50 states, but is a grassroots movement and programs are as diverse as the communities that build them. Here are a few ideas for celebrating Farm to School Month - start small, engage the community and help kids understand the origins of what they eat and where it comes from:
- Teachers - invite a local farmer, chef or the food service staff into your classroom to present an activity; or talk to students or plan nutrition education activities, such as Harvest of the Month, featuring a local, in season, food product that is in season; or plan a farm tour or a trip to the local farmers' market.
- School food service professionals - promote Farm to School Month on the school menu; or host a taste test of local products; or create a Farm to School salad bar using local products.
- Farmers - connect with your local school and offer to conduct a classroom session; or offer to host a visit to your farm; become a classroom pen pal - many schools don't have the funding for farm field trips, but stories, photos and videos from the farm are the next best thing.
- Families - visit your local farmers' market, buy something you've never tried before, cook it and share with your family and friends; or ask elders in the family for their favorite recipes featuring seasonal products grown in your region; or volunteer at your local school to support a school garden.
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Food Day - seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life-parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes-to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.
The most important ingredient in Food Day is you - get involved and help make Food Day a success.
We will be in Connecticut, come and join us!
Overcoming Obstacles to Improving School Food - With Nationally Recognized Experts Amy Kalafa and John Turenne
Presented by: Fairfield Green Food Guide &
Slow Food Metro North
12-1PM - Greenwich at Greenwich Audubon - $10 admission includes a Slow Food Metro North $5 Challenge lunch
7-8PM - Fairfield at Pequot Library - $10 admission includes light refreshments
Both events include a Q&A session and Lunch Wars book sale and signing. RSVP required.
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Eat Local Celebration at
The Spence School in NYC
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The Spence School in Manhattan celebrated its first Eat Local Celebration on October 6 & 7. Lunch menu featured foods from local farms including ground beef from Greyledge Farms, chicken and eggs from Stone Barns, polenta and beans from Cayuga Organics, and apples from Breezy Hill Orchards.
Vendors also came in to offer up samples of their locally produced specialties. The sampling included pickles from Rick s Picks, jam from Beth s Farm Kitchen, a variety of apples from Breezy Hill Orchards, ice cream and apple cider from Farmers Cow and chocolate from Mast Brothers Chocolate. Students and faculty swarmed the tables through both lunch periods, sampling the delicious local fare and asking questions from the vendors. The community took an active role in this event--7th grade students passed out samples to other middle schoolers, faculty and staff helped promote the event. This successful first-time event has the potential to become an annual tradition where students can continue to experience a variety of local foods.
The Spence School is one of the schools that SFS consults with. Ellen Thomas, our Chef/Consultant works very closely with them and contributed to this project.
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About Sustainable Food Systems
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Sustainable Food Systems offers a unique consulting and technical assistance service that partners with institutions and organizations interested in incorporating planet healthy practices into their food programs. Utilizing sustainability practices in food production and preparation strengthens our local communities and economies and the larger world around us. Let us help you deliver food better.
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