This year, six new members joined the ScratchWorks Advisory Committee. Founding organizations and districts are thoughtfully creating this diverse and knowledgeable team of school food professionals nationwide to operate the ScratchWorks Collective with additional input from Participants. We welcome new members below with lightly edited conversations
Kelsey Berrini
Assistant Director of Nutrition Services
Evanston Township High School, Illinois
Background: I was introduced to school food service during my internship with Robbinsdale Area Schools in Minnesota. I found interest in the administrative positions within the profession, offering a variety of tasks, and was impressed by their dedication to providing quality food to students. One of my preceptors emphasized that the meals should not be considered just school food but good food in schools. This statement resonated with me and inspired me to pursue a career in this field. Now in Evanston, I lead a small, single high school district serving about 2,500 lunches daily, over half of which are scratch-cooked and delivered to over 19 schools from a central kitchen environment.
Growing up: I was involved in various athletic activities, including gymnastics, swimming, and springboard diving. I was always intrigued by the connection between healthy eating and athletic performance. I became vegetarian at 13 (and still am), and I remember having numerous conversations with my family and friends where I had to defend my decision to avoid meat. This influenced me to pursue human nutrition and dietetics in college.
Favorite meal: Ethiopian Lentil Soup and Chickpea Curry are my favorite dishes that we serve at school.
Hope for school food: The school food industry is undergoing a positive transformation as evidenced by the increase in grant-funded opportunities to purchase locally sourced food and new food service preparation equipment. This shift indicates a commitment to improving the quality and perception of school meals. Local food conglomerates are emerging with the infrastructure to deliver to school districts and help lower the barrier to entry.
With ScratchWorks, I’m excited to… Share my insights from a small, midwest district and demonstrate the ability of all school districts to be active participants in farm-to-school initiatives, despite sometimes lacking grant funding and a favorable climate for growth (possible through ScratchWork’s Mentorship and Shared Learning pillar). I’m also excited to contribute to the planning and logistics for the Spring 2025 ScratchWorks Gathering; the first was inspiring, and I look forward to building on that momentum for the next event.
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Danielle Bock
Director of Nutrition Services
Greeley-Evans Weld County, Colorado
Background: My first job was at 14, busing tables at the Perkins Restaurant & Bakery down the street from my home. I’ve never stopped working in food service since that moment. I love to feed people and express love through food. After years of working in the Feeding America food bank network and school food service was the next logical evolution of my career. School food service combines the two things I am most passionate about: food and public policy. I’ve worked in my district for the last seven years with the hope that any child looking for a nutritious meal during the school day has easy access to one and that those meals are served with dignity and smiles. I get to work every day to make that happen. I’m also involved in a fair amount of food policy in my district and nationally.
Growing up: I remember early childhood Sunday afternoons, church, picnics, and ice cream socials. I remember essential social gatherings being spent around community members and sharing food. I also loved and still love riding bicycles and being outside.
Favorite meal: My family bought me a pasta maker extension for my KitchenAid, and one of my favorite activities is making fresh pasta.
Student stories: While doing a demo for the fresh fruit and vegetable program involving kiwis, a young student told me he felt like he was putting a gerbil in his mouth and loved it. Kids, indeed, say the darndest things.
Hope for school food: I am excited about the gains we’ve made in the last four years to include school food service as an integral part of a student’s day. We are not a support service or an auxiliary program but a fundamental need to ensure academic success.
With ScratchWorks, I’m excited to… Work on creating public policy to ensure that every K–12 student in this country can access delicious and nutritious meals at no cost during their school day.
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Fred Espinosa
Manager of Production and Acquisition
San Diego Unified School District, California
Background: I worked my way up into the hospitality business in hotels and some high-end restaurants. A friend from the hotel business became the Director of San Diego Unified and hired me as a consultant. I loved the work and mission of feeding the nation’s future and switched careers to K–12!
Growing up: I grew up in a Hispanic family and was exposed to wonderful Mexican/Spanish food early on. At 14, I started dishwashing at a restaurant, and by the time I was 16, I was trained in Fine French food preparation. I was hooked on the culinary field from then on. Growing up I also loved music, motorcycles, and adapting to living in many different states over the years.
Favorite meal: I love Asian-inspired food, Hispanic, and French. One of my favorite meals is Fois Gras, Veal chop, and a chocolate souffle dessert; so French.
Student stories: We have a Kids Create Recipes contest, and several recipes have made it to our school menus and are still there today. Ava’s Avocado Salad and Jacob’s Fried Rice are my favorites. We believe in food for kids developed by kids (with some help)!
Hope for school food: I’m very excited about the investment that the federal government and the State of California are making in the K–12 arena. California has funded several grants to improve the infrastructure of our operations, provide training and development for our team members, and buy local food. I believe it’s a great time to be leaders in this moment for food for kids.
With ScratchWorks, I’m excited to… Support the development of more scratch-cooked, local food that kids are excited to eat.
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Michelle Sagedahl
Director of Wayzata Cafés
Wayzata Public Schools, Minnesota
Background: I always knew I wanted to do something in a service capacity. At first, I thought about being a physician or physician’s assistant but realized I did not want to spend years in school and instead researched other health professions. Once I read about dietetic professions and their role in healthcare, I knew this was my career path. I also knew I wanted to have an impact on nutrition at a young age and be on the teaching side of the industry. I was lucky enough to know someone in the collegiate foodservice industry, leading me to the best-kept secret of school nutrition. School nutrition is the perfect mix of business, human resources, and strategic planning, all while fueling student minds. I was first at Robbinsdale Area Schools and then Willmar Public Schools (both in Minnesota), and now am at Wayzata.
Growing up: I grew up in Fargo, North Dakota. I was actively involved in school activities and sports; my track coach was the one who got me to think about the food we were putting into our bodies and how it nourishes our minds. It fostered a positive and fun relationship with food and opened my mind to the world of nutrition. My summers were spent enjoying the lakes, some of my best memories.
Favorite meal: Any sort of rice bowl with pickled vegetables.
Student stories: We recently served locally-made sambusas and the students loved them, sharing that “this tastes like home!”
Hope for school food: Groups like ScratchWorks! There is nothing out there like this. It takes a village to raise a child, and I believe school nutrition plays a part. Banding together to create resources and support one another is what will continue to push everyone forward.
With ScratchWorks, I’m excited to… Help others to serve more meals from scratch and use more whole, fresh ingredients. The beauty of the school nutrition industry is that we are here to share and learn from one another, and there is no competition.
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Jessica Shelly
Director of Student Dining Services
Cincinnati Public Schools, Ohio
Background: I started working for the Cincinnati Health Department as a Food Safety Specialist, conducting inspections, teaching food safety classes, and writing classes. I had taught a food safety class
for Cincinnati Public Schools Student Dining Services; a month later, they asked me to apply for their open Training & Compliance Supervisor position in food safety. After six years, I was promoted to Director, and this year is my 20th year with Cincinnati Public Schools! I’m also a trailblazer for Life Time Foundation’s Clean Label Initiative and the Good Food Purchasing Program.
Growing up: I grew up on a USAF military base, and one of my earliest food memories is baking bread with my mother while singing my ABCs. That memory and the warm and delicious bread shaped my love for scratch-cooked foods. We also couldn’t afford bread, and flour was free at the base commissary, so that memory shapes how I interact with our 38,000 scholars daily, 86% of whom are economically disadvantaged. They deserve meals made with love and from scratch.
Favorite meal: A Cheesy Chicken Quesadilla from our new French Press station at our high schools, with toppings from our garden bar, vegetable sides of elote corn and fiesta black beans, fruit sides of watermelon and pineapple topped with Tajin from our spice stations, and infused cucumber-basil water from our hydration stations.
Student stories: One of the best parts of my job is having meals with our scholars. You can’t have a bad day having lunch with a First Grader! One time when I was at lunch during “nacho day,” I noticed students weren’t eating much of it. It’s typically a very popular menu item for us district-wide, including pulsed lentils instead of ground beef as a vegan option and a garden bar full of salsa, guacamole, lime wedges, lettuce, and more. But the very honest students told me they didn’t like it because it wasn’t authentic. I thought, wow, these kids are amazing. I went back to the Principal and worked with this group of students to develop more appropriate offerings that were respectful of their cultures. Those students have helped us bring in tamales, scratch-made chicken tortilla soup, and housemade elote, and we have pupusas coming onto our menu soon at ALL schools. They are First Graders!
Hope for school food: I’m most excited about creating and advocating for the new perception of meals served in schools. Bertrand Weber (a ScratchWorks Founding Member) mentored me early on and reminded me that we don’t serve school food; we serve food at school. We need to use every meal served to market what can be done and show that we are fueling the next generation of leaders for success. They need our healthy meals served in school to reach that success.
With ScratchWorks, I’m excited to… Help schools walk our walk. If we are saying meals served in school are healthy and delicious, then we need to help make sure schools have the resources, equipment, and partnerships to make that happen. That is what Scratchworks is all about to me — policy implementation that supports school procurement and offering of scratch-made, locally sourced, sustainable meals that taste great, as well as implementing new ingredient standards, preparation techniques, and menu options.
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Kat Soltanmorad
Director, Food & Nutrition Services
Tahoe Truckee Unified School District, California
Background: As I was completing my Dietetic Internship at Cal Poly Pomona, we had a week of school food service during our rotations. I interned with several school districts alongside dietitians who were working to improve school meals by offering nutrition education in the
classroom and to staff and parents. I knew after that rotation I wanted to support bringing freshly made food into schools and removing junk food for children’s health. I’ve been at Tahoe Truckee USD for the past nine years, and in that time I’ve changed meal operations from pre-packaged to mostly scratch-made foods and have expanded procurement of organic and locally grown produce.
Growing up: I’m fortunate to have had a wonderful childhood filled with love, laughter, and a huge family. My parents immigrated from Iran to the United States in 1970 before the revolution, bringing with them the rich Persian culture and making sure I learned about where my family came from. Food is a big part of the Persian culture, including gathering together every weekend and eating with family and friends. My early food memories are of my beautiful mom, Tahereh, cleaning and preparing massive amounts of sabzi khordan (Persian herb dishes) for dinner parties. It always included fresh herbs like tarragon, dill, basil, cilantro, and green onions, along with feta cheese, raw walnuts soaked in water overnight, sangak (delicious, whole grain bread), radishes, and sometimes mast o-mousir (plain yogurt with shallots, mint, and salt/pepper). I loved washing, helping clean the herbs, and preparing the platters with her. My mom was an outstanding cook in addition to being a Registered Nurse and a generous, kind soul.
Favorite meal: Since my Mom passed, nothing seems to taste the same. I hope to recreate the magic she created for me as a child and adult with her meals and pass it on to my children.
Student stories: We just featured plant-bed lettuce wraps on our menu, a new recipe for our school district made with tofu, fresh veggies, herbs, and dressing, wrapped in romaine. After eating the new wraps, two kindergarten students came up to our Chef at Kings Beach Elementary School and said, “Thank you for making the best lunches ever!”
Hope for school food: Universal school meals for all! California was the first to implement free meals for all children, and we are seeing a tremendous, positive impact. Partners and organizations like Scratchworks, National Farm to School Network, Chef Ann Foundation, Center for Ecoliteracy, Foods of the Earth, and others all have a vested interest to continue enhancing school food nationwide. Our work is helping school districts make changes they never thought possible.
With ScratchWorks, I’m excited to… Support the legislative and policy work.
By Abby de Riel