Led by Chartwells’ Culinary Innovation Council, which brings together national, regional, and district chefs from across the country, we’re staying current with the latest trends and evolving menus to keep up with student tastes. Leveraging insights from serving over 2.2 million meals a day in school cafeterias, our chefs are developing signature recipes that are not only flavor tested, student-approved, and sure to drive participation in the cafeteria, but also incorporate local and seasonal foods, ensure efficiency in food cost and labor needs, and plan for the preparation of smaller batches more frequently during meal periods to ensure food stays fresh and delicious for everyone, from the first student in line to the last.
Over the years, the feedback that our district administration has received has been overwhelmingly positive. Students, parents, and staff have all commented on how good the meals look and taste. One of the reasons we selected Chartwells as our foodservice management company was their commitment to culinary excellence. In fact, the food is so good that this year student participation in the meal program has increased to over 10% from last year. - Wiseburn Unified School District
By creating opportunities for cross-district collaboration through the Culinary Innovation Council, our chefs are constantly gaining actionable insights to level up their culinary skills and improve meal service. To instill the same commitment to culinary excellence across the entire cafeteria team, our chefs created the signature Chartwells Culinary Masterclass to help all team members develop and strengthen their fundamental culinary skills and understand how to work effectively and efficiently in a school kitchen. The program showcases Chartwells’ commitment to exceptional quality and service and to creating a unique culinary culture where everyone feels empowered to share their knowledge and expand their creativity.
Beyond providing ongoing opportunities to broaden their culinary skills and collaborate with fellow culinarians, every September, we celebrate Chef Appreciation Week, the largest global celebration of chefs and culinarians. We invite you to join the celebration this year as we honor the chefs at the heart of our Chartwells team who make cafeterias the happiest and healthiest place in schools!