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Food Served in Private Schools
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Anonymous
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I'm hoping that some current independent school parents can give me your thoughts on this subject.
We started touring many of the schools last year and plan to apply this year for DC's upcoming kindergarten year. I loved many of the schools that we visited, but one thing struck me about virtually all of them that I thought was really sub-par, and that is the quality of the food/ lunches served to young kids at these independent schools. Full disclosure: I am a chef and caterer and a bit of a food snob, but still...! Isn't anyone else a little bit put off by the thought of all the packaged products, the canned fruits, the awful looking/ tasting kiddie food (hot dogs, chicken nuggest, pizza) that they all seem to serve? I can't belive that for $25K plus tuition a year, or whatever these places charge, that they can't do better on the lunches and food. Am I missing something? |
Anonymous
| All I want to know is is there trans fat, is the beef from grass fed cows, you know, the basic healthy stuff. |
Anonymous
| Check out the Sidwell cafeteria. At least at the lower school, they try to use local/organic produce, and the menu looks like something I'd happily eat from every day. |
Anonymous
| P.S. I believe the Sidwell cafeteria overhaul was spearheaded by a parent who is also a chef, so perhaps you could try to do the same wherever you end up. I think you'd have a lot of parental support. |
Anonymous
| Just make your own child's lunch and then you will have control over what they eat. Save eating at school for a day when you forgot their lunch, etc. |
Anonymous
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Burgundy Farm does not have a cafeteria and the kids must pack a lunch. While this is a bit of a nuisance, overall, it means the kids eat much healthier than they might otherwise.
The school also promotes (although it is not required) a "waste free lunch" which means parents are highly encouraged to send lunch items in reusable containers, use cloth napkins, metal utensils, and so forth. It takes a bit of getting used to and I confess that I transfer my child's yogurt from the container to the tupperware at home (thus not reducing waste at all!), however, it really does cut down on plastics going into the landfill for those who care! |
Anonymous
| Sidwell and Maret have very good food, and it's not all kid junk. So does Landon. I know St Albans has a lot of boy food like burgers, but they seem to have a fair number of options also. I think NCS is the same. |
jhuber
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| Getting lunches right at schools can be quite a chore, but if done right, it can be a valuable part of the entire educational experience, rather than just a headache. I have talked to a few other heads about local foods / organic foods vs. mass-produced goods, so it's certainly on the radar. There are healthful options out there, but the perfect combination of hot lunch + affordable + popular + healthful is challenging. At my current school (and I imagine some others), we've moved away from brought-in subs and chicken nuggets to daily catered hot meals, with a cooked vegetable and a salad bar. It takes some effort to maintain with volunteers, but we've been much happier with more green foods available. In addition, there are local apples during the fall for all to enjoy. |
Anonymous
| St. Patrick's uses Ridgewell's and we have been really happy with it. |
Anonymous
| I have loved that my Sidwell Kindergartener will try anything the chef makes including all the soups, salmon, salads, etc.... and says 'Bon Appetit' before each meal, even a home! Cannot wait until school starts so I can stop packing camp lunches every day! |
Anonymous
| Beauvoir has significant room for improvement on this one. Meals range from decent but uninspired to completely unappetizing. It's basically old-school cafeteria food. One time when I ate lunch with my 2nd grader, every child at the table had nothing but a white starch on his or her plate...plain pasta, plain rice or white bread. (The kids choose for themselves from what's available, but nothing was very enticing.) I'm envious of the schools with healthier, tastier choices...but on the other hand I am glad I don't have to pack lunches every day! |
Anonymous
| PP, this is OP and I completely agree with you. Beauvoir, of all place$, was one of the worst! |
Anonymous
| Maret's meals are catered by Ridgewells... |
Anonymous
| Sidwell's meals are fabulous -- good food and lots of choices. My children are well-fed there, but stay thin and healthy because of the healthy food and the wonderful PE program |
Anonymous
| Yes, well, for what you're paying, they should have personal chefs and personal trainers.... |