SAAS is catered by 3 Brothers- this year. Boys buy a semester worth of lunches for ~$500. They are varied and good. My son always loves his hot lunch and since he has an intense schedule of afterschool activities, I'm glad he gets a hot meal.

DC reports that St. Johns was the best school lunch sampled.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell is done in house.

No, they have a caterer. Meriwether Godsey I think is the name of it.

I stand corrected, though it seems kind of hybrid-y:

http://www.sidwell.edu/feen/food/food/index.aspx?LinkId=22739&ModuleId=651

Not a hybrid, outsourced. Even the article you referenced was written by and to promote MG. That doesn't mean the food is being prepared in Lynchburg and trucked in every day - of course they have onsite people. Just like in college or a boarding school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell is done in house.

No, they have a caterer. Meriwether Godsey I think is the name of it.

I stand corrected, though it seems kind of hybrid-y:

http://www.sidwell.edu/feen/food/food/index.aspx?LinkId=22739&ModuleId=651

The director of food services and the executive cheg at Sidwell has a Meriwether Godsey email address. Not sure what the hybrid is, other than Sidwell provides the facilities for service (not sure whether all prep is done on-site or centralized).

Anonymous wrote:Ehh, these schools should serve nutritious, but simple foods and use the money saved for actual educational purposes.

What would qualify as simple? Pizza? Mac and Cheese?

I doubt the cost is that much greater anyway - the cost of white rice and arroz blanco is the same. The labor is where much of the cost is, but again I doubt it's much more expensive to stock some spices typical of mexican and asian cooking and mix them into the big pot instead.

If the kids are eating it, that's what's important.

Food is the other side of the equation of physical activity in terms of sports. If a school talks about it's athletic program but doesn't talk about nutrition, it's dropping the ball. I applaud efforts to improve school food. No lunch program crossed at least one school off our list.

My child will also be attending Beauvoir next year and I am very impressed with the lunch service they provide! Quite frankly, I'm trying to figure out how many days a week I can volunteer for lunch services so I too can partake in some of those gourmet fabulous meals! I plan on telling my DC to eat up and as much as possible because at home there will be no fancy meals. I work, have no nanny or Au Pair and don't have the time to do much more than throw something in the oven, steam some veggies and boil some rice on any given day! So yeah, I'm pretty giddy over the fact that my DC is going to have the opportunity to eat some pretty amazing food (from a variety of cultures) on a daily basis; food that I would not otherwise have the opportunity to expose DC too on a regular basis.

If am really lucky, DC will stop saying their favorite meal is chicken nuggets, french fries and ketchup! Hahahaha! Whatever additional cost the lunch and snacks add to the tuition bill, I'm happy to pay without hesitation. I seriously doubt it's preventing the school from providing a top-notch education (oh wait, it is part of the educational experience)...so that fixes that problem. LOL.

It's not even that it is fancy, so don't buy the trolling. The ingredient costs are the same, they are just more diverse. The kitchen staffing is the same.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ehh, these schools should serve nutritious, but simple foods and use the money saved for actual educational purposes.

The schools clearly aren't hurting for money to put towards educational purposes.
Why do simple when you don't have to? Stop being a Debbie downer. Not only is the food nutritious but it's also exposing the children to a variety of cultures through food and opening their palate to be healthy, non-picky eaters. I for one was impressed by the lunch offerings at the school my DC will start at in the fall (Beauvoir) and it was definitely a big selling point in moving it to our first choice over schools that offered no lunch like GDS. I'm happy to pay it as part of the tuition and never have to worry about doing anything other than dropping DC off at school and not worrying about packing lunches or God forbid forgetting to fund some lunch spend account and having nasty notes sent home that my child will not eat tomorrow if I don't pay up!

It is not a matter of no lunch at all or a gourmet lunch. You can have nutritious, simpler fare that doesn't cost as much. It is a matter of priorities. These schools are in an "arms race" in terms of fancy facilities and a country club feel. Sad.

What's wrong with a gourmet lunch? I still don't get your point quite frankly. I eat gourmet lunches (as I can afford to) and so why shouldn't my children if its available to them? If you don't like the fancy feel then don't send your kid to one that has that appeal.

Anonymous wrote:
It is not a matter of no lunch at all or a gourmet lunch. You can have nutritious, simpler fare that doesn't cost as much. It is a matter of priorities. These schools are in an "arms race" in terms of fancy facilities and a country club feel. Sad.

Please show where the lunches as described in this thread are more expensive than the simpler alternative you are pining for.

And, I am not sure why it is sad. The kids are not only being exposed to a healthier lifestyle, but they are learning about different cultures and cuisines. If the cost is the same as a daily turkey and cheese sandwich and a half-pint of milk, then who cares?

1) Interesting, nutritious food doesn't have to be more expensive than boiled or fried food. Often it is the care and creativity with preparation that makes the difference between delicious, nutritious and bland, bad.

2) I don't believe that schools without lunch or underfunded lunch are providing some other benefit that is more important than good fuel for growing children.

3) Lunch/food has become almost part of the curriculum at many schools. The kids learn to enthusiastically embrace healthy eating in way that doesn't turn them off.

4)When kids go to a D-I college, the athletes get elite food services that look a lot like what you see at private schools in this area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ehh, these schools should serve nutritious, but simple foods and use the money saved for actual educational purposes.

The schools clearly aren't hurting for money to put towards educational purposes.
Why do simple when you don't have to? Stop being a Debbie downer. Not only is the food nutritious but it's also exposing the children to a variety of cultures through food and opening their palate to be healthy, non-picky eaters. I for one was impressed by the lunch offerings at the school my DC will start at in the fall (Beauvoir) and it was definitely a big selling point in moving it to our first choice over schools that offered no lunch like GDS. I'm happy to pay it as part of the tuition and never have to worry about doing anything other than dropping DC off at school and not worrying about packing lunches or God forbid forgetting to fund some lunch spend account and having nasty notes sent home that my child will not eat tomorrow if I don't pay up!

It is not a matter of no lunch at all or a gourmet lunch. You can have nutritious, simpler fare that doesn't cost as much. It is a matter of priorities. These schools are in an "arms race" in terms of fancy facilities and a country club feel. Sad.

Anonymous wrote:Aside from GDS, what other schools don't serve lunch and are the tuitions lower?

It doesn't matter if the tuition is lower or not. If they are not spending exorbitant amounts on gourmet food, the money is going to some other program.

Anonymous wrote:Ehh, these schools should serve nutritious, but simple foods and use the money saved for actual educational purposes.

The schools clearly aren't hurting for money to put towards educational purposes.
Why do simple when you don't have to? Stop being a Debbie downer. Not only is the food nutritious but it's also exposing the children to a variety of cultures through food and opening their palate to be healthy, non-picky eaters. I for one was impressed by the lunch offerings at the school my DC will start at in the fall (Beauvoir) and it was definitely a big selling point in moving it to our first choice over schools that offered no lunch like GDS. I'm happy to pay it as part of the tuition and never have to worry about doing anything other than dropping DC off at school and not worrying about packing lunches or God forbid forgetting to fund some lunch spend account and having nasty notes sent home that my child will not eat tomorrow if I don't pay up!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sidwell is done in house.

No, they have a caterer. Meriwether Godsey I think is the name of it.

I stand corrected, though it seems kind of hybrid-y:

http://www.sidwell.edu/feen/food/food/index.aspx?LinkId=22739&ModuleId=651

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ehh, these schools should serve nutritious, but simple foods and use the money saved for actual educational purposes.

Sorry, I much prefer healthy options. Holton has free breakfast, lunch, and snacks and everyone, including staff, eat in the dining hall. It saves me a lot of time and money and I know they are eating healthy.

There is no such thing as a free lunch! Just a higher tuition