School Food Workshop

Blue Watermelon Project developed our school food workshop series to support school food professionals and deepen our impact in school meals. Throughout the workshops we are partnering with school kitchens to increase student engagement and meal acceptance by supporting training focused on culinary skill development, local and seasonal sourcing, menu design, recipe implementation and student engagement. 

Goals include:

Maximizing opportunities for School Kitchen Teams by adding targeted training that directs various team
members to act, increasing capacity for sourcing and serving local, seasonal foods in NSLP, SFSP, or SBP.

Test menu forecasting alongside
farmers, food hubs, and traditional suppliers that guide School Nutrition Teams to purchase local and seasonal foods in NSLP, SFSP, or SBP. 

Test the alignment of various nutrition promotion activities with participation in ADE’s Try it Local subsidy, as available through June 2026.

Identify gapped resources for School Kitchen Teams with local procurement knowledge, resources, or activities. 

Menu Planning Workshops

  • October 27, 2025 1:00pm-3:30pm - Short-Term Planning School Food Workshop
    Speakers: Erik Stanford, Shannon Reina, and Charleen Badman
    Location: Ignite Foodservice Solutions in Phoenix

  • February 5, 2026 1:00pm-3:30pm - Plant Now, Plate Later: Planning Local Menus In Advance - Warm Weather Produce
    Speakers: Erik Stanford, Lindsay Aguilar, and Pam Coleman
    Location: Ignite Foodservice Solutions in Phoenix

  • March 31st, 2026 1:00-3:30pm - Plant Now, Plate Later: Planning Local Menus In Advance - Cool Weather Produce
    Speakers: Erik Stanford, Cindy Gentry, Cory Alexander, and Chef Theresa Mazza
    Location: Ignite Foodservice Solutions in Phoenix

  • June TBD, 2026 1:00-3:30pm - Planning Workshop

Culinary Skill Workshops

  • December 9, 2025 1:00pm-3:30pm - Elevate Your School Cafeteria Baking
    Speakers: Tracy Dempsey and Charleen Badman
    Location: Ignite Foodservice Solutions in Phoenix

  • April 29, 2026 2:30pm-4:30pm  - A Cut Above: Bringing the Best of the Farm to the Tray Through Essential Knife Skill
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER NOW!

    This interactive culinary skills workshop is designed to build confidence in
    school kitchens by turning fresh, local  ingredients into simple, student-friendly menu items. Led by Chef Tamara, this
    hands-on session bridges the gap between farm-fresh and easy-to-eat with
    practical skills you can use right away.

  • Live demo followed by hands-on practice

  • Tips for working with whole, local produce without overwhelm

  • Practical approaches for different prep times

  • Guidance on communicating with farmers and sourcing for your needs

Speakers: Tamara Stanger
Location: Ignite Foodservice Solutions in Phoenix

Disclaimer: BWP will recruit CNP Directors, Menu Planners, Line Cooks, Chefs, Supervisors, Procurement Professionals, and Kitchen Managers to attend this workshop series. While the workshops can be taken in sequence, attendance does not have to be cumulative. Each workshop will be limited to 25 participants to encourage active participation, fostering real-time solutions that are unique to each organization and utilize expertise from peers and professionals in the room. 


For more information on School Food Workshops or support in taking action from a workshop please contact bluewatermelonproject@gmail.com