Orange County Public Schools Students, Food Service Managers, and Award-Winning Chefs

Orange County Public Schools Students, Food Service Managers, and Award-Winning Chefs are Heating Up School Nutrition

First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Chefs Move to Schools” initiative allows students to create their own school menus

ORLANDO, Fla.-- Orange County Public Schools (OCPS), the tenth largest school district in the country, unveiled for the second consecutive year new school recipes that are “chef inspired, kid approved” at the Chefs Move to Schools event in Orlando, Florida. For the past five months, elementary, middle and high school students moved from the school cafeteria into the school kitchen under the guidance of award-winning chefs and food service managers to learn about nutrition, and create new menu selections with less sugar, salt, and fat. At the fast-paced Food Network meets Nickelodeon style event, chefs, students and food service managers proudly showcased their new meat and vegetarian menu items for hundreds of students and staff.

OCPSChefs Move to Schools is an essential component and inspiration of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move!initiative. Led by White House Assistant Chef Sam Kass, senior policy advisor, Chefs Move to Schools is designed to teach children about healthy food options, encourage families and caregivers to make educated meal choices, ensure kids are getting enough physical activity, and advocate for healthier school environments.

Serving up healthy school meals that are “chef inspired and kid approved”; (left to right) Steve Jayson, Corporate Executive Chef & Vice President Universal Parks & Resorts, Carver Middle School student Netanye Brown, Orange County Public Schools Food & Nutrition Services Senior Director Lora Gilbert, Carver Middle School student GerdyDesivor and Carver Middle School Food Manager Jeanneth Moreira-Cabrera.

A few of the new recipes include: Saigon Vegetable Sandwich with a veggie burger, Sriracha sauce, cilantro and pickled carrots; Beef Taco Lettuce Wrap with lean beef, low fat taco ingredients in a lettuce cap; Veggie Tacos with Mango Guacamole; and Meatball-Palooza Wrap with roasted vegetables & pepper jack cheese.A booklet of the featured recipes from this year’s Chefs Move to Schools initiative will be given to OCPS students to share and prepare at home with their families.

“The Chefs Move to Schools initiative offers an innovative opportunity to involve and educate our students about foods and nutrition. This interaction with chefs and food service managers offers them a behind-the-scenes perspective of school nutrition,” said Lora Gilbert, senior director, OCPS Food and Nutrition Services (FNS).

The School Nutrition Association, United States Department of Agriculture, Florida Department of Agriculture, American Culinary Federation, Research Chefs Association, Women Chefs & Restaurateurs, and International Corporate Chefs Association all support and participate in “Chefs Move to Schools.”

Accomplishments made in OCPS through the “Chefs Move to Schools” program have earned the district national recognition. Orange County Public Schools is now a model for school districts across the country. See more about the OCPS success story at

OCPS FNS serves more than 26 million meals and snacks each year. That is approximately 157,000 breakfast and lunch meals daily. The department brings in more than $57 million in federal dollars to the school district, providing award-winning programs.

(For more information, contact Lora Gilbert, senior director of OCPS Food and Nutrition Services at 407.317.3963 begin_of_the_skype_highlightingend_of_the_skype_highlighting or .)

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