Child Nutrition Co-op Brings Districts Together

Nutrition staff from Boisfort, Hood Canal, Lake Quinault, and Griffin school districts in the ESD 113 Child Nutrition Cooperative gathered in October to test recipes, taste local ingredients, and learn strategies that make Farm-to-School programs sustainable.

Chef Mataio Gillis from Culinary Concepts guided the professional development session—a CNC member benefit—demonstrating how to adjust scratch recipes until they match what students expect while also getting creative with dietary and nutrition restrictions. The hands-on training showed how the CNC connects members with culinary skills, local food sources, and a community of support.

The stars of this training are the child nutrition staff, or "culinarians” as Chef Gillis called them, and the amazing dishes they created during their time together. By lunchtime, the counter was brimming with chilaquiles, homemade buttermilk ranch and green goddess dressings, Asian noodle salad, taco meat, and poutine gravy, all whipped up using new techniques for child nutrition staff to take back to their districts. 

Gillis demonstrated skills like making a gluten-free roux. He explained that the smell of fresh buttered popcorn signals the roux has reached the right stage. He also shared techniques for combining local ingredients with traditional ones to create flavors kids love.

“Local yogurt quality varies statewide,” Gillis said. “We added Greek yogurt and mayonnaise to ranch dressing to get that creamy, fat flavor kids expect [from ranch] while still using local ingredients.”

Getting local ingredients into schools drives the farm-to-school initiative and the CNC as a whole. Students notice a difference when their food is fresh, and partnering with local farmers brings another element of connection with the community. These relationships form a key part of what makes CNC membership valuable.

Being a member of the CNC means that child nutrition teams have opportunities for mentorship and community, support with accomplishing nutrition goals, and access to fun new recipes that focus on scratch cooking, among other benefits.

Leading the initiatives and creating connections for ESD 113 schools are Child Nutrition Mentor Meredith Arseneau and Farm-to-School Coordinator Margaret Garrett. Both bring passion for quality food, community connections, and supporting members of the Child Nutrition Cooperative.

“It’s about forming relationships—not only our relationships within the schools but relationships we  support and build from schools to farms, from one school to another,” Garrett explained. “The culinarians were interacting in a way that they don’t necessarily get a chance to when they’re in their own kitchens because they’re so busy just getting the day’s work done.”

The CNC works closely with entities like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA). Our team also connects districts with local farms and producers. Two local farms and WSDA's Rachel Breslauer joined CNC members at the training this fall.

The CNC provides monthly collaboration calls, in-person culinary training, grant support, and farm-to-school coordination. Email Meredith Arseneau or call 360-908-3317 to learn more and join the Child Nutrition Cooperative. 

Explore Child Nutrition Cooperative Services