Caralee Ellis

Celebrating a Historic Leap for Better Breakfasts: CEREAL-ously ORGANIC

After 2+ years of collaboration, innovation, and dedication to shifting the paradigm around school food, Conscious Kitchen, Nature’s Path, and West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) made history through a collaborative effort to radically transform a breakfast staple at schools across the nation. On May 2nd, we hosted CEREAL-ously ORGANIC at Michelle Obama Elementary …

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Cultivating Connections: A Sunny Day of Organic Collaboration at Paicines Ranch 

On a beautiful sunny day in May, the picturesque Paicines Ranch once again set the stage for another engaging session for our Fresh, Local, Organic Culinary Workshop series. This 3rd edition of the workshop brought together school food service teams and small local organic farmers for a day of learning, collaboration, and culinary expertise. Hosted …

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Downpour of Dedication: A Culinary Workshop Amidst California’s Storms

As the rain poured down across the state of California, our dedication to fostering connections between food service teams and small local organic farmers remained unwavering. Despite the challenging weather conditions, Conscious Kitchen and Alice Waters Institute (AWI) teams embarked on a journey to the magnificent landscape of Paicines Ranch for a winter edition of …

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Conscious Kitchen’s Alternative Spring Break

What better way to spend spring break than conducting on-the-ground research to build food systems that support the health and wellbeing of people and planet? That’s exactly what Conscious Kitchen did with our Organic Farm to School Mapping Project and a passionate cohort of six local college and university students this spring. This cohort came …

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U.S. Secretary of Agriculture & CA First Partner Pay Conscious Kitchen a Visit 

We are always proud of our work with Conscious Kitchen! What a joy to share our organic school food program in person with top leaders across our country for National School Breakfast Week. USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Congressman John Garamendi, and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond joined Conscious …

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Central Coast Organic School Food Summit

When you want to make change, it can be hard to know where to begin. In the complex world of increasing organic and local procurement for school meals, being able to draw upon inspiration and guidance from leaders, peers, and experts is critical. With this in mind, Conscious Kitchen organized the Central Coast Organic School …

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Organic School Meals Work: USDA Visits WCCUSD Summer Meal Site

What does our school food program look like in action? The Conscious Kitchen team set up at John Herbert Davis Park in San Pablo with our partner, West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), to showcase what is possible with fresh, local, organic school-supported agriculture programs like ours. The WCCUSD Food Truck pulled up to …

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Supplier Spotlight: Earl’s Organic Produce

Meet Earl Herrick of Earl’s Organic Produce We spoke to Earl Herrick, owner of Earl’s Organic Produce, about his experience in the organic industry for over 30 years. He’s had quite the journey from selling produce out of the back of his truck near Golden Gate Park, to becoming the leading regional distributor of organic produce …

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