Culinary Workshops

Conscious Kitchen hosts Culinary Workshops for California nutrition services leaders, small, local, organic farmers, and farm-to-table chefs. The curated groups gather for between one and three days at sites across the state to learn and together prepare organic scratch-cooked menu items that can be served in schools. In addition to hands-on recipe and culinary skills training, programing includes resources and conversations on sourcing and pricing, best practices, techniques to increase organic procurement, along with a series of actionable takeaway materials, enriched networks, and opportunities to interact with like-minded professionals across sectors.

These signature Culinary Workshops address public health, climate change, and resilient communities, utilizing school-supported agriculture as a lever for change and advancing clear goals to: increase the organic farm-to-school supply chain, nourish students, and
support local economies.

California stands in an optimal position to advance a transformative shift, where schools aren’t just centers of academic learning but are turning into hubs for nutritional education and environmental stewardship. By bridging the gap between local farmers and school kitchens, we’re crafting a future where every plate not only nourishes our children’s bodies but also their minds. Yet, the work is far from over. To fully realize this dream, continued collaboration, support, and education are crucial. We need more farmers with the same commitment, more food service directors passionate about organic offerings, and more workshops that bring stakeholders together to catalyze change. Conscious Kitchen, in tandem with the Alice Waters Institute and other invaluable partners, is committed to leading the charge in this direction through Culinary Workshops and otherwise. Every child deserves the best nutrition — and with every organic meal, we sow seeds for a healthier, more equitable, sustainable tomorrow. The onus is on us to ensure that every school meal becomes a recipe for change.

Fresh, Local, Organic Culinary Workshop at Cavallo Point, October 2023

Magic happens when you fill a room with farm-to-table chefs, organic farmers and Northern California Food Service Directors to prepare a gorgeous selection of recipes scratch cooked with fresh, local, organic ingredients that can be served to students for school lunch! We hosted our first Fresh, Local, Organic Culinary Workshop in partnership with the Alice Waters Institute to prepare delicious organic meals that can be served to students in dining halls across California to support health, communities and our Earth. The Cavallo Point Lodge Cooking School served as the perfect spot for attendees to gather, connect, ideate and inspire one another around the possibilities and opportunities of organic school food. Thank you to Chefs Jennifer Sherman of the Alice Waters Institute and Edible Schoolyard, and Mike Garcia and Tim Grable of Cavallo Point for culinary expertise and guidance; to Farmers Yadira Mendiola of The Queen Of Vegetables, Guillermo Lazaro of ALDY Organic, Yesenia Lopez of Narci Organic Farms, Paul Kolling of Nana Mae’s Organics, and Domitila and Marlen Tapia of Mimi’s Organic for a beautiful organic bounty and land stewardship; and to the incredible Nutrition Services leadership for insights, heart, and drive to serve bring healthy, equitable and delicious meals to students across the state.