Milton Public Schools and Whole Foods Jazz Up the Lunch Menu

 Whole Foods Market staff visited Milton High School and Pierce Middle School recently as part of a collaboration between Whole Foods and the Milton Public Schools.

This partnership formed two years ago as part of Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” Campaign. At that time, Milton Public School Food Service director Jackie Morgan applied for a grant for a salad bar from Whole Foods. The Dedham store awarded the Pierce Middle School a $3,000 salad bar that the Food Service Department turned into a fruit and veggie cart so that students would take more fruits and veggies with their lunches.

Since then, Whole Foods staff members, including Maureen Buckley, Healthy Eating Specialist in Dedham; Alex Tillotson, Culinary Demo Specialist in Dedham; Lisa Caldwell, Healthy Eating Specialist in Wellesley and Samantha Gafford, Customer Service Supervisor in Wellesley, have been in Pierce Middle School working with our health teacher, Chris Maine. They also have been in each of his classrooms teaching nutrition lessons.

In addition, the team has also been working with the high school Food Service team. Whole Foods staff members have brought in a chef and and taught the Food Service staff, under the director of Jacqueline Morgan. new and creative food dishes, focusing on newly-mandated offerings by USDA, which include dark leafy greens, orange vegetables and beans.

Wednesday recipes will feature a sweet potato bowl, a quinoa salad with beans and White bean and kale pesto.

 – Written from a press release