Cafeteria Confessions

Welcome to Cafeteria Confessions ! Join our host, Emily Chatelain, CEO and Founder of School Food and Wellness Group, as she kicks off our new podcast dedicated to school nutrition and wellness. In this debut episode, we introduce the show’s mission: to celebrate the leaders and innovators devoted to serving healthy meals and enhancing student success. Each episode will feature insights from experts in school nutrition and education who are making a real difference in schools across the country. At School Food and Wellness Group, we’re committed to building sustainable meal programs that go beyond feeding students. Our programs are crafted to educate and inspire students, empowering them to make healthy choices for life. Working in school food is often a tireless and unsung role, and this podcast aims to honor those who go above and beyond to nourish students with understanding and dedication. Cafeteria Confessions will bring you the v

Cafeteria Confessions is a education podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 18 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Unknown Host hosts Cafeteria Confessions, a education show with 18 episodes published.

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  Episode #9

  What It Really Takes to Fix School Food

  Sep 2, 202628 minS2

  Every school meal starts with the same goal: feed kids well. But creating healthier school environments takes more than simply putting better food on the tray. In this episode of Cafeteria Confessions, we sit down with Nancy Easton, founder and executive director of Wellness in the Schools, to look at the bigger picture of child nutrition. Nancy shares what she has learned from two decades of working with schools to expand scratch cooking, train school food staff, introduce students to new foods, and make physical activity part of the conversation around student health. We also dig into the systemic barriers that make change so difficult, from limited funding and outdated infrastructure to procurement restrictions, staffing challenges, and the need for stronger policy. And with examples from New York City and the 200 districts participating in ScratchWorks, Nancy shows what can happen when districts, community partners, and policymakers work toward the same goal. Because feeding kids well isn't just about what's on the tray. It's about building a system that makes healthier choices possible. Want to learn more about Wellness in the Schools and their resources? Visit wellnessintheschools.org.

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  Episode #8

  Making School Lunch a Brand

  Aug 19, 202625 minS2

  Why do some school meal programs thrive while others struggle to get students to participate? In this episode of Cafeteria Confessions, we sit down with Jeannette Acevedo-Isenberg of Downtown Doral Charter Schools to explore why serving great food is only part of building a successful school meal program. Jeannette shares how her schools approached food service as an extension of their school culture, using intentional marketing, student-created social media, parent communication, a cafeteria refresh, and even a grand opening to build excitement and trust around the program. We discuss how branding and visibility can shape the way students and families perceive school meals, why the cafeteria experience should reflect the same standards as the rest of the school, and the importance of treating food service providers as part of the school team. For school leaders looking to increase participation, this conversation shows that improving what's on the tray matters, but so does how you introduce, promote, and experience it.

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  Episode #7

  The People Cooking Your Kids’ Lunch

  Jul 29, 202631 minS2

  Most conversations about school meals focus on the food itself: what's on the tray, where it comes from, whether kids are eating it. But every one of those meals is made possible by people, many of whom arrive as early as 5 a.m. and are among the only staff who see nearly every student every single day. In this episode of Cafeteria Confessions, we shift the focus to the people cooking your kids' lunch. We sit down with Cathy Carmicheal, a research dietitian at the LSU Pennington Biomedical Research Center who leads Louisiana's Team Nutrition, a USDA-funded initiative that gives schools resources and training to promote healthy eating and physical activity. Cathy shares what her research reveals about the school nutrition workforce: a group that is nearly 90% women, often over 55, on their feet for six-plus hours a day, and juggling second jobs. We dig into the daily realities of understaffed kitchens, the push to elevate job titles from "lunch lady" to "school nutrition professional," the wage gap that makes it hard to retain staff, and the creative training and morale-building programs, like the Tray of the Week campaign, that are helping reshape how these teams are seen and supported. This is a conversation about the people who show up before sunrise, know every kid's name, and keep the whole system running.

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  Episode #6

  The Invisible Problem

  Jul 15, 202622 minS2

  Food waste is one of the biggest challenges in school nutrition, yet it is often the one no one sees. Every day, perfectly good food ends up in the trash, representing lost meals, wasted resources, and missed opportunities to better serve students and communities. In this episode of Cafeteria Confessions, we explore what happens after the lunch period ends and why food waste deserves far more attention than it gets. We sit down with John Williamson, founder and executive director of K-12 Food Rescue, to discuss why food waste happens in schools and what can be done about it. From student tray waste and share tables to food rescue programs and community partnerships, we discuss practical ways schools can reduce waste without adding more work to already overburdened cafeteria teams. We also tackle common misconceptions about food donation, the barriers schools face, and the simple steps that can protect the environment, support families in need, and make better use of the meals schools work so hard to prepare. If you have ever wondered what happens after students leave the cafeteria, this conversation shines a light on the invisible problem hiding in plain sight.

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  Episode #5

  How School Food Gets Made

  Jul 1, 202631 minS2

  What does it take to manufacture food for America's students? In this episode of Cafeteria Confessions, we go behind the scenes with David Miskie, co-founder of San Franola, to explore what it takes to create food for America's largest food system. From meeting strict USDA nutrition standards to scaling production for millions of students while staying within school budgets, manufacturing for K-12 is unlike anything in the grocery industry. David shares why schools require a completely different approach than retail, what manufacturers need to succeed in the K-12 market, and how innovation is helping bring higher-quality foods to students across the country. Whether you work in school nutrition, food manufacturing, or simply want to know what happens before food reaches the lunch tray, this episode is for you.

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