A Great Day in Gloucester

On Monday, May 12, representatives from the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services Washington DC headquarters traveled up to Gloucester for an event that showcased the unique flavor of school meals in coastal Massachusetts.

The gathering took place at The Open Door Food Pantry which, in addition to running a number of community based anti-hunger initiatives, provides free summer meals to children at 12 different sites throughout Gloucester and Rockport. Participants included representatives from the federal and regional offices of the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), the Mass. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), Mass. Farm to School, leading farm-to-school-championing food service directors from Salem, Beverly, Manchester-Essex, Somerville, Gloucester, and Maynard, Food Corps service members, and representatives from Gloucester’s historic fishing industry who are at the forefront of a burgeoning “sea-to-school” movement.

Mass. Farm to School helped organize this event in collaboration with DESE and the regional office of FNS.  Our experience on the front lines of farm to school in the Commonwealth helped us identify key individuals to invite to speak about procurement of locally-grown foods and related farm to school activities in area schools.

After a tour of The Open Door’s wonderful garden plots, participants enjoyed a great meal provided by Gloucester Public Schools Food Service Department and dug right in to conversation about the opportunities and challenges of incorporating farm to school into summer food service and school meal programs.  USDA Undersecretary Kevin Concannon was particularly intrigued by discussions of using local seafood in school meals, which he indicated was a unique idea he would be bringing back to Washington.  Jared Auerbach, founder of Red’s Best Seafood, invited food service directors to think not just about organizing farm tours for students, but organizing tours of the seafood pier where students might learn about opportunities to work in the seafood industry. Donna Marshall of Cape Ann Fresh Catch spoke about her experience teaching culinary arts students at a number of area high schools about cooking with underutilized species of fish to help ensure that the next generation of chefs and consumers help sustain the fishing industry rather than deplete fragile ocean ecosystems. Later, Bob Kinch of Maynard Public Schools spoke of the great success he has had serving local fish at his high school cafeteria in Maynard.

It was a day full of conversation and new connections.  Food Service Directors and meal program administrators learned of some of the great work already underway in Massachusetts communities, as well as identified some of the challenges that remain to reach wide numbers of young people with healthy food at the peak of the summer harvest.  As the school year winds down, we’ll be continuing to work with food service directors and summer food service sponsors to help make sure that farm to school (and sea to school!) can flourish in the very months that our farm fields are most productive.  As always, please be in touch if you’d like support incorporating locally grown into your summer meals.

UPDATE!:
Gloucester Public Schools Food Service Director Phil Padulsky has already hosted a seafood tasting in his cafeteria as result of meeting Donna Marshal of Cape Ann Catch at the May 12th meeting. Phil said the locally caught fish went over really well with the students!  Read a Gloucester Times article about it here.

Thanks to Alex Freedman of Food Corps for the photos.