A school in Alexandria is offering lunches three times a week that use locally-sourced ingredients. For about $6, students at Montessori Educational Center eat a lunch provided by Good People Kitchen in Alexandria.
The head of the school, Joelle Flaherty, says they were using a caterer that didn’t seek out local ingredients. Since making the switch at the beginning of the year, she says, parents have embraced it.
“Our parents were looking for some healthy alternatives for lunch. We don’t have a cafeteria at the school,” Flaherty said. “The parents pack the lunches and many working parents find the service of having Good People Kitchen provide a nutritious lunch for their children helpful.”
The Central Louisiana Farm-to-School Task Force wants more schools to give local farms and restaurants a chance. John Cotton Dean, regional innovation director for the Central Louisiana Economic Development Alliance, says school menus should be inspired by the local harvest.
“If it’s going to be local it’s going to be seasonal, and it just depends on the time of year. This time of year, for example, you might start seeing more squash and some heartier greens start coming up,” Dean said.
Flaherty says about 70 percent of the students at Montessori Educational Center purchase lunches provided by Good People Kitchen. She has no plans to change vendors, she says, as long as everyone is happy with fresh food.
