Chef Ann Foundation Opens Applications for Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship to Cultivate New Generation of School Food Leaders

BOULDER, Colo., August 28, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Today, Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) opened applications for its 2024 Healthy School Food Pathway (HSFP) Fellowship, a program designed to empower the next generation of diverse school food leaders nationwide. Through the Fellowship, school food operators will learn how to lead successful, scratch-cook school food operations that benefit students, staff, and the environment. 

School food leaders seeking to advance their careers and drive school food reform are encouraged to apply for the Fellowship by October 1, 2023. Fellows come from a broad range of roles including area supervisors, assistant directors, chefs, culinary managers, food service directors, kitchen leads, program specialists, and nutritionists. 

"CAF's Fellowship program was designed to cultivate school food leaders who can inspire change and mentor their peers on incorporating more scratch cooking in school kitchens," said Mara Fleishman, CEO of Chef Ann Foundation. "Importantly, the Fellowship exposes school food professionals to new perspectives and different ways of doing things through site visits and networking opportunities. Fellows are not only taking what they learn and translating it into real-world change in their home districts, they're learning how to advocate for the future of school food across the country."

The 55-week Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship includes weekly live, virtual learning sessions. Fellows will also visit exemplary school districts to build connections and get exposure to new ideas. Additionally, Fellows will receive hands-on training and become experts on a school food policy topic of their choice through collaborative research projects. Their experience will culminate in a capstone project where Fellows apply their knowledge to benefit their district and cultivate transformative change within the national school food system. Ultimately, these program components will build Fellow's confidence, leadership skills, and network of scratch-cooking-focused peers. 

The Healthy School Food Pathway Fellowship is made possible by the generous support of our founding partners, Whole Kids Foundation and the state of California, with support from the California Workforce Development Board's High Road Training Partnership.

About Chef Ann Foundation

Chef Ann Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working to ensure that school food professionals have the resources, funding, and support they need to provide fresh, healthy, delicious, scratch-cooked meals that support the health of children and our planet. To date, the organization has reached more than 14,000 schools and 3.4 million kids with healthy school programming. Learn more on our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn. 

Source: Chef Ann Foundation