The Urbana School District Food Service Provider, Quest Food, is partnering with local farms to introduce fresh produce for students to sample throughout USD schools.
Quest has partnered with Sola Gratia Farm for the first two monthly sampling opportunities where students can try a variety of fresh, colorful produce in fun and flavorful ways. Sola Gratia is a non-profit urban farm dedicated to growing high-quality produce for those with limited fresh food resources.
One of the goals of this partnership is to incorporate local ingredients in the school district menus.
So far this year, Quest has featured lunchbox peppers served alongside a variety of dipping sauces as well as diced sweet potatoes with honey and cinnamon. “These tastings have created excitement around fresh produce and also allows us to introduce the benefits of healthy ingredients.” said Marissa Trout, District Manager for Quest Food Management Services.
Farm-to-School is in its fourth year in the Urbana School District, and Quest will continue working with them to make connections to local farms and other stakeholders in the community.
