Students at Madera Elementary Receiving Farm-to-Table Food

EL CERRITO, CA — Two schools in the West Contra Costa Unified School District will be provided fresh, local, organic, seasonal and non-genetically modified, or FLOSN, foods this week as part of a farm-to-school program.

For one week, the combined 1,100 students at Peres Elementary School in Richmond and Madera Elementary School in El Cerrito will receive FLOSN breakfast and lunch prepared by 15 Bay Area chefs.

The Conscious Kitchen, part of the nonprofit Turning Green organization that advocates for sustainable and responsible food choices, is hosting the event in order to show that schools can receive FLOSN foods within school budgets, according to organizers.

Organizers said the cost of a typical Conscious Kitchen lunch is about $2 per person and consists of a main course, side dish, fruit and milk or water. Breakfast has an average cost of $1.35 a person and consists of a
main course, side of fruit and milk or water.

"We are eager to try the Conscious Kitchen school food pilot in our district to increase healthier food options, which we know is important to the education, growth and development of our students," school district
Associate Superintendent Lisa LeBlanc said in a statement.

Conscious Kitchen program director Debbie Friedman said the responses from the children Monday were extraordinary.

"Kids were over-the-moon excited. They absolutely loved the food and had the biggest smiles on their faces as they licked their plates clean. They couldn't believe what they were seeing and eating," Friedman said.

She said this is the first step toward the goal of a full transition to the Conscious Kitchen framework at the two schools.

"We are thankful to the district for their willingness to think outside the box and go down this path to really embrace the program in support of the children," Friedman said.

Established in 2013, the program operates full time in the Sausalito Marin City School District and works with the University of California at San Francisco Family Health Outcomes Project to gather data
from the district analyzing behavioral and academic impacts.

Guillaume Pfhal, executive chef for Conscious Kitchen, said in a statement that serving fresh, scratch cooked meals to school children is "remarkably gratifying."

"When students understand where their food comes from, how it's prepared, and why we choose local, organic, seasonal food grown and raised with respect for the land, they develop a deep connection to their food that translates to lifelong healthier habits," Pfhal said.

According to organizers, the one-week demonstration in Richmond and El Cerrito will be the first time the program will be brought to the West Contra Costa Unified School District, where 70 percent of the students
qualify for free or reduced-price school meals.

Organizers said they are hopeful for a full transition into each of the 55 schools in the West Contra Costa Unified District.For more information about the program, people can go to consciouskitchen.org.