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The Food Service Directors from two Valley school districts will soon be on their way to “Produce Safety University.” It’s an all-expense paid, week-long training experience sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The training sessions begin in the spring, and are offered in California, Florida, Maryland and Illinois.
The Ohio Department of Education was asked to nominate three Food Service Directors from the state for the federally funded opportunity. Austintown Local Schools’ Tascin Brooks and Boardman Local Schools’ Natalie Winkle were chosen, along with the third director from the Reynoldsburg area.
According to the email received from ODE, “the department felt the three chosen showed diligence with compliance with the school meal programs and excitement of their roles.”
“We’ve seen Natalie’s excitement for her job, as she prepares - and in many cases invents - the healthiest and tastiest meals possible,” said Boardman Superintendent Tim Saxton. “Student taste tests, the ‘Food Wheel of Fortune’ and Tot Chef’s classes all began under her watch.”
Austintown Superintendent Vince Colaluca sees similar enthusiasm in the programs developed by Austintown food service director Tascin Brooks.
“Tascin is on top of food safety, and is always looking for the healthiest and most creative ways to keep our kids fueled for the day. With the changes from the FDA, it’s been difficult to meet the guidelines, and Tascin has been very creative and diligent to meet the requirements while still making meals great for kids.” Colaluca added, “Her hard work has been recognized, and we are now sharing Tascin’s services with the Lordstown School District.”
Both Brooks and Winkle plan to travel together to Produce Safety University, but have yet to decide which location. The goal of PSU is to help school food service staff identify and mitigate food safety risks in fresh produce.