Hot Lunch

Organic Hot Lunch Program
Pleasant Ridge Waldorf school is fortunate to be located in one of the country's premier regions for organic farming.  We are proud to offer one of the nation's first organic school hot lunch programs. Parent- volunteers and students work side-by-side with a committed and experienced chef to prepare and serve a freshly made meal that is nutritionally balanced, affordable, and appealing to the varied tastes of our discerning diners! 

Much of the organic produce is grown by school families and the children themselves as part of an organic gardening and farming experience that begins in the third grade. Our lunch menu changes frequently, reflecting the bounty of the region and the changing seasons.

September 2009 Menu w/ Note from the Cook (pdf)

October 2009 Menu (pdf)

November 2009 Menu (pdf)

December 2009 Menu (pdf)

January 2010 Menu (pdf)

February 2010 Menu (pdf)

March 2010 Menu (pdf)

April 2010 Menu (pdf)

May 2010 Menu (pdf)

With cherished memories of an enchanted summer and a look forward to the coming bounty of the harvest, we welcome everyone back to the beginning of our new school year together.

The kitchen has enjoyed a long snooze, but is eager to greet all those who will share the noon time feast! We especially look forward to meeting our new students, families and teachers. May this year be filled with hard work and love for learning.

I enter my fifth year as coordinator for our Organic Hot Lunch Program. One of the most enjoyable aspects of my work is using ingredients that are grown by local farmers and often by students and parents from our own school or produce that I have grown myself. Soon the hallways will be filled with the aroma of simmering soups, fresh baked bread, and fragrant spices that emanate from the kitchen.

A few details about the meal service. We serve hot lunch to grades 1-8 and the Youth Initiative High School on Monday-Thursday. The basic cost of the meal is $2.75. Beverage is not provided. The meals are vegetarian. The protein of each meal is balanced. The serving size is ample. Parents are encouraged to provide a healthy snack for their child''s morning break and more for their lunch if they are a particularly big eater. A monthly menu calendar is sent home via the "Lunchbox Express" during the middle of the month. Each form must be thoroughly completed and returned with payment by the due date. This is each family''s responsibility! Credits for missed meals will only be permitted if the office is notified in the morning of a child''s absence from school. The hot lunch program is optional. Parents are still responsible for sending a lunch from home if the child is not eating a particular hot lunch.

Whew, it is always good to get some details out of the way right from the beginning. Please know that I am a fairly tolerant soul, and could not successfully prepare and serve the thousands of meals consumed each school year without a great deal of support. My commitment to our school community is to provide a tasty, nutritious, well- balanced meal at the lowest possible cost. I hope that each child might have the opportunity to participate in our hot lunch program and that our service will support all of our families.

I look forward to answering any questions folks might have about food, farming, children or philosophy. Drop by the kitchen or catch me early in the morning at the food coop as I madly dash through the aisles in search of that last missing ingredient. Parents are also encouraged to volunteer to assist in the preparation and serving of the daily meal.

Soon another school year will begin, in the meantime%u2026 join me in the last few days of glorious summer! Here''s to our first slice of organic pizza together!

Blessings on our school.

Jim The Cook.