We are pleased to announce that Dennis Barrett has joined the DOE as SchoolFood s new Executive Director.

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1 April 2013 I Volume 5 Feed your mind Welcome to Our New Executive Director We are pleased to announce that Dennis Barrett has joined the DOE as SchoolFood s new Executive Director. Dennis has 40 years of management experience in the foodservice industry. Most recently, he served as the Director of the Food Services for the Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation s second largest school district. During his five and a half years in Los Angeles, student participation increased over 35,000 meals per day, he modernized over 40 percent of the secondary school serving areas, and improved the nutritional content of meals. We are eager for him to join our team to help provide healthy and delicious meals to the students of New York City. Joining Forces School districts in L.A., New York, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and Orlando, Fla. are coming together to form the Urban School Food Alliance. As diabetes and obesity increase among children, the quest to reduce fat, sugar and sodium in school meals has gained new urgency among districts. Each member has been assigned to a specific project. New York is working on lowering prices for organic, free-range chicken. Miami is working on trays while Orlando is researching better flatware than the plastic "spork." Los Angeles is heading up communications efforts. Continued on Page 6... Table of Contents Welcome 1 Joining Forces 1 Iron Chef - Brooklyn 1 2 Iron Chef - Brooklyn 2 3 Iron Chef - Bronx 3 Iron Chef - Queens 4 Iron Chef - Manhattan 5 Iron Chef - Pictures 5 Thanking Our SFSM s 6 Tidbits 6 1

2 IRON CHEF COMPETITION STAGE 1 Brooklyn 1 - District 16 The winning dish from District 16 was Turkey Pot Roast with Mashed Potato Pancakes & Roasted Broccoli Medley over Savory Gravy and a choice of Cranberry-Orange Juice / Cranberry-Apple Juice (all homemade). Congratulations to Tanya Williams (Cook at PS 335) and Lorraine Poe (Assistant Cook at PS 308) for their expertise and enthusiasm to take part in this competition and winning! I would like to recognize my team of Food Service Managers, Ms. Cherise Neal, Mr. Duane Dowe, Ms. Lorraine Butcher, Ms. Debra Thompson and Ms. Annette Stuart, for their ideas, creativity and support in making this a huge success. Mrs. Olufunke Obadina Supervisor District 16 A Note from Executive Director Dennis Barrett It is an honor to be a part of the SchoolFood team of the NYC Department of Education. It is our vision that our SchoolFood Program becomes not only the top School Food Service Program in the Nation, but the standard throughout the world. With what everyone has already done and the quality of the program already, I believe we are in a position to make this ambition a reality. Key actions to ensure continued success: First, we have to deeply understand our customer s needs and their expectations. We need to cherish the customers we have chosen to serve. A Note from CEO Eric Goldstein This is an exciting time for SchoolFood. The hard work and dedication of our field staff has always made us excellent, but we are about to become even better. Our new Executive Director, Dennis Barrett, will help us to continue to improve what we already do so well: feed our students nutritious and delicious meals. In addition, the Urban Food Alliance will help us deliver new and exciting options for our students. Together we will continue to be the best school food organization in the country. Thank you for making that possible. Second, we must demonstrate our desire and ability to Continued on Page Your Stories: Send in your funny stories, interesting experiences or random tidbits in 100 words or less with your name, school and district to SFNewsletter@Schools.nyc.gov.

3 Brooklyn 2 - District 22 The Brooklyn 2 Iron Chef competition was won by Jose Hierro and Abayomi Vincent. The winning dish was Turkey Cacciatore. Jose has been working for SchoolFood since He has been the Cook-in-Charge at James Madison High School in District 22 for the past 15 years. He plays a significant role at the high school and is appreciated by all for his passion in cooking. His sous Chef, Abayomi, has been employed by SchoolFood since He is the Assistant Cook and has been a great addition to James Madison High School for the past 5 years. Together, they foster a great combination for SchoolFood. Bronx Interesting Fact: SchoolFood ordered 3,382,368 individual boxes of Cornflakes in

4 IRON CHEF COMPETITION STAGE 1 Cont. Queens - District 25 On February 27, 2013, Irene Askari (School Lunch Aide/Cook of PS 200) and her Sous Chef, Marisol Rosa (School Lunch Aide/Assistant Cook of JH 185) won the 1st round of the Iron Chef Competition for the region of Queens. The winning dish: Pulled Turkey & Cheese Panini, Hawaiian Rice, and Mediterranean Spinach & Chick Peas! With great teamwork, culinary skill and effort, both Cooks managed to take the number one spot in the competition. This is the 2nd win out of 3 for District 25 regionally. Brooklyn 1 Chef Brooklyn 1 Chef Preparing Brooklyn 1 Chefs Bronx (District 12) Chefs 4

5 Manhattan - District 2 (West) District 2 (West) is the regional winner for the Manhattan Iron Chef. Our Chef, Estelle Maxwell-Smith is a graduate of NY Restaurant School. She s currently the executive cook at PS 276/ Battery Park School. Our Sous Chef, Ann Marie Thompson, is the executive cook at Graphic Communication HS. We are very proud of our w i n n i n g t e a m!!! QUEEN S PARTICIPATING CHEF S D24 - Huong Quan (Jamie), Cook D24 - Peter Schweiger, Sous Chef D25 - Irene Askari, Cook D25 - Marisol Rosa, Sous Chef D26 - Maria Varvatsoulis, Cook D26 - Paola Ciccotto, Sous Chef D27 - Marva McKenzie, Cook D27 - Giuseppina Ciarmella, Sous Chef D28 - Rosa Buffa, Cook D28 - William Allen, Sous Chef D29 - Sharice Langhorn, Cook D29 - April Gore, Sous Chef D30 - Luis Salazar, Cook D30 - Maria Lorusso, Sous Chef Iron Chef Citywide Finale Coming Up: April 8th... 5

6 Joining Forces Cont. To demonstrate their collective mission, the same lunch was served at all six districts on March 20th, The menu: savory roasted chicken, brown rice with seasoned black or red beans, steamed broccoli, fresh seasonal fruit and milk. Dear SchoolFood Service Manager... On behalf of the NYC Departments of Sanitation and Education, thank you for your hard work in the NYC School Food Waste Compost Program. Your school is a leader in one of the Mayor s flagship recycling programs to reduce the amount of waste going to landfills and incinerators. This program helps the City avoid paying landfill disposal fees, protects the environment and it s a great way for students to learn about science, environmental, and waste management. We wanted to take a moment and express our appreciation for your efforts. Your diligence is making a noticeable difference. We ve collected over 110 tons since the start of the program. Thank you for your dedication and service. Tidbits Ms. Karen DiTolla, Principal of I.S. 239 Mark Twain, was delighted to eat breakfast in the cafeteria with her students last month. She enjoyed cinnamon bagelfuls, milk, juice and cereal. The children were delighted to have her join them. Ms. DiTolla is big supporter of School Food Breakfast and Lunch programs. A Note from Dennis Barrett Cont. significantly reduce cost while providing the highest quality and value to students of New York. Third, we ourselves must be highly sensitive, caring and highly competent in our jobs. Fourth, we need to maintain clear communication channels. Fifth, individual accountability is fundamental to our success. When we support each other, it helps to build a strong foundation for our organization and helps us produce the best results to the customers we all serve. I will give each of you whatever help you need to get the job done. Dennis H. Barrett Executive Director Dates & Deadlines Newsletter Submission Deadline: April 15th, 2013 National Garlic Day: April 19th, 2013 Memorial Day (Observed): May 27th, 2013 Cinco de Mayo: May 5th, 2013 Quotes The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it. Molière Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Michael Jordan 6 Want Your Story Here? Contact your Manager or Supervisor for information!