Harvest of the Month

Each month our Nutrition Services Department partners with Whidbey Island Grown Cooperative and Puget Sound Food Hub for Harvest of the Month, a farm-to-table program. On Harvest of the Month day, elementary students get the chance to sample locally grown fruits or vegetables – often in unique ways that they may not have tried before. The students who try the foods get to vote on whether they like or don’t like the food. Sometimes popular foods make future menu rotations.

Examples from 2023-2024 include blueberry kale smoothies using blueberries from Silva Family Farm and kale from Griffin Creek Farm; potato leek soup with potatoes and leeks from Fulla Farm, and fried rice featuring carrots from SkyRoot Farm, and scallions from Slow & Steady Farm.

Future Chefs

Each year aspiring intermediate school chefs participate in the Future Chefs National Challenge by Sodexo. The focus of the event is to help educate kids on healthy eating habits. Recipes are submitted based on a new theme each year. Finalists are chosen by Oak Harbor High School culinary students. The OHHS culinary students also serve as sous chefs on-site during the final competition. Competitors present their dish before the judges to rate for taste, healthiness, kid-friendliness, originality, ease of preparation, plate presentation, and student chef presentations.

2024 Future Chefs Finalists

• *Aria King: Banana Cinnamon Pancakes
• Joseph Kuel: Stuffed Pizza Pretzel
• Sam Adams: Pecan Pie Muffin
• Lilah Useman: Chicken Bacon Pasta

* As the top finalist, Aria’s recipe will be entered into a national competition with other regional winners. The winning national recipe, along with three other student-created recipes from the contest, will be added to the school menus in a promotional series next school year

Read About the 2024 Competition

foodiE Café

Today’s middle schoolers understand food more so than ever before. Trending flavor profiles, convenient meals, sustainable alternatives, and healthy options – served fast – are just a few expectations that top the list. They also navigate the world through technology and view the Café as a social hub – a place to connect with friends and have fun. Sodexo’s new foodiE Café program was developed based on these understandings and other foundational research.

Taste4

Taste4 was created by students for students. Starting with four pillars that represent what students want in a school lunch experience today, FLAVORS, FOOD, FUN, & FAST service. Taste4 offers bold flavors with customization through our Dare To Explore sauce station. The high school lunch brand delivers the typical school favorites with a flair.

Oak Harbor Public Schools is a participant in the National School Lunch Program and the USDA manages meal requirements for our schools.

Learn more about meal preparation and requirements 

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