What began as a simple way to elevate breakfast, the build-your-own parfait bar became a clear demonstration of how impactful school food can be when fresh ingredients, thoughtful design, and strong partnerships come together. In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, cafeterias at Lake Elementary and Pinole Valley High School in West Contra Costa […]
Every Parfait Deserves a Little Love Crunch Read More »
As students returned to school after winter break, West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) welcomed them back with something special: a fresh, fully organic school lunch and farmers market to foster community and connection as we start the new year. In January, Conscious Kitchen partnered with WCCUSD to host a farm-to-school organic lunch and
Starting 2026 Strong with an Organic Lunch & Farmers Market Read More »
What better way to start the day than with an organic Build Your Own Parfait bar? At De Anza High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), we tested a fresh new twist on a breakfast staple, and students lined up out the door to get a taste. The Build Your Own
Building a Better Breakfast: Organic Parfaits Read More »
The momentum for organic school meals is building across California—and the energy is undeniable. At Conscious Kitchen, we’re proud to be part of this growing movement alongside visionary school leaders, dedicated organic farmers, passionate advocates, and strong partners like the California Department of Education (CDE) and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. We recently
Conscious Kitchen, in collaboration with The Alice Waters Institute, proudly welcomed The Henry Ford to Michelle Obama School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) for the culminating event of their Farm to School Lunch Across America campaign. This impactful initiative champions the importance of locally sourced, seasonal, and regeneratively farmed organic school
After 2+ years of collaboration, innovation, and dedication to shifting the paradigm around school food, Conscious Kitchen, Nature’s Path, and West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD) made history through a collaborative effort to radically transform a breakfast staple at schools across the nation. On May 2nd, we hosted CEREAL-ously ORGANIC at Michelle Obama Elementary
Celebrating a Historic Leap for Better Breakfasts: CEREAL-ously ORGANIC Read More »
We are always proud of our work with Conscious Kitchen! What a joy to share our organic school food program in person with top leaders across our country for National School Breakfast Week. USDA Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Congressman John Garamendi, and State Superintendent Tony Thurmond joined Conscious
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture & CA First Partner Pay Conscious Kitchen a Visit Read More »
When you want to make change, it can be hard to know where to begin. In the complex world of increasing organic and local procurement for school meals, being able to draw upon inspiration and guidance from leaders, peers, and experts is critical. With this in mind, Conscious Kitchen organized the Central Coast Organic School
Central Coast Organic School Food Summit Read More »
What does our school food program look like in action? The Conscious Kitchen team set up at John Herbert Davis Park in San Pablo with our partner, West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), to showcase what is possible with fresh, local, organic school-supported agriculture programs like ours. The WCCUSD Food Truck pulled up to
Organic School Meals Work: USDA Visits WCCUSD Summer Meal Site Read More »
Food is such an important part of each of our lives: it not only gives us energy and sustains us, but also holds larger cultural and social meaning. This summer, Conscious Kitchen collaborated with West Contra Costa Unified School District to pilot a Conscious Kitchen Ambassador Program curriculum, which sought to encapsulate the many different
Ambassador Pilot Program Teaches Students About Food Read More »
Claire Herminjard is the founder of Mindful Meats, a local organic beef company located in Marin County, California. “I wanted to create a meat company that created access for all people to organic beef. And also to sell it to communities that don’t have that access like public schools,” Claire said.
Claire Herminjard of Mindful Meats Read More »
We are not “only” distributing fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, proteins and other ingredients in the food boxes to children and families in WCCUSD each week. We are proud to also include bilingual English-Español educational materials and recipes to ensure that families know how to make the most of box contents and why this paradigm-shifting program
For the past year, Barbara Jellison, the Food Service Director of the West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), has been creatively coordinating food boxes for students in need of meals amid pandemic-caused school closures. However, it wasn’t until October that she recognized the demand for whole foods (rather than prepackaged items) when turnout skyrocketed for pick up of boxes that offered whole pumpkins. After observing the momentum, she began to seek out more whole produce so families could prepare their own fresh fruit and veggies at home.
Barbara Jellison of West Contra Costa Unified School District: Shifting Food Systems Read More »
Have you heard? We’ve been hard at work on all things organic — shifting institutional purchasing to ensure the health of our children, families, communities, school districts, farmers, local economies, soils and shared climate. Today, in partnership with West Contra Costa Unified School District (WCCUSD), we are proud that families picked up 21,000 food boxes with 100% USDA Certified