On a sunny October day in Sonoma County, Conscious Kitchen and The Alice Waters Institute, in partnership with Shared Plate Strategies, hosted a transformative Fresh, Local, Organic Culinary Workshop at the breathtaking Scribe Winery. This regional event brought together food service leaders from across Sonoma and surrounding counties, alongside local organic farmers and purveyors, for a day of learning, cooking, and collaboration.
A Community Rooted in Sustainability
Led by esteemed chefs Duskie Estes, Liza Hinman, and Ryan Ramey, participants engaged in interactive recipe development and presentation techniques that emphasized flavor, nutrition, and practicality for school menus. Working alongside their colleagues, school food service directors, co-created vibrant, seasonal dishes—proving that fresh, local, organic ingredients not only belong in school cafeterias, but can thrive there.
With the vineyard landscape as a backdrop, the workshop featured farmers and purveyors such as Frog Hollow Farm, Mimi’s Organic, Durst Organic Growers, Straus Family Creamery, Stemple Creek Ranch, Acme Bread Company, and Veritable Vegetable.
Collective Impact, Powered by Policy
As Duskie Estes shared in closing, “You’re not just helping farmers—you’re saving farms and changing generations of eating habits through your schools’ purchasing power.”
With California investing $60 million into its Farm to School Program and supporting universal school meals, there has never been a more pivotal time to scale school-supported organic agriculture. Research continues to show that farm-to-school programs improve student health, boost academic performance, strengthen local economies, and reduce environmental impact. When schools buy local, every dollar invested feeds students while sustaining the regional food systems that nourish them.
Looking Ahead
This workshop was a powerful reminder that organic school food is not only within reach—it’s already taking root. By bridging the gap between growers and cafeterias, we’re building the trusting relationships and infrastructure needed to serve fresh, local, organic meals to every student, every day.
We’re proud of the impact this gathering had in Sonoma—and of the growing movement across California. These workshops are more than one-day events; they are incubators for innovation and catalysts for lasting change. With each gathering, we move closer to a future where every school meal reflects health, sustainability, and equity.
As we continue this journey—one kitchen, one district, one organic farm at a time—we invite more farmers, chefs, educators, and policymakers to join us. Together, we’re rewriting the story of school food and cultivating a legacy of nourishment for generations to come.