During the summer of 2025, Conscious Kitchen set out on the Organic Farm-to-School Road Tour to connect small and mid-sized organic farms with school districts across California. With a vision of providing every student in the state with fresh, local, and organic food, this initiative invites school food service leaders, farmers, and community partners to come together, share stories, and explore how we can overcome the challenges in sourcing better food for our kids. Each stop on the tour is an opportunity to dive deeper into the issues at hand, learn from one another, and strengthen the partnerships that are shaping the future of school meals. Here’s a look at one of our recent gatherings on the road and the incredible conversations that are moving us toward a healthier, more sustainable food system for California’s students.
Road Tour Stop #5: The Ecology Center
This gathering at The Ecology Center was built on the success of our culinary workshop at the Orange County locale earlier this year. Nestled on 28 acres of regenerative organic certified land, this site is a hub for Southern California’s ecological movement — a place where community, sustainability, and food education thrive. The Ecology Center has long been a vital piece of the farm-to-school puzzle, and our event offered a chance to deepen connections and spark new conversations.
An informative farm tour set the tone for the day, led by Jonathan Zaidman, a member of the dedicated leadership team behind this incredible operation. His wealth of knowledge into the practices that make The Ecology Center a model for regenerative farming grounded the group in shared values of working together to create a food system that is healthy, sustainable, and accessible for all students.
A Day of Shared Purpose
Everyone is called to do this work and participate in gatherings like these for different reasons. We asked the group to share, and answers reflected each person’s commitment to improving the lives of students through better nutrition and the collective passion driving our movement for more organic food in schools.
Amanda Carr from Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District shared, “It’s about providing healthier options for students—options they might not have at home. Exposing them to better food choices in school will help them carry that knowledge into adulthood.” We all strive to create lasting positive impact on students by providing food that nurtures both body and mind.
A Nutrition Services Supervisor for Laguna Beach Unified School District, Briana McCabe, explained the challenge of transitioning to organic, “We are fortunate enough to have the budget to start prioritizing organic, but the logistics of how to get to 100% organic is still a challenge. We’re figuring it out.” Many are already making the shift, but hurdles remain, from procurement to budgeting.
“Schools are the biggest restaurant in the world. We need to get this right. Organic food can change everything for our students, and the demand for it is growing.” David Estrella, the organic farmer behind Limelight Groves, understands the core issue: how we think about, access and transform food on a systemic level.
Barriers and Solutions
A multitude of barriers make it difficult for schools to fully embrace organic food. Kristin Hilleman, Director of Food and Nutrition Services at Capistrano Unified School District highlighted the issue of affordability, and how we can together shift the marketplace. “If we can drive the prices down through collective action, we’ll see the cost of organic food become competitive with conventional options.” And price parity will allow for mass transition.
Programs like the DoD Fresh Program play a role in making organic food more accessible to school districts. Director of Food Services at Brea-Olinda Unified School District, Mina Choi, shared concerns about relying too much on the DoD, stating, “The DoD price point is unfair to farmers, but it’s easier for us to use entitlement money and stick with it. But we should be asking questions and exploring other options.” This conversation was a turning point — recognizing that while DoD offers convenience, it is not always the best option for farmers or the long-term goals of the farm-to-school movement.
We also talked about the importance of direct relationships with farmers. Samantha Watson, a passionate advocate for small farms, put it simply: “The more we can go direct to farmers, the better for everyone. It’s not just about saving money; it’s about ensuring that the food is fresh, local, and grown with care.” Cultivating such partnerships and direct purchasing ecosystems is something in which Conscious Kitchen has invested massively over the years, and seen the fruits of our labors!
Dreams for the Future
What do we hope to achieve as we continue pushing for 100% organic meals in schools? Kristin Hilleman spoke of the vision she holds for her district: “I want to see organic food available to all students, no matter their income level. We have the opportunity to make school meals something to be proud of.” Many echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that the journey to organic is not just about nutrition, but also about building pride and community around school food programs.
Naomi Shadwell from San Marcos Unified School District added, “With more focus on the whole child, quality food included, we are building momentum. We’ve got the support, we’ve got the partners, and we’ve got the purchasing power to make this happen.” This gathering demonstrated that in real time.
We are on the cusp of something big. The momentum for organic food in schools is undeniable. Whether local food hubs, student education, or strategic partnerships, there is a groundswell statewide.
Connecting Farmers and Schools
As the day drew to a close, we held another dynamic Producer Marketplace. Farmers took pride in displaying their fresh organic produce, and food service leaders had the opportunity to taste, learn about, and envision what local ingredients they could build into school meals.
The marketplace is about connections between farmers and food service leaders committed to making organic food a staple in California’s schools. As Farmer David Estrella said, “This is an opportunity to support communities and support our children. It’s about more than just sales; it’s about creating a future where organic food is the norm.” That is a future in which we fully believe, viewing it as possible and an imperative.
We are all part of a movement — those of us at The Ecology Center for this Conscious Kitchen gathering and far beyond — that is gaining momentum with every conversation, every partnership, every harvest, and every meal served. Our team is excited to co-create an ever stronger, more resilient, deeply connected farm-to-school ecosystem in which all students have access to the nourishing, organic food they deserve.