OUR SERVICES

Scratch Cooking Training and Consulting for K-12 School Districts

Whether you're taking your first step toward scratch cooking or ready to transform your whole program, we'll meet your school food pros where they are and help them cook with confidence every day.

Scratch Cooking Operational Transformation Program

A multi-visit approach to long-term scratch-cooking sustainability and success. 

We build your team's skills step by step with the Scaffolded-Skills Approach, redesign your menus with the Planned-Overs Approach, and stay with you between visits through "Yes, Chef!" on-demand support.

Your program will:

  • Build culinary skills in stages, so each visit lays the groundwork for the next

  • Plan menus that cook once and create twice, getting more from every whole food ingredient

  • Put systems in place that keep scratch cooking going long after we leave

  • Have a chef on call when questions come up mid-service

Group of people serving food on trays in a cafeteria kitchen.

“Fresh-Eyes” Review

An expert, on-site look at your kitchens, menus, and systems.

We walk your kitchens, watch production, review your menus, and talk with your school food pros. Then we deliver practical recommendations for where to go next.

You'll get:

  • An honest assessment of your equipment, workflow, and team skills

  • Clear priorities for moving toward more scratch cooking

  • Recommendations matched to your budget and staffing

A man in a chef's uniform holding a tray of food in front of a sign that reads 'Chef Special Wednesday January 29th'. The man is wearing glasses and a black cap, smiling, with decorated surroundings.

“Live-Setting” Aproach Training

We bring our recipes and experience, then with your team and equipment, build and serve a scratch-cooked menu to real students. Your school food pros learn in the kitchen they work in every day, and they see kids' reactions in real time.

Your team will learn to:

  • Prepare a customized, scratch-cooked menu from whole food ingredients that meets child nutrition guidelines

  • Feature local ingredients and add a Farm to School element worth promoting

  • Process, prepare, and season whole foods so they look and taste great to kids

  • Bring more fresh, kid-approved ideas into everyday menus

Hands-on training during a regular production day, with no overtime and no lost reimbursements.

A kitchen workspace with two women preparing trays of fruit salad, a can of fruit, and various covered containers of food in the background.

“Lab-Setting” Training Approach

Focused, low-pressure classes away from the rush of service.

Sometimes the best learning happens off the line. Lab-Setting classes give staff room to practice new skills and build confidence before bringing them back to cook for the kids!

Your team will learn to:

  • Prep, season, and cook vegetables so they taste great to kids

  • Make kid-tested recipes using whole food ingredients

  • Work more efficiently with a better understanding of recipes

  • Season foods with the world flavors people love

  • Follow best practices for purchasing, receiving, storing, and preparing meats, produce, and other scratch cooking ingredients

  • Use salt wisely to meet regulations and make food taste great

A buffet with bowls of chips, tomato and onion salad, diced vegetables, radish slices, and a tray of roasted sweet potatoes.

Team-Builder/Flavor-Builder Events

A strong kitchen culture starts with strong connections. Team-Builder events bring your school food pros together for a shared experience they'll carry back into the kitchen.

We'll focus on:

  • Collaborative cooking challenges

  • Skill-building activities that strengthen teamwork

  • Respect and support across roles

  • Positive energy that lasts beyond the event

A fun, hands-on way to build trust, communication, and pride across your whole crew.

Food service line with various dishes, salad, and baked goods, and people waiting in line in a cafeteria.

WHAT DISTRICTS ARE SAYING

  • "I really appreciate everything that you've done for our Food Service Team and our Farm to School Program over the last two years. It's really incredible how far our meals have come. I also believe that our work in the kitchen catalyzed all the other growth our program has experienced and all the recognition Concrete Farm to School has received."

    Rachel Muia Farm to School Coordinator, Concrete Schools

  • "Kent is innovative, focused on excellence and has great interpersonal skills. Kent has demonstrated a commitment to improving nutrition for children in the K-12 education system. I am proud to have collaborated with Kent in the Wenatchee School District."

    Jesus Hernandez
    CEO, Family Health Centers

  • "Last year we realized we had reached the limit of our growth. We have a great team, and they can follow a recipe - but what we were missing was the expertise of a trained chef. We found Chef Kent on Facebook and took the chance - it was by far the best decision we have ever made. Chef Kent and Chef Laura walked into the door at 5:45 am and by 6:00 am they were up to their elbows in flour."

    Judi Reynolds
    Director of Food Services, Fallbrook Union High School District

  • "WOW, That was really a fantastic training session! The ideas and excitement in the High School kitchen this morning are electric! I am over the moon excited for the energy and attitudes of our staff!"

    Melissa Paulus
    Nutrition Service Director, Nooksack Schools

  • "Inviting Chef Kent and Chef Laura into our District was one of the best decisions that I have made in my tenure. Their ability to quickly assess and acclimate to three different high school kitchens and a central kitchen, each with different equipment and staff, was simply amazing. They quickly became part of each team by explaining AND listening to the employees."

    Anna M. Apoian, MPA, RD
    Norwalk-La Mirada USD

  • "I highly recommend Kent Getzin as a consultant. I worked with Kent for 15 years, supervising him for much of that time. Under Kent's leadership, our food service department went from operating in the red, to operating in the black and being self-sufficient in covering all expenses, from labor to capital equipment. Even more importantly, the quality of food got better and better."

    Jon Dejong
    Deputy Superintendent

Ready to take the next step?

Let's Start the Conversation