Locally-sourced foods on the menu in BVSD on Colorado Proud Day

Erie students treated to chef demonstration and tasting

Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) showcased its commitment to being “Colorado Proud” on September 13 by serving local products, including produce and meat raised along the Front Range, at schools across the district.

To mark Colorado Proud Day, lunchrooms across BVSD served beef nachos with local, hormone- and antibiotic-free beef from Legacy Meats (Kersey, CO); Aspen Creek K-8 Mexican Quinoa Quiche with Keen One quinoa (Boulder, CO), our 2017 Iron Chef-winning recipe; Anasazi beans from Adobe Milling Co. (Dove Creek, CO); Fresh Tomato Pico de Gallo Salsa with tomatoes from Kilt Farm (Niwot, CO); and a variety of local produce on school salad bars, including watermelon from Isabelle (Lafayette, CO) and Kilt Farms, cherry tomatoes from Bayberry Fresh (Ft. Collins, CO) and Kilt Farm, and cucumbers, green bell peppers and zucchini from Ray Domenico Farms (Platteville, CO).

BVSD is committed to being Colorado Proud all year long. The district gives preference in its food purchasing to growers, producers and processors in Boulder and Broomfield counties; then to the surrounding counties (Gilpin, Grand, Larimer, Clear Creek, Arapahoe, Douglas, Weld); then to other areas of Colorado. BVSD’s local purchasing is generally accomplished through direct relationships with farms, dairies, and producers. Food Services works with growers and producers many months in advance to time menu offerings with local harvests. To promote local food procurement, Boulder Valley maintains strategic relationships with nearly a dozen local farmer partners: Boulder County Farmers Markets, Bayberry Fresh, Black Cat Farm, Cure Organic Farm, Fossil Creek Farm, Isabelle Farm, Kilt Farm, Jones Farm Organics, Ollin Farm, Oxford Gardens, Ray Domenico Farm, and Rocky Mountain Fresh. The BVSD School Food Project also works with several other local food vendors. Partnerships with these food producers help to promote local food consumption and nutrition and agricultural education to the greater BVSD community.

At Meadowlark K-8 in Erie, one of Boulder Valley’s newest schools, students got to taste a special treat, featuring local Anasazi beans, whipped up by the school’s food services manager, Steven Menyhart, during a chef demonstration.

About BVSD’s School Food Project
The BVSD School Food Project (SFP) believes that all children deserve daily access to fresh, flavorful and nutritious food made with wholesome, and when possible, local ingredients so that every child may thrive. In addition to feeding students healthy meals, SFP emphasizes lunchroom education programs to increase students’ food literacy and help them make informed decisions about the types and amounts of food they put in their bodies. All too often children have limited opportunities to learn continuously about food, farming and nutrition. Our program aims to help students make lifelong commitments that support better health and sustainable food systems. Learn more at bvsd.org/food