Atlanta Chef Ford Fry Joins the Makers of Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® and the American Culinary Federation in Their Support
Of the Chefs Move to Schools Initiative
Instead of Sloppy Joes, fries and canned pears, imagine kids eating a school lunch of barbeque pulled chicken and black bean quesadilla, colorful bell peppers served with low-fat ranch dip and fresh cantaloupe slices.
That sort of transformation is the goal of the Chefs Move to Schools program – and the Lunch Break for Schools fundraiser, sponsored by the makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings, is aiming to make that dream a reality.
Chef Ford Fry from JCT. Kitchen & Bar will be hosting a Lunch Break for Schools fundraiser during lunch on Wednesday, February 29 to raise money to support the American Culinary Federation’s efforts toward the Chefs Move to Schools program’s goal of encouraging healthier eating by kids – including eating more vegetables. Whether dining in or taking lunch to-go, the public is invited to visit JCT. Kitchen during lunchtime on February, 29 to purchase Chef Fry’s specialty lunch item to do their part to support nutrition education. Fry will be serving a special menu featuring a crudité of fresh vegetable served with Hidden Valley Ranch Lite, Maine Lobster chopped salad with Meyer lemon “ranch” vinaigrette and a brown bag “afternoon snack” of Hidden Valley Ranch oyster crackers. The cost is $26 per person.
“I’m really excited about participating in the Lunch Break for Schools fundraiser,” says Chef Fry. “This is a great cause to support, and as a father, I know how important it is for kids to eat a healthy lunch. I also think this is a chance to educate adults about healthy eating options.”
The Lunch Break for Schools national fundraiser is organized by the makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings and the ACF to support the ACF’s Chef & Child Foundation (CCF) and its chefs’ efforts toward the Chefs Move to Schools program. With support from celebrity chef Cat Cora as the national spokesperson, chefs across the country will create and sell delicious, healthy lunches one day during the week of Feb. 27 – March 2, 2012. All net proceeds from lunch items sold will be donated to CCF and funds will be used to create nutrition-based educational resources for chefs involved in the Chefs Move to Schools program.
The chefs’ lunches will follow the framework of a recommended one-week school lunch menu released by First Lady Michelle Obama and the White House to show the changes that could be made after the passing of the Healthy, Hungry-Free Kids Act 2010. The menu includes vegetables and low-fat ranch dressing on four of five days.
Champions for Nutrition Education
The makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings donated $150,000 to ACF’s Chef & Child Foundation to underwrite the fundraiser and help create curriculum, tools and other resources needed to help chefs working in schools.
The commitment is part of the brand’s Love Your Veggies™ nutrition education campaign. Since launching the campaign in 2006, the makers of Hidden Valley Salad Dressings have donated more than $1 million to nutrition education programs.
For more information on the Lunch Break for Schools program, including details about the chefs involved and recipes featured in the lunches, visit www.acfchefs.org/lunchbreakforschools.
Join the Lunch Break for Schools discussion on Twitter at #LunchBreakForSchools.
