Cook & Hold Enhances Food Service Programs

When Farmington, Minnesota-based charter school Great Oaks Academy began working with CKC Good Food in the fall of 2023, the school had its lunches delivered hot the morning they were to be served and served cold breakfast five days a week. That's how many CKC Good Food client partners run their food service programs. It's convenient and requires the least amount of staff and equipment. With recipes vetted for holding at proper temperatures for an extended period, students find the delivered meals delicious and pleasing.

Nonetheless, Great Oaks' School Nutrition Program Coordinator Tracy Barry, compelled by a love for the kids, sought to enhance the quality and options of meals available to students.

CKC Good Food CEO Nancy Close recommended the school install a cook & hold oven as its first step. These compact ovens are self-contained and don't require an exhaust hood, making them suitable for most kitchens. This changed the school's mode of operation some, shifting responsibility for cooking the day's meals to the school. CKC Good Food continues to prep the meals in its commissary and delivers the pans of food, ready to be heated, to the school the day prior to service.

In January 2024, Barry began serving hot breakfast two days a week and cooking lunch daily. The school's breakfast participation jumped from 50-60 students to 100-130 students daily, depending on what's being served. Her breakfast menu now includes hot items such as breakfast pizza, French toast sticks and maple-waffle chicken sandwich.

"It changed our entire program," Barry said of the cook & hold.

If your food service program would like to consider adding a cook & hold oven, please talk with your Client Services Manager about the possibility and watch for grant opportunities to fund the equipment purchase.