Many outside factors affect the operations and success of your food service program. Stay informed about the latest developments from CKC Good Food and the food service industry.
CKC Good Food News
Summer Meal Planning Begins Now
Summer break will be here soon! While it's a relief for many who work in K-12 schools, it can be unsettling for kids, especially those whose families are food insecure. Your school or organization can help close the hunger gap when school is out by either offering free summer meals or simply sharing the information on where kids can find free meals in your area (see sidebar for sharing information with others).
RSVP Today for Spring Taste Tests
We encourage you to assemble a group of those you serve, family members and board members to come to our commissary for our spring taste tests and tours!
Team Spotlight: Hiawatha Collegiate
Hiawatha Academies is a network of tuition-free public charter schools in Minneapolis's Northrop and Seward neighborhoods. CKC Good Food is proud to be the food service partner to Hiawatha's three schools, which combined serve students from kindergarten to 12th grade. This edition of our Team Spotlight shines a light on our team at Hiawatha Collegiate High School.
Team Spotlight: Naj Bagdadi
In this edition of our Team Spotlight, we’re highlighting a team member who works almost exclusively by himself: Najil Bagdadi, our Executive Catering Chef.
Taste Tests & Facility Tours: Look Behind-the-Scenes of Your School Meals
One of our favorite times of year is approaching - the season when we welcome groups to our commissary for tours and taste tests of foods we're evaluating for our menus. Our guests always give us very honest, valuable feedback that only makes CKC Good Food and our menus better. And guests are generally engaged as we tour them through our massive kitchen and warehouse. We invite schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program to bring a group to our commissary for a session between March 3 and May 22.
Vegetarian Menu Refreshed
While only about 10% of the meals prepped at our main commissary are for our hot vegetarian menu, our menu development and recipe team doesn't neglect refreshing the menu. They aim to offer a menu that has a variety of tasty options, including some ethnic meals, such as bean and cheese pupusas, cheese quesadillas and bean & cheese burritos.
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.
EOS Directs CKC Good Food’s Operations
In 2021, CKC Good Food embarked on a journey to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our internal operations, with the ultimate goal of serving our clients better. With the help of Fractional Integrator Adina Dahlin, we began implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a comprehensive business management framework outlined in "Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business," by developed Gino Wickman.
Team Spotlight: Francis Yang
Francis Yang manages all aspects of the milk program for 20-25 client partners. While he serves some of our larger client sites, he also delivers to smaller sites that would have limited options for milk if CKC Good Food did not have its own milk delivery truck.