CCSD food services team earns state accolades

The Cherry Creek School District’s food and nutrition services department is always ready for a review. From its directors to the chefs working in school kitchens, the team in charge of connecting more than 55,000 students with healthy, nutritious and tasty food is always striving for excellence. Whether it’s creating menus that include grainrich meals and fresh fruits and vegetables or it’s rising before dawn to make sure baked goods are ready for the breakfast run, these CCSD professionals set the bar high.

The food and nutrition department’s dedication to quality hasn’t gone unnoticed. The Colorado Department of Education recently gave it high praise during an administrative review, which is conducted every three years. State officials visited eight schools and commended the district regarding everything from menu design to food procurement.

That’s no small feat for a department that includes more than 60 full-service kitchens and last year served about 3.2 million lunches and about 1 million breakfasts.

“This kind of quality didn’t just happen over the past two months, as we were preparing for the review,” noted director of food and nutrition services Kim Kilgore. “These are measures we take every day at every school across the district.”

“This is our job,” she added. “All of us work to instill the importance of making a difference every single day. It’s the culmination of always keeping the student in mind.”

That dedication was clear to the reviewers who visited cafeterias at Challenge School, Laredo Middle, Overland High and Arrowhead, Canyon Creek, Cottonwood Creek, Highline Community and Summit elementary schools. Reviewers praised kitchen managers and staff at each campus.

Brandon Durio, the district’s executive chef, said the glowing reviews are a result of a shared commitment from all levels of the operation to offer a variety of appealing and nutritious meals with craft and artistry.

“We are always focused on our customer service, and we’re always ready for a review,” Durio said. “We are so happy to welcome every single student to eat in one of our cafeterias. Our staff makes us proud, and they do so on a daily basis.”