In rural Colorado school district, fine and fun dining comes standard at school
In tiny Creede, where the school district is home to just 90 students, one man has a goal for himself and his team.
Malcolm Snead, the school’s nutrition director, wants his dining rooms to be considered the “best rural food service program in Colorado.” If you look at his menu and the response from the kids who come through the lunch line, he’s well on his way.
His menu features lentil stew sourced from Dove Creek, micro greens and hydroponically-grown lettuce from the San Luis Valley, and yak meat from a rancher in Saguache.
“The students are always interested to try [new foods]. Most kids are extremely adventurous as far as dining goes. A lot of them are very excited,” Snead said. “I’ve had parents approach me in the grocery store to let me know their kids love certain dishes.”
Dining hall (photo from Creede School District)
Snead supported the Healthy School Meals for All ballot initiative and made personal outreach to community members in Creede to urge their “yes” vote. He sees the benefit of nourishing kids in his lunch line every day.
“I told folks, ‘Look, this is for kids’,” he said. “Whatever we can do to make things better for them is what we should be trying to do.”
Like the majority of school districts across the state, Snead launched the program, knowing that participation would likely increase again as it did during the pandemic when no-cost meals were being served. It takes a load off parents’ minds to know that their student is getting good food and they can make their dollars stretch farther, he said.
Students enjoying a school meal (photo from Creede School District)
As Snead gets more years under his belt, his experience with healthy school meals for all kids has begun evolving his goals as well.
“When I started, my goal was to be the best the best rural food service program in the state, but now I get more pleasure out of kids graduating and coming back to tell me that the same dish they had in a restaurant wasn’t as good as mine. That gives me so much satisfaction,” he said. “Being able to influence kids and the way they eat and maybe even the way they choose to feed their kids, that is now the greatest source of inspiration for me.”
Learn more about Snead’s philosophy and the statewide Healthy School Meals for All campaign.