Two Indy schools have restaurant quality school meals. Here's how it impacts students.

Fresh fruit yogurt parfaits, chicken Caesar salads and hummus made from scratch are all items you might find on the menu at a fancy café.

But some Indianapolis students see such fare on their lunch trays every day.

Fresh produce and made-from-scratch meals are part of a new school meal program currently in two Indianapolis charter schools that aims to boost student performance through food.

After hearing repeatedly from school leaders that they wished they could offer their students better food, Patachou Foundation officials realized that partnering with schools could translate into an impact on children's well-being.

This year the Patachou Foundation, which has been working since 2013 to combat childhood hunger, started a program in two charter schools — the Adelante School at Emma Donnan and Circle City Prep — to test the theory that simply improving school lunch would have a dramatic effect on student learning.

“What we've seen is that by focusing on school food, you can really change a lot of the dynamics inside the cafeteria, but also inside the classroom,” said Matthew Feltrop, Patachou Foundation executive director. “And I think when you focus on not just the quality of the food, but the quality of the experience, which (the Adelante School) has done extremely well, students really respond to what you’re trying to do and they understand that food has a lot of value and power.”

The value of food

The new program allows both schools to serve freshly made breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack to their students, a first-of-its-kind model seen in Indianapolis schools, at no cost to the student. Both schools serve kindergarten through middle school students.

Before the two schools switched to this new model, they did what most school districts currently do, using a “reheat and serve” approach, where most meals come premade, and all kitchen staff do is pop the food in a warming oven.

Jordan Habayeb, chief operating officer for the Adelante school at Emma Donnan, said students in the past often did not eat much of the food they received, which led to a significant amount of waste.

Now Habeyeb says students’ satisfaction with the food has increased along with attendance rates. Behavior issues have decreased.

“Kids are getting to school on time because they know that it’s Wednesday and there’s biscuits and gravy made from scratch waiting for them,” Habayeb said.

In order to serve these high-quality meals, however, the schools had to completely renovate their entire kitchens with updated appliances like what you’d see in a restaurant kitchen.

The new upgrades cost Adelante and Circle City Prep $1.5 million each, including new TV’s and cafeteria furniture that would promote community building for the students.

Adelante’s renovations also included a large new dishwasher that helps the school reach its goal of reducing waste and plastic use. Now students dine with real cutlery, plates and bowls, all of which Habayeb said help improve students’ relationship to food.

“The value of food feels different when it's handed to you in the form of a plastic Hot Pocket wrapper than a beautifully plated salad,” Habayeb said.

Circle City Prep’s renovations included high-top tables, booths and a smaller kitchen area that the school’s culinary club uses for cooking classes.

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Circle City Prep’s head of school, Megan Murphy, said it was important to make sure the school remodeled the entire cafeteria area and not just the kitchen space.

“So we could make sure that the physical space kids are eating in match the feeling and quality of food that was coming out of the kitchen,” Murphy told IndyStar.

A table of third-grade boys at Circle City Prep all agreed that the new food is far better than what they used to eat.

In addition, Circle City Prep third grader Braylin Corbin said he loves the new cafeteria furniture.  

“The restaurant booths are so nice that I wish I had one in my house,” Corbin said.

Restaurant style kitchen

The Patachou Foundation brings expertise on how to run and stock a kitchen as well as training for the school kitchen staff.

A Patachou chef works with the school staff to help make a monthly meal plan based on feedback from students and families on what they’d like to see on the menu. School staff keep a close eye to make sure they comply with the National School Lunch Program regulations.

Sande Wheeler has been working in the Emma Donnan kitchen for around 15 years and watches every tray that leaves the lunch line to record how many meals are being served and what food is most popular. Sometimes she gives students an extra nudge to sample the hummus or try the new made-from-scratch vegan ranch with their cut-up cucumber and jicama.

Wheeler said the kids leave the lunchroom happier than before and the biggest surprise is how much the kids love the salads.

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To gather more concrete data on what this new model can do for schools, both schools are participating in an IU Health study that involves surveying students, staff and families at various times on academic outcomes, behavior, vegetable intake, sugary beverage intake and other measures.

The schools will be able to use that data to make sure the school meals reflect what the community wants.

“We’re hoping over time we start to see data that shows us a narrative of what healthy eating can do within our school,” Habayeb said.

Program sustainable for future years

The schools source most of their produce from vendors that restaurants use and save money by buying raw ingredients. They invest some of the money they save by not buying premade meals in training their staff.

Adelante spends around $600,000 for the yearly operations of the kitchen, a cost that Habayeb said is covered by the federal reimbursements the school receives by being part of the Community Eligibility Provisions program. The program allows schools that have a majority low-income population to offer free breakfast and lunch to all students.

Both schools said they will be able to fund this type of program for the long term thanks to the CEP grants.

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Feltrop said the Patachou Foundation would like to expand to eight more schools in the next four years. The large upfront cost of making sure kitchens are operational and staffing challenges can be a barrier for many other schools, he said.

Teachers and school staff can also enjoy the free meals.

Katrina McCarroll, the English language learners director at Adelante, said the free lunch has helped her financially.

“I also see the students trying more things and experiencing new foods that they never would have had before,” McCarroll told IndyStar. “At first it was a big adjustment for them but now they’re really enjoying it.”

Contact IndyStar reporter Caroline Beck at 317-618-5807 or CBeck@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @CarolineB_Indy.

Caroline’s reporting is made possible by Report for America and Glick Philanthropies. As part of its work in Marion County, Glick Philanthropies partners with organizations focused on closing access and achievement gaps in education. 

Report for America is a program of The GroundTruth Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening local newsrooms. Report for America provides funding for up to half of the reporter’s salary during their time with us, and IndyStar is fundraising the remainder.  To learn more about how you can support IndyStar’s partnership with Report for America and to make a donation, visit indystar.com/RFA.