Fairfield, Conn (March 27, 2023) – Fairfield Ludlowe High School students will prepare a tasting menu for district representatives and partners to demonstrate culinary skills, while celebrating a partnership with Whitsons Culinary Group to bring seasonally available, locally sourced produce to Fairfield Public Schools (FPS) cafeterias.
FPS is the first school district in Connecticut to participate in Whitsons’ Greenleaf program partnership with food hub Red Tomato and their EcoCertified™ program. FPS students currently receive locally sourced apples through the program. In the future, seasonal produce will be sourced as available from local farms in both Connecticut and Massachusetts including Rogers Orchards, Blue Hills Orchards, Dzen Farms and Plainville Farms.
Led by Chef, Cookbook Author, Restauranteur and High School Teacher Melanie Underwood Karmazin, Ludlowe students will prepare a tasting menu that includes rutabaga and apple slaw, and apple granita with freeze dried apples using apples sourced from local farms. Additional student-prepared menu items will include beet and black rice salad, whipped feta with pickled daikon tartine, potato leek soup shooters, and carrot cake trifle.
Thanks to a grant from the Connecticut State Department of Education, FPS offers free meals to all students through the 2022-23 school year. This opportunity helps ensure that students receive a nutritionally balanced free lunch that provides them with the energy they need to learn.
Whitsons’ Greenleaf local produce program is committed to supporting local farmers and sourcing the best produce the region has to offer. Red Tomato expands access to and commitment towards serving local produce from local farms through its EcoCertified program, which features a regional network of growers who are committed to rigorous ecological standards regionally tailored to local climate conditions. For more information click here.