<p dir="ltr">Hello Ruth Asawa School of the Arts Community, </p>
<p dir="ltr">Back to School is right around the corner, and we hope you’re as excited as we are! </p>
<p dir="ltr">You may have heard toward the end of last school year about some changes that Student Nutrition Services is implementing in the McAteer Culinary Center (MCC) menu. We are aware of the concerns expressed by the members of the Ruth Asawa SOTA (RASOTA) community. Thank you for being so passionate about access to nutritious, free meals and about the work MCC has done thus far. At Student Nutrition Services, we wholeheartedly agree that MCC is an outstanding example of school food production and service. </p>
<p dir="ltr">We want to reassure you that <strong>no significant production or service changes will be implemented at the McAteer Culinary Center (MCC) in the 2026-27 school year.</strong> Student Nutrition Services is committed to maintaining the high-quality production and service at the MCC.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Based on the feedback we've received and conversations we've had with members of the SOTA community, we've created <a href="http://track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/kRb02PLKpsE_3gt4Dbe25w~~/AAAAARA~/AZGNftxUMTjoRMxytpPZp8EeZPBW8oVIgIe-9xHNkksC9OOpDBzqXcVP7w-WDZVtwoQR_0vmVN4ywBVhxJxoiuwRqeFOo1SGdAGSIju969xqyA6vYoYWdLXEtpQnXjwwYHHX0OLOyn5O_gthFgsikg~~">this FAQ sheet </a>to address common questions about the McAteer Culinary Center, including special meal production, standard meal production, menus, staffing, and other topics. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Please view the plan for McAteer operations in the 2026-27 school year: </p>
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<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">The following items will stay the same moving forward:</p>
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<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">The robust scratch cooking program (this has been in operation since the kitchen renovation in 2019) </p>
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<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">The staffing model </p>
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<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">The salad bar offerings</p>
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<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Service to other schools in addition to RASOTA</p>
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<li aria-level="2" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Students who get approved for special dietary meals will continue to receive them daily </p>
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<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">The only differences to MCC production and service will be the following:</p>
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<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">The Breakfast, Lunch, and Supper menus will be different. This means that some of the menu items currently on the MCC menu will be replaced by other student-approved menu items. The new menus are now viewable on our website, <a href="http://track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/dIC3X7bjq5TlSVdQ75FIpw~~/AAAAARA~/GhFbG8_CvJH045ZqT9MpAXqfY54or3xQgSfpg0VtINTjg2Jp8WNV8-Rqny8cHHOY2gDcpSbJoZ7cV1kucrsTAPig7b_GoOQDtgS3AacYFRA~">sfusd.edu/menus</a>. As mentioned above, MCC will continue with a robust scratch cooking model. </p>
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<li aria-level="2" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">The specific schools being served out of MCC</p>
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<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Special Dietary Meals production for all schools will be consolidated to the Marina Middle School to maximize operational capacity at both sites. </p>
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<p dir="ltr">With these topics in mind, we plan to hold engagement sessions with students to help familiarize them with some of the new menu offerings and receive feedback when RASOTA returns to school in the Fall.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Our priority across every school in the district is, and will continue to be, to nourish our students with food that enables them to live healthy lives and thrive inside and outside the classroom. In recent years, Student Nutrition Services has made significant strides to expand programs that were initially piloted at MCC. For example, as we’ve invested in infrastructure improvements, we’ve been able to launch fresh choice salad bars and bulk service at 10 schools, which cost over $7M over the last 3-4 years. These same schools will start using the same robust scratch cooking recipes that were developed at MCC this Fall. </p>
<p dir="ltr">As always, we are committed to being a student-centered, equitable, and financially stable school food system. If you have any additional questions, please visit our FAQ page for more information: <a href="http://track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/kRb02PLKpsE_3gt4Dbe25w~~/AAAAARA~/AZGNftxUMTjoRMxytpPZp8EeZPBW8oVIgIe-9xHNkksC9OOpDBzqXcVP7w-WDZVtwoQR_0vmVN4ywBVhxJxoiuwRqeFOo1SGdAGSIju969xqyA6vYoYWdLXEtpQnXjwwYHHX0OLOyn5O_gthFgsikg~~">https://www.sfusd.edu/mcateer-culinary-center-26-27-sy</a> </p>
<p dir="ltr">All of us at Student Nutrition Services and our team at MCC are excited to have SOTA students dine with us again this school year! </p>
<p dir="ltr">Thank you for your partnership.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>
<p dir="ltr">Sincerely,</p>
<p dir="ltr">Jennifer LeBarre </p>
<p dir="ltr">Executive Director, Student Nutrition Services</p><br><br><hr />
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