Annual Conference
Conference Session
2013-11-16
"How to achieve a zero waste food service dept."Key Areas: Operations
Session: Session D - Saturday, November 16th: 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
- Smoketree DE
Speaker(s): Billy Reid - Director II, Child Nutrition Services, Salida Union School District
Objectives: Have knowledge on how to achieve sending zero waste to the landfill.
Description: How to eliminate trash and food waste and the costs associated with it from your Child Nutrition Department. Send zero to the landfill and save money while doing it.
Speaker Bio(s):
Billy Reid - Salida Union School District
Speaker Bio:
Billy is a native of Belfast, Ireland, he moved to the USA at age 15 to work in the restaurant industry. After gathering 14 years front of the house experience, mostly in New York City fine dining, Billy attended and graduated the prestigious French Culinary Institute with a Grande Diplome. A chef was born!
After many successful restaurant openings, including winning 6 national cooking awards, Billy moved to California and by chance ended up in school food service in early 2006.
Billy applied his keen business skills, swift palate for what kids like to eat and his built in-home tasting panel (his 6 children) to the Salida Union School Districts Child Nutrition Services Department.
Under Billy's leadership Salida has become one of the premier school meal programs in the nation.
Billy's program is the recipient of 7 Gold Awards with Distinction from the US Healthy School Challenge. Salida was the first District in California to receive this award level. Billy was quoted and his program mentioned by First Lady Michelle Obama during a speech she gave at the White House. Billy is also a chef in the first lady's Chefs Move to School Program.
Salida Union School District has 3 elementary sites and 1 middle school site with approximately 2700 students enrolled. Salida serves 24 contracted sites outside their district including the management of nearby Stanislaus Union School District and the Denair Unified School District. Approximately 6000 meals are prepared per day at Salida another 3000 at Stanislaus and approx. 900 at Denair. Approximately 68% of Billy's menu is cooked from scratch using fresh ingredients, with an emphasis on USDA Foods and fresh produce. His department generates no waste; waste is actually a revenue stream in Salida. Everything is recycled and I mean everything. This is all done on a budget that operates every year in the black.
Billy's proudest accomplishment to date is the love of his wife Kathleen and their 6 children, Billy Jr, Shannon, Seamus, Sean, Shane, Saoirse and granddaughter Mia."
After many successful restaurant openings, including winning 6 national cooking awards, Billy moved to California and by chance ended up in school food service in early 2006.
Billy applied his keen business skills, swift palate for what kids like to eat and his built in-home tasting panel (his 6 children) to the Salida Union School Districts Child Nutrition Services Department.
Under Billy's leadership Salida has become one of the premier school meal programs in the nation.
Billy's program is the recipient of 7 Gold Awards with Distinction from the US Healthy School Challenge. Salida was the first District in California to receive this award level. Billy was quoted and his program mentioned by First Lady Michelle Obama during a speech she gave at the White House. Billy is also a chef in the first lady's Chefs Move to School Program.
Salida Union School District has 3 elementary sites and 1 middle school site with approximately 2700 students enrolled. Salida serves 24 contracted sites outside their district including the management of nearby Stanislaus Union School District and the Denair Unified School District. Approximately 6000 meals are prepared per day at Salida another 3000 at Stanislaus and approx. 900 at Denair. Approximately 68% of Billy's menu is cooked from scratch using fresh ingredients, with an emphasis on USDA Foods and fresh produce. His department generates no waste; waste is actually a revenue stream in Salida. Everything is recycled and I mean everything. This is all done on a budget that operates every year in the black.
Billy's proudest accomplishment to date is the love of his wife Kathleen and their 6 children, Billy Jr, Shannon, Seamus, Sean, Shane, Saoirse and granddaughter Mia."
Upcoming CSNA Events
November 13-16, 202472nd Annual Conference
April 6-8, 2025
Legislative Action Conference
May 4-6, 2025
Child Nutrition & Industry Summit
