Annual Conference
Conference Session
2018-11-10
"Intact Grains: Whole Grains' Next Evolution"Key Areas: Nutrition
Session: Session E - Saturday, November 10th: 2:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
- Seaside S-5
Speaker(s): Coleen Donnelly - Corporate Chef, K-12/Higher Education, InHarvest, Inc.
Brandy Dreibelbis - Director of Nutrition Services, Napa Valley Unified School District
Amy Glodde, MPH, RD - Menu Planner & Training Supervisor, Oakland Unified School District
Nancy Rostomily - Director of Nutrition Services, Lodi Unified School District
Objectives: Participants will learn how further processing of whole grains can negatively impact the nutritional viability of convenience-added products available to nutrition programs, and how intact grains maintain their naturally good levels of essential nutrients when cooked. Good news, too, is that (1) differentiating between whole-grain-rich products and products with intact grains is simple and (2) many intact grains are gluten-free. Via case studies delivered by panelists based on years of professional experience, participants will learn practical, flavorful, attractive and cost-effective application ideas utilizing better-known and readily available intact grains, including commodity grains. Also, how favorite intact-grain offerings at quick-service, fast-casual and family restaurants are driving customer interest in and demand for similar offerings at schools. Participants will further learn how to use existing equipment (praise ovens!) to properly cook virtually every intact grain available, and the minimal training required to bring staff up to speed on cooking, serving and merchandizing intact grains and foods containing intact grains. Finally, this presentation will place particular emphasis on Generation Z customers--the major consumers of tomorrow--many of whom are currently enrolled in elementary and secondary schools. The characteristics of this generation suggest that they are looking for value and authenticity in their food; have been brought up to revere chefs; and are ethnically diverse. They demand transparency are therefore more likely to try (and enjoy) intact grains.
Description: The term "whole grain" has become a catch-all phrase that includes everything from pure brown rice to processed grain items that include added fats and sugars. Intact grains--grains that remain in their natural state and contain the nutrient-rich bran, endosperm and germ--are superior in quality and offer health benefits that cannot be found in most processed whole-grain items. This panel will offer opportunities and best-practice solutions to increase incidence of intact grains in rotations, resulting in satisfied, fuller-feeling customers who perform better in class and elsewhere.
Speaker Bio(s):
Coleen Donnelly - InHarvest, Inc.
Speaker Bio:
Coleen Donnelly is a K-12 culinary specialist who works with school foodservice managers nationwide to show how to capitalize on the wealth of whole grains available and how they can help satisfy nutrition guidelines via main dishes, sides, soups and salads, breakfast offerings and desserts. She demonstrates working whole grains into menus utilizing cooking equipment typically found in school kitchens while sharing preparation tips to make dishes more appealing and flavorful for various age and cultural demographics. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Donnelly has an extensive career as an executive chef, restaurant owner and chef-instructor. From late-2000 to mid-2003, she oversaw the kitchen at the Ross School in East Hampton, N.Y., managing the serving of 1,300 daily meals focusing on locally and sustainably grown ingredients. For the past several years, she has dedicated herself to shifting focus on food in the nation's schools to a healthy and sustainable model utilizing scratch and speed-scratch cooking. Donnelly presents annually at the Whole Grains Council Conference and was the featured expert in the podcast, "Intact Grains" 101, in Heritage Radio Network's Inside School Food program, February 2016. Her latest presentation at the SNA's ANC was in 2017, in Atlanta. Indeed, Donnelly presents on whole grains to various professional audiences globally several times per year, most often as a key speaker or panel moderator.
Brandy Dreibelbis - Napa Valley Unified School District
Speaker Bio:
Prior to joining NVUSD, Chef Brandy Dreibelbis was the chef/district manager for the School Food Project at Boulder Valley School District--one of the top-rated school-lunch programs in the country--where each day she oversaw production of thousands of meals from three regional production kitchens. She also spearheaded an endeavor to acquire a food truck with partnerships from local business supporters to create a progressive food-truck program for the district. Dreibelbis received her bachelor of science in Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management from East Stroudsburg University, and her culinary-arts degree from Culinary School of the Rockies. Formerly, she was the executive chef of the flagship Whole Foods Market Pearl Street in Boulder, Colo., and has also led kitchens and culinary teams at several distinguished restaurants. At NVUSD, Dreibelbis runs a very active catering program designed to showcase her program's elite food.
Amy Glodde, MPH, RD - Oakland Unified School District
Speaker Bio:
A registered dietitian with a master's degree in Public Health from San Jose State University, Amy Glodde has more than 16 years of experience working in clinical, public-health, food-industry and K-12 settings. In her previous role with Alameda County Public Health Department, she managed the implementation of nutrition education and physical-activity programs for Oakland Unified School District through the Network for a Healthy California. Glodde advised teachers on how to implement the nutrition curricula and also coordinated the district's Harvest of the Month program. Today, as her district's menu planner and training supervisor, Glodde works closely with vendors and food manufactures to procure local, healthy foods for students, and also helps with recipe development and provides training to employees on the National School Lunch Program standards.
Nancy Rostomily - Lodi Unified School District
Speaker Bio:
Armed with an MBA from Argosy University, Chef Nancy Rostomily is also a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with a bachelor's degree in Food Science. She received professional training in baking and pastry from The Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley. Rostomily has a long history of work in the food industry, from quality control and product development to owning her own business. She has also been a culinary instructor for San Joaquin Delta College and The Art Institute of California, Sacramento. At Lodi Unified, Rostomily has brought gradual change, shifting preparation from heat-and-serve meals to making fresh, nutritious recipes from scratch. Hers was one of 14 districts in 2015 to launch California Thursdays, which offers one meal a month made with fresh, California-grown ingredients. The district has joined in statewide efforts to promote a healthy shift on a larger scale, sharing recipes with districts throughout California and bringing local produce into both recipes and the classroom.
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