Chef Tania and our food service team in Farmington, NH served these amazing Gyros at the High School. They also made the homemade tzatziki sauce, along with fresh dill, YUM!
“Fresh Picks Café’s school food service has always been great to work with. They are always responsive to individual food needs, and we have very positive feedback from students, staff, and parents. I have recommended them to other school districts over the years because they know what they’re doing. They make school cafeteria service efficient and they
understand the importance of providing tasty and nutritious meals for our students, so they can be ready to learn.”
Trish Temperino
Assistant Superintendent
Fresh Picks Café is a privately-held, American-owned regional foodservice management firm founded in 1993. We partner with public K-12 school districts throughout New England to ensure success through creative menus and innovative programs delivered by a comprehensive, attentive, local support team.
Our leaders are native New Englanders who initially earned broad foodservice industry success and a keen understanding of the business, but were driven to overcome the lackluster foodservice and ineffective management they observed in kitchens and cafeterias – especially those controlled by outside interests lacking local connection and context.
They envisioned making a huge difference for schools struggling to run their own foodservice operations while facing challenges such as loss of time and profit while trying to hire, manage and compensate employees; source suppliers; buy food; create menus; encourage student participation; develop compliant food safety programs; track reimbursements; and countless other factors.
Since 1993, Fresh Picks Café has pioneered the art and science of responsible, responsive foodservice management and quality dining programs that K-12 school communities are proud to call their own.
Unlike nationally-controlled foodservice vendors, our collaborative approach to school dining respects and adapts to your school district’s specific goals, demographics, personality, and budget. Our specific local expertise with K-12 foodservice management – combined with our culinary talent, technology, and buying power – serves to boost your profitability through increased dining participation, cost control, and consistent compliance. You gain a dedicated local staff of chefs, RDNs, compliance officers, safety coordinators, and procurement specialists that exceed USDA professional development standards and passionately support your school community – enabling you to focus on your core mission of education.
Our recipe for success includes fresh, nutritious menu options, creatively prepared to nourish and appeal to students at all grade levels, as well as surpass all local, state, and USDA requirements.
Students throughout your school community – from elementary to middle to high school – will delight in the wide variety of comfort foods, ethnic cuisines, and trending culinary concepts that we mindfully create according to their distinct needs and preferences.
Our firm’s size and local operation allows for flexibility to engage and encourage student participation by offering special-interest food stations, innovative nutrition education programs, contests related to healthy eating, and timely promotions featuring themes from popular culture.
Our chefs and RDNs collaborate to masterfully prepare balanced, healthy meals prepared on-site from scratch, incorporating fresh locally-sourced ingredients as often as possible.
To be successful, your foodservice program must reflect your school community’s unique character, values, and preferences.
Our firm’s personalized focus on the goals and nuances of each school community we serve has proven to benefit school districts across New England. We are typically engaged to help schools transition seamlessly from self-operated programs, or when a national vendor’s generic “cookie cutter” program lacks local connection, participation, and promise.
Clients appreciate that our management structure and operational programs provide robust and efficient operation of their dining services, yet are flexible enough to address local, practical issues and opportunities that can help districts reach their full foodservice potential.
Simply put, our people are your people. As integral members of your school community, we share your stake in cultivating an extraordinary dining program that represents unmatched overall value.
See what the Fresh Picks Café chefs have been cooking up!
Chef Tania and our food service team in Farmington, NH served these amazing Gyros at the High School. They also made the homemade tzatziki sauce, along with fresh dill, YUM!
NH ProStart is a nationwide, two-year program for high school students that develops the best and brightest talent into tomorrow’s industry leaders. It gives students a platform to discover new interests and talents to open doors for fulfilling careers. I was very excited to be a part…
What better time than Earth Day to showcase the products grown using a Hydroponic Grow Station! High School, Life Skill students have been hard at work growing herbs, lettuce and a few other vegetables. The student’s picked a few items for our Food…