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DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENTS WILL STILL ENJOY THEIR FAVORITE COMFORT FOODS in the school cafeteria, but more healthful ingredients and “from scratch” preparation will  provide more satisfactory fuel for their growing bodies.

Innovative organizations, along with Denver Public Schools (DPS) and devoted parents, know our kids deserve better.  

In 2001, a grassroots group of revolutionaries – parents and activists who believed education should incorporate healthy eating – planted a few modest gardens in four DPS schools. This Seed-to-Table program, managed by parent organization Slow Food Denver, has flourished. Today, there are over 50 school gardens in several districts. A second classroom, these gardens offer hands-on learning opportunities incorporating lessons in problem solving, teamwork, and nutrition.

“Until recently, misconceptions about what was allowable by the health department meant students couldn’t eat food they grew,” explains Andy Nowak, Seed-to-Table leader and Steele Elementary parent. In order to make garden food consumable, Slow Food Denver worked with Denver’s Department of Environmental Health to establish protocols that permit students to safely gather produce. Enter the Garden to Cafeteria (GTC) program.   

Now in its third year of operation, GTC lets students harvest their crop and sell it to the cafeteria at wholesale prices. DPS serves approximately 1,200-1,500 pounds of student-grown produce annually. “The kids recognize homegrown vegetables in salad bars,” says Nowak. Most eagerly devour their produce.

School gardens are self-sufficient because profits derived from programs like GTC are immediately reinvested. Youth Farmers Markets are another opportunity for students to sustain their gardens. Market participants open stands on school grounds, selling their produce to parents and neighbors.

“In this capacity, the gardens are a vehicle for educating students about business,” explains Nowak. Students learn about seasonality, locality, and marketing while sharpening mathematical and interpersonal skills. The markets have grown exponentially; last year alone, the program produced 141 markets in 32 schools and grossed nearly $9,000. Increased popularity has resulted in supplementation of school-grown produce. “We can’t grow everything,” Nowak says, “So we buy bigger crops from local farmers.” Denver Urban Gardens (DUG) assists the budding farmers by sharing its storage facilities.

“School gardens, run entirely by volunteers, demonstrate how a community can rally together and change a whole culture,” says Nowak, who encourages those interested in volunteering to get in touch with current volunteers at their son or daughter’s (or grandchild’s) school garden. You can also email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 303-321-3322.

Seed-to-Table’s success has motivated DPS to make its own changes. In 2010, former DPS Executive Director of Nutrition Leo Lesh initiated a scratch cooking program designed to bring concepts of student preference, science-based nutrition, skilled labor, and on-site preparation into school cafés. The program consists of summer “boot camps.” During the debut boot camp, 40 managers underwent training in various culinary techniques. Staff members were then trained intermittently until all DPS schools completed the program.

Thanks to this program, a majority of DPS’s lunch food is now made from scratch. “The idea is to get back to actually cooking in our kitchens,” says area supervisor Adam Fisher, whose primary objective involves moving away from times when processed, packaged substance dominated.

Each morning, DPS children are greeted by aromas of fresh muffins rising in the oven or onions sautéing with ground beef sourced from a local farm. DPS’s menu is beginning to read like menus at Fruition, Steuben’s, and Devil’s Food. Chicken gumbo, vegetarian lasagna, and shepherd’s pie are a few new options.

When designing the menu, DPS strives to preserve familiarity while gradually introducing new concepts. Children still eat meatloaf, mac and cheese, and pizza. But these kid-friendly dishes have gotten a makeover. Cafeteria chefs make the meatloaf and macaroni cheese sauce from scratch. The pizza crust is a homemade 50 percent whole wheat concoction drizzled with fresh sauce and low-fat, low-sodium cheese purchased from Leprino Foods, a Colorado company with mom and pop roots.

“DPS buys local and regional whenever possible,” beams area supervisor Beth Schwisow. This supports the state’s economy while eliminating excess shipping waste. According to Schwisow, DPS also buys organic when feasible.     

Recently, the district began converting unused DPS-owned property into urban farmland as a means of placing more fresh produce in schools. At Denver Green School (DGS), 6700 E. Virginia Ave., a voluptuous corner of land, originally covered in sod, was converted into a vegetable patch after DGS discovered produce thriving on drip irrigation required less water than sod. With this realization, the first school farm was born.

Today, DPS boasts three farms. Agriburbia (agriburbia.com) manages those at Bradley International, 3051 S. Elm St., and McGlone Elementary in northeast Denver, while the hyper-local Sprout City Farms (sproutcityfarms.org) runs DGS’s plot. All of the farms are expected to be in full production in the upcoming school year, contributing to the GTC program as well as offering produce shares through a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model.

Sending your kids to school without a sack lunch is an easy way to support DPS’s efforts. “You can’t make a lunch for what we charge,” says Schwisow. Prices start at $1.45 for elementary children, and breakfast is always free. Your kiddos will love the cinnamon rolls; they’ll never know they’re made with applesauce instead of butter.

To a food snob like myself who has always been incredibly anxious around school cafeterias, school gardens, school farms, and scratch cooking are welcome (not to mention exciting) changes that I hope continue well into the years my sons start school. Parents, grandparents, and neighbors: grab a trowel and a pair of gloves, stop by one of the Youth Farmers Markets on your way home, put that Spiderman lunchbox in storage. Do whatever you can to support the fabulous programs that make healthy eating and lifestyles a priority for our lucky DPS kiddos. 

(Editor’s note: For details on school gardens and DUG’s contributions and educational options, visit dug.org, and click on “Youth Education,” or call 303-292-9900. Check the DUG website in late August for a complete Youth Farmers Market schedule.)