What does it really take to move a school meal program from freezer-to-oven to scratch-cooked? In this episode of iBites, host Shannon FitzGerald, PhD, RDN sits down with Jeanne Reilly, School Nutrition Director for RSU 14 in Windham and Raymond, Maine, for an honest, inspiring conversation about scratch cooking from the ground up.Jeanne shares how a community visioning grant sparked the idea of hiring a permanent district chef — a role that’s been transforming her program for 12 years — and how she built staff buy-in, sought culinary training, and navigated the very real challenges of making real food work at volume for 3,300 students across six schools.Her advice for anyone wanting to start? Baby steps. One recipe, one success at a time. Her definition of scratch cooking for students? “Delicious, real school food fuels students for learning.”

In this episode of iBites, host Shannon FitzGerald sits down with Maria Patiño, a school nutrition manager with 17 years of experience at Manor ISD — a fast-growing district just outside Austin, Texas. Maria shares how she went from walking into the district office unannounced with a 9-month-old in tow to becoming the district’s go-to manager for catering and summer feeding operations.

Meet Rhiannon Mejia, a Child Nutrition Supervisor in Texas who oversees 10 schools including elementary, middle, and high schools with innovative bistro concepts. Rhiannon shares her inspiring journey from restaurant management to school nutrition, motivated by her own childhood experiences and desire to ensure every child has access to meals. She discusses her leadership approach grounded in empathy, open communication, and patience—lessons learned from an impactful mentor. Rhiannon also highlights her district’s successful Manager-in-Training (MIT) program that identifies and develops rising leaders, including how her colleague Lisa (featured in a companion episode) trained her and continues to train new managers today.

Chef Andrew Urbanetti traded Harvard Law School's dining room for the school cafeterias of Boston — and he's never looked back. In this episode, recorded live at the 10th Farm to Cafeteria Conference, Andrew shares the story behind Boston Public Schools' new Central Kitchen, what it felt like when a student encountered whole-muscle turkey for the first time, and how his team is building trust with families through halal and kosher programs, local sourcing partnerships, and scratch cooking at scale. If you believe school food can be extraordinary, this one's for you.

Lisa Strine is a Child Nutrition Manager in Fort Worth, Texas, who brings retail training expertise and 18 years of school nutrition experience to her role—where she serves 780 meals daily and maintains an impressive student participation rate. As her district’s in-house trainer and compliance expert, Lisa prepares new managers for success through hands-on MIT (Manager in Training) camps while ensuring her own team stays audit-ready and confident. In this episode, Lisa shares her journey from retail management to school nutrition passion, reveals why production records are her “kitchen Bible,” and offers candid advice on navigating administrative reviews, batch cooking operations, and the inevitable equipment failures. Her leadership philosophy? Train your staff so well they could take over your job, take one deep breath when stress hits, and never forget that you can’t do this work alone.

This podcast episode is about the real work of school nutrition leadership. In this episode, we explore how a kitchen manager builds strong teams, engages students, and creates menu programs that balance nutrition standards with student appeal. Practical strategies are shared for staff development and motivation, creative approaches to menu marketing and student engagement, and proven methods for increasing meal participation. From career inspiration to day-to-day leadership challenges, this conversation offers valuable insights.

In this episode, Crystal Beers shares her approach to leading her staff and making sure all her students are fed with a smile and warm greeting.

On this episode of The Mix Up, Patrick Garmong sits down with Leah Botko, who shares her journey from starting in food service as a teen to leading school meal programs in Massachusetts—and now stepping into a new role in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Leah reflects on career growth, mentorship, and the impact school nutrition leaders can have in shaping healthier, more engaging meals for students. Her story offers both inspiration and practical takeaways for anyone working in child nutrition.

In this episode, Rosalynn Ordanez will share her best-kept secrets for keeping staff engaged and motivated. Rosalynn is a compassionate leader for her school nutrition team.

On this episode of The Mix Up, Patrick Garmong sits down with Leah Botko, who shares her journey from starting in food service as a teen to leading school meal programs in Massachusetts—and now stepping into a new role in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. Leah reflects on career growth, mentorship, and the impact school nutrition leaders can have in shaping healthier, more engaging meals for students. Her story offers both inspiration and practical takeaways for anyone working in child nutrition.