ACC grad creates healthy meals kids crave
Steven Burke is tossing out images of warmed-over mystery meat and canned mush on school lunch trays.
The ACC culinary arts graduate and Austin Independent School District food service chef is boosting the number of students dining in school cafeterias by serving dishes that are as delicious as they are nutritious.
“More kids are eating our food because the quality and variety are way up,” says Burke. “We’re bringing in restaurant-quality dishes and new dining trends every day.”
Burke, who joined Austin ISD soon after graduating from ACC in 2004, has refashioned the school district’s lunch menu to include fresh sushi, crispy oven-baked sandwiches, homemade hummus, overstuffed burritos, and made-to-order Asian stir-fry bowls full of fresh veggies.
“Nutrition is critical, but healthy food isn’t benefiting anyone if it’s being dumped in the trash,” says Chris Carrillo-Spano, Austin ISD’s director of nutrition and food service. “Making it appealing is the trick, and Steven pulls it off.”
At a time when processed, packaged foods are the school lunch norm, Burke, 32, is doing things the old-fashioned way. “We’ve gone back to making many items from scratch, such as dressings, sauces, and eight different varieties of artisan breads. You can’t beat the smell of fresh baked bread,” he says.
Every school day, Burke is responsible for making sure 60,000 meals come together. Other duties include procuring bids for ingredients, managing budgets, improving kitchen efficiency, and conducting menu focus groups.
He also works closely with the district nutritionist to develop new dishes.
“I’ve written over 123 recipes,” Burke says. “We’re constantly trying new things, and every meal we serve exceeds federal school lunch program nutrition standards.”
Fresh fruits and veggies are staples in Burke’s cafeterias. More and more of those items come from nearby farms, thanks to the “Farm to School” partnership Burke helped establish with the Sustainable Food Center, a local nonprofit.
Twelve Austin ISD schools are currently participating in the Farm to School program.
“It’s a great experience, and we’re slowly adding more schools every year,” says Burke, who uses Farm to School vegetables to create dishes like whipped sweet potatoes, squash soufflé, and kale chips.
Burke, who has drawn attention from other school districts hoping to copy his results, credits much of his success to the foundational knowledge and skill set he built at ACC.
“I’m proud to say I graduated from ACC,” Burke says. “I’ve used knowledge from ACC to train and lead a staff of over 750 employees, upgrade Austin ISD’s food service facilities, and improve efficiency in all of the district’s 111 kitchens.”
Brian Hay, chair of the ACC Culinary Arts Department, says his program has seen enrollment jump 50 percent over the last two years. And before they can graduate, each ACC culinary arts student must perform an externship; Burke did his at Green Pastures, a South Austin fine dining restaurant.
“We have great graduation rates, exceptionally strong industry placement, and an exemplary rating from the American Culinary Federation,” Hay says. “I’d put our students up against graduates from any other school in the country.”
Carrillo-Spano, for one, is happy with her ACC graduate.
“We needed the creativity of a chef to make nutritious food appealing. And that’s exactly what Steven did,” she says. “If I could clone him 10 times over, I would.”
View more images of Steven’s work at Facebook.
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By Susan January 18, 2011 - 9:01 pm
Fantastic!
By Marissa January 19, 2011 - 9:45 am
Great news! food looks delicious! Let’s expand it to Leander ISD 🙂
By laurie January 19, 2011 - 1:23 pm
I second the motion to expand to LISD, whose food services are in desperate need of reinvention!
By Shirley January 19, 2011 - 1:38 pm
so proud of your accomplishments:) way to go!
By Roxann January 19, 2011 - 2:47 pm
Wow, I am proud of you and of ACC for helping to produce such a talented chef.
AISD’s school lunch program was shameful.
My daughter would never eat the school food & begged to take her lunch from home. Being an old-timer, I remember the smell of fresh dinner rolls being baked in my local school and also my choices of veggies and wonderful dishes never experienced by today’s generation.
Good JOB!!
By Rachael January 20, 2011 - 2:52 pm
I was so inspired to see Jamie Oliver trying to bring this attitude to schools in England back in 2004 with his show “Jamie’s School Dinners”. It was a huge battle due to budgets, bad attitudes, and lack of education, but so inspiring to see the changes that eventually came about and how he continues to carry the torch for this cause!
I am thrilled to hear that an ACC grad is doing something right here at home to make this idea a reality for today’s kids! Way to go! Keep it up, and congrats!
By JR January 21, 2011 - 11:05 am
Yea PISD needs em too. Let’s expand this Nationally, at that. Children aren’t even given a chance if the lunch they’re served in their earliest days is sub-par to below standards. How can one expect them to make healthy choices after eating that way for 12+ years?
By KK January 21, 2011 - 6:46 pm
SUPER!
By Joanne January 24, 2011 - 6:22 pm
Reminds me of the Jamie Oliver program. Kudos to you dude.
By Yolanda January 25, 2011 - 9:55 am
Do all the schools in AISD get these yummy-looking lunches?
I have two kids in AISD and I’d really like to know…
GREAT JOB! I remember the horror meals we had when I was in school…uggg…..
By Darren January 27, 2011 - 2:29 pm
Way to go Steven!!!
By Nancy February 1, 2011 - 8:50 pm
Having a chef for a son-in-law is fantastic! Glad that AISD students are benefitting also.
By Ram February 2, 2011 - 6:58 pm
Nice !!
By Minerva February 3, 2011 - 9:05 pm
My husband and I are so proud of our son, Steven, and the work that he does to improve the diets of all the AISD students. God Bless You…..Mom
By YOSI February 3, 2011 - 9:37 pm
GREAT! dear nephew. I’m proud of you for doing extraordinary things and changes in food for kids at school. You are very creative! God bless you and your work always!
By Ruth Hernandez February 3, 2011 - 9:49 pm
Steven, so proud of you! Your Mom emailed me the link this evening and I know how proud she is of your accomplishments and I must say being her friend I too share it.
I am a foodie and am so glad you are changing the ways kids should eat!
By GBC February 3, 2011 - 10:16 pm
Great job! Keep it up.Ifeellike going back to teaching just to try this incredible menu. KUDOS to you Steve.
By Josefina February 4, 2011 - 12:07 am
I am very proud of you and happy that you are introducing good food to the schools. I appreciate how hard it must be to make these kinds of changes. Keep up the good work!
By Uncle David February 4, 2011 - 1:35 am
Words can not describe how proud our family is of your work…You are the ultamate foodie…
By Laura February 7, 2011 - 1:56 pm
We need you at Round Rock ISD. Do you have a twin? 🙂
By Kala February 8, 2011 - 9:28 am
I feel like my daughter only wants to eat processed foods… how can I expand her food preference?
By Heather Burke February 9, 2011 - 1:06 pm
So proud of you and happy to see that your hard work is paying off! You are truly making a difference in the lives of others. Love you!