Turning the Tables on School Lunch

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.

Steven Burke

Steven Burke

“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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