Reimagining School Meals: From Fragmented Systems to Living Ecosystems
- Emilio Goldenhersch
- Oct 24
- 4 min read
On October 22, MKThink hosted "Reimagining School Meals " at our San Francisco living hub, Ocean Plant. The evening brought together leaders from education, food services, and design to explore how transparency, scale, and systems thinking can transform how schools nourish their students.
The conversation featured Jennifer LeBarre, Executive Director of Student Nutrition Services and Transportation for San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD); Jennifer Sherman, Culinary Director at The Alice Waters Institute; Sara Doherty, Chief Business Officer at Soledad Unified School District (SUSD); and Nate Goore, CEO and Founder of MKThink; moderated by Emilio Goldenhersch, Enterprise Director of MKThink. Together, they unpacked the complex ecosystems behind every meal—from the farmer to the kitchen, from the cafeteria table to the child.
From Transparency to Systems Thinking
A common thread throughout the evening was transparency—understanding where food comes from, how it is produced, and how design and data can illuminate the entire picture, all the way to the school tray.
Jennifer LeBarre emphasized that visibility is key in large, complex districts like SFUSD, which serves over 50,000 students across its schools. She explained how infrastructure and operations play critical roles in connecting kitchens, transportation, and staffing systems. By revealing these links, schools can shift from reactive management to proactive system design.
Nate Goore expanded the discussion to the spatial dimension, describing MKThink’s work advising on regional and central kitchen systems in Hawai‘i and California. He illustrated how a systems view perspective can either reinforce or hinder collaboration, and how data visibility within physical environments leads to smarter investment and improved performance over time.
Transparency, the panel agreed, is more than an operational goal; it’s a cultural shift toward systems thinking. When facilities, sourcing, and people operate with shared insight, school food becomes not just service—but strategy.
Scale, Distribution, and the Human Element
Scale emerged as another defining theme. For Sara Doherty of SUSD—an eight-school district in the Salinas Valley—the proximity between decision-makers, farmers, and staff creates agility and connection, but also exposes the limits of purchasing power. “When we buy organic or local, partnerships are at the core,” she said. “Both external and internal partnerships are essential for the system to work.”
In contrast, Jennifer LeBarre highlighted how SFUSD’s scale changes the problem entirely. “At 55,000 meals a day, distribution is everything,” she explained. Even the size of a fruit or vegetable must be standardized to fit serving cups and meal assembly processes. The takeaway: large and small systems face different constraints, but both require infrastructure that supports flexibility and strikes a balance between product quality and operational reality.
Jennifer Sherman of The Alice Waters Institute brought the conversation back to the quality of food itself—how sourcing from regenerative, local farms not only improves health outcomes but fosters connection and respect for the land. Her work reframes procurement as a form of education, where the path from soil to plate becomes visible to students and staff alike.
Building on that, the discussion explored how transparency and design extend beyond procurement into the very layout of kitchens and dining spaces. Just as many restaurants now design open kitchens where every role is visible—such as chef, prep cook, and dishwasher—some schools are embracing similar principles. In these environments, the person washing dishes or serving meals stands proudly in view, reinforcing the message that every contribution in the food chain has value.
Throughout the discussion, the human element remained central. The panelists spoke passionately about food service teams—the hands and hearts that feed students every day. Their work, rooted in care, represents the system’s most vital ingredient: love expressed through service.
Timing, Adaptation, and Opportunities
The conversation also touched on the rhythm of school life—the role of timing in how students experience food. Some schools now serve breakfast after the bell or lunch after recess, adjusting their schedules to support student participation. These adjustments, although small, often lead to improved engagement and nutritional outcomes.
The group reflected on the risks of inaction, including outdated kitchens, staff burnout, and missed opportunities to connect with local economies. Yet, they viewed these challenges as openings for innovation. Regional and central kitchens, when designed with systems intelligence, can reduce costs, improve distribution, and create more resilient networks of production and care.
As Nate Goore noted, food systems hold enormous power to connect communities. The same logic that drives farm-to-table restaurants can elevate school food systems—turning them into hubs of health, sustainability, and local growth. “School kitchens,” he said, “are among the most influential food powerhouses we have. Their impact extends far beyond the physical space.”
Looking Ahead
The evening closed with a shared sense of optimism and responsibility. Through design, data, and collaboration, school meal systems can evolve from isolated operations into resilient, human-centered ecosystems—places where food becomes the connector between learning, community, and well-being.
At MKThink, we remain committed to supporting that evolution—bringing visibility, intelligence, and care to the spaces that feed and sustain our communities.
Interested in learning more about MKThink’s work in school food systems? Feel free to reach out using this link.
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