Friday, November 3, 2017
8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Conference will be held at:
Human Science North Wing, 122 N Monroe Street, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK
Join us: “Come to the Table” with Oklahoma Farm to School and help Re-Energize the Farm to School program in Oklahoma! Be a part of a new chapter in the Oklahoma Farm to School program. The goal of Oklahoma Farm to School is to bring locally grown food into school cafeterias, giving students the opportunity to taste farm fresh foods while also learning how their food is grown.
Keynote Speaker: Chef Sharon Schaefer- “Trained Chef Turned Proud School Lunch Lady”
Sharon Schaefer is a classically trained chef with more than 18 years professional experience in catering, fine dining, culinary education and school nutrition services. Through The School Nutrition Association, she has earned the title of School Nutrition Specialist. She is Level III Certified and a Certified Trainer. She is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America with both her Associates and Bachelors Degree. She is the 2002 Craig Claiborne Communication Award winner. Sharon Schaefer is married and is the mother of 2 boys. She works full time in a local progressive school system feeding children from pre-K through high school. She is also very active in her community and is found regularly volunteering her time and talents.
Who Should Attend: This conference will connect producers, distributors, educators and child nutrition personnel. Therefore, anyone with an interest in serving locally grown foods in Oklahoma school cafeterias is invited to attend!
Panel Discussions: Panelists will discuss how schools can connect with local farmers, buyers, and distributors to increase the purchasing of local foods for school cafeterias, procurement, distribution, and collaboration. Panelists will include Farm to School Experts from Arkansas (Christian Olson and Emily English), Ohio (Carol Smathers), and Texas (Melissa Dozier Gonzales) who will discuss how they are doing this in their states and the challenges they have faced. These states are very similar to Oklahoma and these leaders will share their knowledge and experience. USDA Regional Farm to School Lead, Rachel Spencer, will speak and address procurement and distribution information.
Group Discussions: A portion of the “Come to the Table” conference will include small and large group discussions to connect farmers/producers with child nutrition directors to form partnerships. During these discussions, the vision for Farm to School in Oklahoma and how to re-energize our program will be our main focus. Your input is important to the growth of the Farm to School program in Oklahoma.
Delicious Lunch: Lunch will be provided and will be a delicious combination of farm fresh ingredients prepared just for this conference!
Questions: If you have questions, please contact Cheri Long at 405-249-9234 or by email at cheri.long@ag.ok.gov