Red Rocket Salad Bar becomes a ‘new tradition’ at Lambton-Kent Composite

Lambton-Kent Composite School, Dresden, ON
2018-2019 (Grant Year 1)

Lambton-Kent Composite School is located in the historical town of Dresden, Ontario, a small community in Southwestern Ontario.  Situated on a treed campus, Lambton-Kent Composite School is home to approximately 295 students and staff.  We are an agricultural community and many of our students are connected to farms in some way.   We often celebrate our rural heritage, and the Farm to Cafeteria program is a natural fit.  Our school is the home of the Cardinals and to many wonderful traditions.  We are so very excited to be part of the Farm to Cafeteria program and look forward to the Salad Bar program becoming a ‘new tradition’. 

The fresh and delicious food items available on the ‘Red Rocket Salad Bar’, as named by our students, are prepared every Thursday by our Foods and Nutrition classes.  Students have been able to build connections and community through preparation and sharing of food.  Our salad bar has been a wonderful success in our first year, serving approximately 30-40 people each week.  In this first year we prepared soup, salads, wraps and tacos and look forward to expanding our menu in the fall. Student feedback is paramount to designing the weekly menu, as we welcome suggestions and continue to encourage students to try foods they may not be familiar with.  Our last salad bar of the year was the most successful to date, serving nearly 50 students and staff.  We look forward to building upon that success in the fall.  In addition, an important part of our program is to educate students about food literacy and the advantages of supporting local producers and suppliers.  We were able to decrease our environmental impact by using re-usable plates, bowls and cutlery.

Our future plans include utilizing our on-site greenhouse and to incorporate school-grown produce as part of the salad bar.  By expanding the participation of more students and classes, such as Green Industries, Construction Technology, and Science in the salad bar program, we anticipate the establishment of a cross-curricular program that is sustainable for years to come.  As well, we will continue to forge deeper connections in our community by increasing the amount of locally grown produce in our program.