FM On Demand: School chef solves eternal puzzle of getting kids to try veggies

We first saw Aramark K-12 Executive Chef Franny Bland on a Twitter video, where she was creating some very cool—and healthy—dips with Greek yogurt. It’s a universal truth that kids love to dip, so when veggies are not only the dippers, but also found in the dip (spinach dip), it’s a win-win. That’s just one of the ways Bland is working to get the students at Goose Creek Consolidated ISD to try veggies, and she has a few more to share.

In creating winning ways with veggies, some ideas along the way don’t work when kids actually try them. So, Bland has learned from failures, too, making that part of the journey. Her positivity lights up the lunchroom, and Bland says with this new school year underway, she’s mainly excited to be getting back to more hands-on activities with the kids, safely of course.

We asked Bland about her tips and tricks, and also a bit about her backstory. She’s a proud culinarian and a proud Texan as well.