Santa Cruz Schools Culinary Director Resigns

Culinary Director Jamie Smith has resigned from the Santa Cruz (CA) City Schools after nearly four years of trying to improve the district's food service program, reports the Santa Cruz Sentinel. Smith, formerly executive sous chef at the Universit of California-Santa Cruz and a successful commercial restaurateur, had been hired to revamp the district dining program in 2009 by using more fresh local ingredients and from-scratch preparation. He also implemented breakfast in the classroom and a free summer meal program and cooking classes. However, participation rates have remained stagnant at around 22-24% for lunch and 12-20% for breakfast over his tenure.