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Top 10 K-12 school food service stories of 2022

For school food professionals, the learning curves of the year have been rising costs, labor shortages and policy changes, among others; at heart, it’s been a labor of love for feeding kids.

Tara Fitzpatrick, Senior Editor

December 6, 2022

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One of FM’s top K-12 stories of the year was longtime FM friend Jessica Shelly of Cincinnati Public Schools receiving FAME’s top honor, Golden Foodservice Director of the Year Award. Go, Jessica! She was cited as the kind of director who strives to “not just serve school lunch, but to serve lunch at school.” Certainly making school lunch a positive part of kids’ lives is at the top of mind for the best “lunch ladies” and “food dudes” who fight for their right to nourish. On that note, we’ve included not just the Capital Hill news stories that affect school lunch’s future, but also the people who make a difference every day, the school lunch heroes that FM has been chronicling for 50 years. We also revisit the ways K-12 foodservice is leading the way with cool menu items and also paving the road for more farmers, more cultural diversity and more inclusion. In case you missed it, be sure to check out the last story on our list, where special needs students in Chicago learn valuable kitchen skills.

About the Author

Tara Fitzpatrick

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group

Tara Fitzpatrick is Food Management’s senior editor and a contributor to Restaurant Hospitality and Nation’s Restaurant News, creating editorial content for digital, print and events. Tara holds a bachelor of science degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Kent State University. Before joining Food Management in 2008, Tara was associate editor at National Association of College Stores in Oberlin, Ohio. Prior to that, Tara worked as a newspaper reporter in her hometown of Lorain, Ohio, where she lives now. Tara is a fan of food history, legends, lore, ghost stories, urban farming and old cookbooks. 

Tara Fitzpatrick’s areas of expertise include the onsite foodservice industry (K-12 schools, colleges and universities, healthcare and B&I), menu trends, sustainability in foodservice, senior dining, farm-to-table and innovation.

Tara Fitzpatrick is a frequent webinar and podcast host and has served on the board of directors for IFEC (International Food Editors Consortium).

Tara Fitzpatrick’s experience:

Senior Editor, Food Management (Feb 2008-present)

Associate Editor, National Association of College Stores (2005-2008)

Reporter, The Morning Journal (2002-2005)

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-fitzpatrick-4a08451/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tara_Fitzie

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/tarafitzie/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tara.y.fitzpatrick

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