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Team Effort!

notable News — 5/10/2012 10:18:09 AM

A healthy breakfast is a tool to academic success. Every child has the chance to succeed, if we work together!

"Childhood hunger is a problem in this country and it is something we can easily end." - Chef Bryan Voltaggio, Co-owner of Volt Restaurant.

School Nutrition employees know the importance of a healthy breakfast. Read the below article to see how a celebrity chef is advocating for the most important meal of the day! Working together, we can end childhood hunger.

Appreciation

notable News — 5/9/2012 3:19:45 PM

School Nutrition Employee Week is here!

For those of you who follow Child Nutrition News, you know that this week is set aside to recognize all those who work to keep school children happy, healthy, and ready for academic success. This is not an easy job - it requires teams of people in each school to do everything from order food and supplies, create enticing meals children will eat, run the lunch and breakfast lines (in a very short amount of time), deal with paperwork regarding safety issues, maintenance issues, labor hours, fedreal reimbursment, as well as a host of other responsibilities.

At notables, we are proud to work with the people that make a difference each and every day in the lives of these children. Over the course of the next few days, we will call out specific individuals that we feel go above and beyond the call of duty to offer healthy meals to school children across the country.

But, to begin, we would like to express our appreciation for all Child Nutrition Professionals. You make a difference every day. You make a child smile every day. You are important every day. Thank you for all you do.

Turkey Heaven

Jeff — 5/8/2012 11:07:15 AM

Jeff's Dad - aka Swanee - checks the trail map during an 80-plus mile 4-wheeler ride in the Black Hills

Turkeys, ATV's and Swanee

I took my annual spring turkey hunting trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota in mid-April, and not only was it a great trip vacation-wise, I was also able to bookend the trip by doing a little business.

On the business side, I scheduled meetings heading out and coming back with the Food Service Directors in three of South Dakota’s largest school districts – Joni Davis of Sioux Falls, Janelle Peterson of Rapid City and Darrel Davis of Pierre. These dedicated public servants are feeding some 37,000 of the state’s more than 125,000 public school K-12 population.

As for the turkey hunting, I bagged my bird within the first two hours of the scheduled four-day hunt just south of Hill City. Normally, being done this early in the hunt would relegate me to being camp cook and having a lot of down time while the rest of my crew was out hiking the hills in pursuit of the elusive Merriam’s wild turkey.

Jeff with his Merriam's wild turkey, taken on the opening morning of the Black Hills Spring Hunt

This was my sixth consecutive year turkey hunting in the Black Hills, and the last time I filled my tag on the first day, I was able to take the 3-plus hour round trip hike to Harney Peak, the highest summit east of the Rockies all the way to the French Pyrenees. This year, however, I created a memory that is sure to last the rest of my life. The hunting crew included the usual suspects: my brother Mike, my brother-in-law, his brother and dad and another buddy. Rounding out the party was my 72-year-old dad, Roger (but you can call him Swanee!) The great memory we created came from an 80-plus mile 4-wheeler ride we took on Monday.

This ride was awesome due to the beautiful scenery we were able to take in while traversing the ATV trails and logging roads of the southern Black Hills. We saw white-tail deer, mule deer, wild turkeys and eagles, not to mention the breath-taking views from high-up vistas. But what really made this experience great was simply being able to spend time with my dad. No, Swanee is dying or anything. In fact, he’s in better shape than I am, despite being more than 25 years my senior. It’s just that at his age (and mine) you do not want to take such experiences for granted.

I sure didn’t and I already can’t wait for next year!

Grant Deadline extended!

notable News — 5/7/2012 9:01:18 AM

Action for Healthy Kids to Award $1.2 Million to Schools for Wellness Initiatives
Deadline Extended to May 18, 2012.

Thanks to the generous support of the Walmart Foundation, Kelloggs, and Kellogg's Corporate Citizenship Fund, Action for Healthy Kids will be awarding $1.2M to schools for the 2012-2013 school year to support your school nutrition goals.

Funds can go towards supporting a number of school nutrition programs:

School breakfast programs (Grab n' Go, Breakfast in the Classroom, 2nd Chance)
School gardens
Farm to school programs
Salad bars
Taste tests
Healthy classroom parties
Summer feeding programs
Nutrition education
Improving food quality in school stores, a la carte, athletic events, and fundraisers
And more

Take advantage of these funds to reach your school's goals. The application is simple, and the deadline has been extended to May 18, 2012.

Make your school one of 500+ to receive these funds! Average grant size is $2,000. Granted schools will also receive valuable in-kind contributions from Action for Healthy Kids in the form of people, programs, and school nutrition and management expertise to support your efforts to create long-term positive changes in school breakfast, competitive foods, summer meals, and access to healthy food and nutrition education.

State Contacts - Action for Healthy Kids has key contacts in many states that can assist you with questions about your grant application. Please use this list to connect with your State Coordinator. They will also be in contact with you to make sure you have what you need to complete your application.
Grant Application - This is a link to the paper version of the grant application. All schools are encouraged to complete the paper application with your school wellness team. Once completed and reviewed, applications must be submitted online using the links provided in the application. Filling out the paper application will save you time when going to submit online.
Deadline - As a reminder, the deadline for submitting your application online is May 18, 2012. We encourage schools to submit early if you are satisfied with your proposal. We will be reviewing applications as they are submitted. Contact your State Coordinator for any technical assistance.
Go to www.ActionforHealthyKids.org/SchoolGrantsforHealthyKids for more information.

We look forward to partnering with schools to improve school health initiatives!

Sincerely,

Amy Moyer, MPH, RD
Director of Field Operations
Action for Healthy Kids

American History...for the wrong reason

Tom — 5/2/2012 8:55:07 AM

We just had our weekly staff meeting this morning, and one of the discussion topics was the School Nutrition Association’s annual conference (ANC) in Denver this July, which we are currently making plane and hotel reservations for. I was telling my colleague, Kathy, that the last time I was in Denver was 1999 when I lived there for about 7 months. I didn’t live there long enough to actually sustain any lasting memories, other than my fear of driving into the Rocky Mountains, which was always an unpredictable, hair raising experience, or riding my bike downtown to see a Rockies game at Coors Field on a nice sunny day. But then I realized, that wasn’t true, because there WAS a memory that will stay with me for the rest of my life…April 20, 1999…Columbine High School.

I was working that morning, making sales visits around Denver, and when I got back to my home office, I called my business partner, Jeff Diers, to tell him about something, and he seemed all distraught. I asked him if something was wrong, and he said “is something wrong? Haven’t you been watching the news…didn’t you hear what happened at Columbine this morning?” I said “No…what happened?”…he said “Turn on your TV…it’s all over CNN, and all the local channels”, so I hung up with him, turned on my TV, and watched the horror that unfolded on that tragic day. I found out later, that one of Jeff’s best friend’s kid was in the cafeteria when everything happened, and after what he witnessed, I know he will carry that with him for the remainder of his life. I lived about 4 miles from the high school, but to this day, 13 years later, I still think about it from time to time.

About a week after the tragedy, I had heard that there was a makeshift memorial that rose up out of nowhere, and that some stranger had driven across the country to erect 13 crosses to honor the 12 students, and their teacher who were killed, so I went over to see it with my own eyes. Words cannot describe what I saw, and read…there was a memorial to each student, and the teacher, and the notes that were sent by people all over the world to show their sorrow, were incredibly heartfelt, each one more tear jerking than the last. What left an indelible impression on me personally, were the living memorials, and signs on display on the student’s cars in the school parking lot….still parked in the same spots. It really hit me how innocent those students were…full of life, and hope, and all they had on their mind that morning when they parked their cars was going to school to learn, and continue in their educational efforts towards a diploma.

I also happened to look on the calendar this morning, and noticed that Friday, May 4^th, is the 42^nd anniversary of the Kent State Tragedy where four students were shot and killed by the National Guard in 1970. I was in 8^th grade when that happened, but I graduated from Kent State, and it was hard to forget that date, because you were reminded of it every day that you were a student at KSU. I finally went back to my alma mater on a trip to Cleveland (my home town) about four years ago. They now have a very sober, but fitting memorial to that tragic event in history in the parking lot where the bullets were fired on unsuspecting students just walking to class.

That’s two instances where institutions of learning were turned into, for lack of a better word, battlefields; where one side had the upper hand, and the other side had no defense. Guns and education have no place being interspersed together, and between Kent State, and Columbine…those were two instances that became moments in American History…for all the wrong reasons.

Hunger in the Classroom

notable News — 4/26/2012 10:35:12 AM

Everyone needs a good start to the day!

Bill Shore and David Kirchhoff talk about the danger of Hunger in New York's public schools in the below article.

http://nydn.us/JpUdw1

New Places

Kathy — 4/16/2012 8:01:25 PM

Living in Minesota, there is nothing I like more than the warm weather that comes with Spring! Today's weather was not beautiful. But, I was ok with that, because tomorrow I get to leave it all behind, and go sit on a beach in Mexico.

This is not a typical start to a notables blog - usually we like to talk about things that relate to School Food Service, Nutrition, and the importance of breakfast.

Breakfast is still important, and we are all still very dedicated to School Nutrition across the country. But, I know that all of you Food Service Directors out there will appreciate the thrill of laying on a beach without a care in the world!

It has been awhile since we posted a blog. I personally apologize for that, and promise that when I get back, we will go back to our weekly updates about the world of nutrition and notables.

Until then, I leave you with this thought - Vacations are like new beginnings. We all take them at different times, for different reasons. But, they always give you a chance to wrap up loose ends that you have been working on, and offer a fresh start (with fresh energy and dedication) on your return.

So, to those of you who have recently come back from a vacation, enjoy your fresh start! For those that will soon go on vacation, I wish you luck in the wrap-up and planning process. And, for everyone who doesn't have a vacation planned - start planning! Dream up a great place to go, and then make it happen!

Kids...Go Figure!

Tom — 3/7/2012 5:14:00 PM

2 of the three kids I watched enjoying a picnic

We work with a lot of school districts that have Breakfast in the Classroom Programs, and what I’ve discovered is that it literally takes top to bottom cooperation from the Superintendent to the custodial staff, and everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY in between to maintain momentum, and keep the ship afloat. Obviously, the Director’s want it because it maximizes participation, and federal reimbursement funding for their programs. Plus, studies show that a child who eats breakfast in the morning shows more of an eagerness to learn, achieves higher test scores, their attendance is steady, and there are less trips to the school infirmary due to illness…all positive bi-products. I also hear the downside that it creates a mess that the custodial staff isn’t necessarily overwhelmed to deal with. We have even tried packaging cereal differently in a pouch to reduce any mess, allow the kids to eat cereal like a snack, and drink their milk with the cereal, which hopefully reduces waste, and encourages them to finish all their milk, and not miss out on vital nutrients like calcium. Sometimes it works…sometimes it’s more of the same, but the theory, and the intention is noble from our standpoint.

Which brings me to a recent experience where I had a front row, center seat. You see…I’m a bachelor…I have no kids, but I have a million nephews and nieces who now have their own kids. Last month, my one nephew and his wife took a vacation out to Phoenix, AZ, and I volunteered to be “Uncle Buck” for the week they were gone, watching his three kids ages 9, and twins (boy and girl) who are 6. Not having a whole lot of experience with this whole “parenting thing”, it was usually a time crunch to get them out of bed, dressed, and fed by 7am, so I could get them to day care, and then I could get to work. The path of least resistance was usually cereal, and I was amazed at how much milk is wasted between three kids. They would finish their cereal, and leave the remaining milk, which I would end up throwing out. I bet I threw out a half a gallon of milk or more over the course of that week. When I was a kid, and even to this day, I still drink the milk that is left over once the cereal is gone, or I even put in a little more cereal, and finish up the milk with it.

My question is…is this typical or an isolated incident? Is there a better way to approach this for schools to reduce the waste of milk, and lost nutrients? If you have an answer for me…I’m all ears. If I learned anything that week…it’s that I’ll never be able to figure kids out!

Disneyland!

Sarah — 2/13/2012 10:00:36 AM

On a recent family vacation to Disneyland, I was pleased to see as many, if not more, fresh fruit stands than ice cream stands throughout the park; with children enjoying the natural sweetness of a slice of watermelon rather than an artificially colored, flavored and sweetened frozen treat.

This phenomenon is not only present at “the happiest place on earth”, but you will see signs of the changing food landscape everywhere you look. From the new school meal patterns to healthier items showing up in the grocery store aisles and quick serve restaurants, nutrition is on the minds of almost everyone. You can rarely pick up the paper or turn on the television without being overwhelmed by the most recent developments in nutrition.

Have we gone overboard as a nation? Is all of the discussion really making a difference in obesity rates and related illnesses? Well, it appears as though some small progress has been made. Last month the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicated that while obesity rates climbed drastically in the U.S. in the 1980’s and 1990’s, their increase has slowed or leveled off in many population groups since then.

Is our work here done? It is certainly not, with 12.5 million obese children in this nation and more than 1 in 3 obese adults. However, sometimes we need to allow ourselves the opportunity to celebrate the small victories while on the road to success. So go grab yourself a piece of fresh fruit, celebrate our progress, and then let’s all get back to the work at hand, creating a healthier generation!

Final Rule and FLOTUS

Rich — 1/31/2012 8:06:43 AM

The final ruling on the USDA school breakfast and lunch nutrition standards were released last week and while it seemed like a collective sigh could be heard, I believe that it was actually the sound of determination emanating from like-minded individuals coalescing around the common goal. For several years now, the spotlight has been trained on school nutrition, from reality television, radio talk shows and daily blogs alike, it has seemed like everyone has had an opinion about school nutrition.

Although some of the attention could be viewed as negative, most was positive, and frankly, I believe as Oscar Wilde did, “the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about”, or as Marshall Matz puts it, “if you are not at the table, you are on the table”; thus the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act signed by President Obama is now a reality. Perfection is not attainable, but the pursuit is, so it is with this mindset that we set out to continue our mission of ensuring that every child who wants breakfast, is able to receive breakfast, with particular attention paid to those that need breakfast.

On a different note, I traveled Tampa Florida last week to participate in a kick-off meeting with the Florida Power Buying Group, Tampa House, and after the meeting I received a text message from my office that the First Lady was in the area announcing a new partnership with Goya Foods and the USDA Mi Plato…I punched in the address into my GPS and made my way over to the event, mentally working on my “I am part of the solution” speech on the way over to somehow get in the doors of a closed to the public event…as it was, I was a little late to the party, so I didn’t get a chance to use my speech anyway.

However, I did get an opportunity to visit with the store management and dignitaries from Goya. During my visit we talked about nutrition, breakfast and the overall nutritional climate in the US today, and afterwards I walked away with a sense that there is a much larger nutrition narrative that is possible and that we should, ourselves, strive to achieve more through creative partnerships because honestly, positive change is not a top down discussion, it is an inside out movement.

HUAA,

Rich

Profiles in Courage

Tom — 1/17/2012 5:03:36 PM

(This was our booth at ANC in Dallas, where I first met Janice King)

I love getting each month’s School Nutrition Magazine…I especially enjoy reading the News Bites section, and the profiles of individuals within the School Nutrition Industry. In the January edition, I noticed that Janice King was profiled, and Janice and I have been talking back and forth for almost three years about her School Nutrition Program at Quaboag Regional School District in Warren, MA.

Janice first found out about notables® through one of our ads in 2009, and had expressed an interest in implementing a Pilot BIC program, if she could ever get school board approval for funding. I met Janice at ANC in Dallas in 2010, and we continued our conversations about her program.

I kept in touch with Janice to keep her current on what we would look like, and finally, right before Thanksgiving 2011, Janice e-mailed me to say that after almost three years of trying, she finally received the go ahead to Pilot a BIC program, and she wanted to start it with notables®. We actually laughed about the length of the timeline, and I applauded janice’s courage to not give up.

As I looked through Janice’s profile, and saw all of her many accomplishments (RD, LDN, CDE. SNS), I was so happy to actually know someone personally, who was so worthy of being profiled, because at the end of the day…we’re both on the same team when it comes to feeding needy children a healthy breakfast before school.

Resolutions

Kathy — 1/4/2012 1:21:54 PM

Outside Denver, Colorado

I took this picture last June when I was in Fort Collins Colorado, visiting family. The distant mountains can be seen along the drive between Denver and Fort Collins, and I stopped to take in the beauty of the sight. (we don’t have mountains here in Minnesota!)

Now, with snow on the ground, and a new year beginning, these mountains remind me of the resolutions we traditionally make. I just finished reading the Minnesota School Nutrition Association’s monthly newsletter, the MSNA Thymes. The opening article shares professional resolutions that different MSNA members have made for the upcoming year. Everything from being a better role model to the kids they serve, to studying for a credentialing exam, to sharing their accomplishments.

It is time to make my own goals for the year – both professional and personal, and determine how I will reach them. I’m sure many of you are doing the same, so I offer a piece of advice we’ve been talking about at notables. Set your goals – they are the mountain tops. Then, determine the day-to-day tasks you need to accomplish to reach them. Each task should have a purpose. This will help you reach your goals quickly and efficiently.

Good luck to everyone as you make your resolutions, and a happy healthy 2012 to all!

Happy Holidays!

Sarah — 12/28/2011 10:34:26 AM

Happy Holidays!

Below is a short video for your entertainment.

Reflections

Rich — 12/21/2011 9:59:21 AM

Manhattan Beach at Sunset

I just returned from a business trip to my home state of California and I had the opportunity to reflect as I drove along the Ventura Freeway…One of the things that kept popping into my mind as I looked out toward the Channel Islands is the fact that we become so wrapped up in our day to day lives that we fail to look up and use our eyes to see, not the task at hand, but really what is around us. Maybe that is what Calvin Coolidge meant when he said “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas”…

Happy Holidays, Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas,

Rich

Winning the Whole Grain Challenge

Jeff — 12/15/2011 9:36:49 AM

Congratulations Osseo!

I would like to congratulate Osseo (Minn.) Area School District Food Service Director Tom Pellegrino and his staff for winning the 5^th annual Whole Grain Challenge in the K-12 Public School Division.

Not only is Osseo Dist. 279 one of my customers in buying notables whole grain breakfast kits and afterschool snack sacks but it also the school district that I attended, and it is where my two sons go to school now.

An initiative of Boston-based 501(c)3 educational non-profit Oldways and its Whole Grains Council (WGC), this Challenge encourages all dining and foodservice outlets to come up with original, creative, and compelling ways to promote whole grain awareness and enjoyment.

Winners were chosen based on creative whole grain menu offerings and innovative promotional efforts throughout the month of October. In awarding Osseo Dist. 279, the following was written:

“A very impressive showing by public schools, despite their limited budgets, but the standout winner was the Osseo Area School District. This Minnesota kitchen staff recognized their need for additional help, so reached out to locally-based Cargill to help them develop delicious recipes. This partnership, a great model for industry/school joint efforts, spoke volumes about the staff’s dedication to deliver whole grain foods that the kids would eat and enjoy. Now baking their own from-scratch dinner rolls and French breads, this unique school cafeteria has gone above and beyond.”

White Knuckle Driving and the Blue Smurf Turf

Tom — 12/7/2011 3:47:17 PM

In mid-November, Rich Morehouse, our VP, and I travelled out to the Pacific Northwest to visit about 30 school districts, and meet with a distributor who is going to carry notables® in Washington State, Idaho, and Oregon. Our travels took us from Minneapolis to Seattle, Seattle to Boise, Boise to Portland, and Portland to Seattle in a three day period…covering roughly 2600 miles by plane, 1400 miles by car, three states, three time zones, and a trip through the Blue Mountain range in Oregon that rivaled Space Mountain at Disney World in Orlando. Speaking of Disney World, we also saw for the first time with our own eyes, the unique, nationally famous, Blue “Smurf Turf” at Boise State University, home to the nationally ranked, BCS busting, Boise State Broncos.

The trip started out with an hour and half plane delay due to “unbalanced fuel distribution”…Rich’s comment to that was “Hey, if we’re going over mountain ranges…you take all the time in the world to make sure this plane is safe”. We missed our morning appointment in Seattle due to the delay, but headed Southeast across Washington State, through the absolutely stunning Snoqualmie Pass to Toppenish, then Sunnyside, and finally arrived in Boise around 9:30pm. It was a long drive, but that was like hitting the “Easy” Button compared to the drive from Boise to Portland. As we climbed through the Blue Mountains, the weather started to get worse by the mile until we reached La Grande, OR where they decided to close I-84 for about 2 hours while they cleared off jack-knifed semi-tractor trailer trucks, and spun out cars. When they finally opened the Interstate back up, it was so snowy, and icy, that you could only go about 20 MPH without the risk of a spin-out, and we had a Toyota Corolla, which was probably the worst vehicle to have for driving in these conditions. It was pitch black by now…Rich did a fabulous job driving, and my job was to keep the tunes blasting on the radio if we could even find a frequency. Eight hours after leaving Boise, we arrived to our hotel about an hour north of Portland around 10:30pm, and if you looked up the word “punch drunk” in the dictionary…you’d have seen our faces next to it.

We had school visits to make in the morning, and then Rich had a meeting at the NORPAC Paper Mill in Longview, WA in the afternoon. I had never been to a paper mill before in my life, had no idea what to expect, and was absolutely amazed at the process of how paper is actually made. The plant itself was the size of about 15 Blue Smurf Turf Fields put together, and supplies a majority of the newspaper that is printed in the Far East, as well as a number of countries in Europe. To say my experience at NORPAC was mind-boggling is an understatement…it was WAY more than that.

We capped off our trip at a GREAT artisan pizza restaurant, “Serious Pie”, in downtown Seattle, and were joined by an old friend of mine from Minneapolis (via Cleveland) who now lives in Seattle, Dan Galvin, before taking the red-eye flight home, and arriving in Minneapolis at 6am. Rich and I both went into work Friday morning, and compared notes on Monday about how much we slept over the weekend. We both agreed it was a Grind…but a GOOD Grind.

Social Media!

Kathy — 11/30/2011 10:27:14 AM

In cafeterias across the country, Child Nutrition professionals are continuing to try to find ways to connect with their kids. What is the easiest way to connect with kids, parents, colleagues – or anyone, really?

Facebook.

On Facebook, you have a 24-hour-a-day-7-days-a-week outlet for nutrition education. Not only can you post menus and nutrition information, you can post pictures of your staff, students enjoying lunch and breakfast, and ask questions of both parents and kids.

You can “like” pages of different school districts to get ideas, and stay in contact with colleagues you meet at conferences. You can “like” manufacturer pages, so parents can see the companies you are working with, and how you are working together to provide healthier meals.

Many people say the hardest thing is to get started. I would love to offer a step-by-step guide to beginning a Facebook page for your department, but that would not be helpful.

So instead, I offer one piece of advice – go to the source!

Who is your Facebook page for? Your students.

Students are experts at Facebook. Allowing a student or group of students to help you get started and plan your page will involve them in the entire process. It will also ensure it includes the information they will be looking for.

Ok, I guess I’m going to offer two pieces of advice. My second piece of advice is:

Let people know you are there.

Print your Facebook link on every piece of communication – emails to vendors, menus to students, letters to parents, online contact information. If people know you’re out there, they’ll go looking for you!

Facebook is a tool, and with any tool, the more you use it, the more you gain from it. Try starting discussions (What was your favorite lunch item this week?) ) or post contests (What meal do you think has the most Vitamin C? Give your answer to the cashier for a prize).

Any way to keep people checking your page will keep students and parents involved in what you are doing, and aware of the thought and effort you put into healthy meals for your school.

Oh, and let me know when you have a page up and running! I would love to go check it out!

Thanksgiving

Sarah — 11/23/2011 9:34:15 AM

Happy Thanksgiving!

thanks·giv·ing: the act of giving thanks

Thanksgiving has many different meanings depending on who you ask:

turkey,

football,

pie,

parades,

shopping,

naps;

just to name a few. But when I am looking for the definition of a word, I go straight to the authority; The Merriam Webster Dictionary. According to them, thanksgiving is something we “do”, not something we watch and not even something we eat. Instead, thanksgiving is an act, an act of giving thanks.

So, this Thursday, by all means enjoy the wonderful food, football and fun, but more importantly, take the time to actively give thanks in your own way.

I would personally like to thank my family, the entire notables team, our partners and most importantly our customers. Thank you all for your support, I am truly blessed; it has been another notable year.

Sarah

Induction Day

Rich — 11/14/2011 9:43:50 AM

"I, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to the regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God".

This is the oath that members of the Armed Forces take on their induction day and on this Veteran’s Day, 2011, I want to personally recognize the men and women that I served with in the 544^th Combat Applications Squadron, 544^th Strategic Intelligence Wing…

Your honor, valor and respect for the uniform made me a better person and Airman, furthermore your service is uniquely woven into our Constitution and our Flag and I thank you…and to the Sierra Hotel Red Team and Tundra Wookies…see you on the other side.

Rich

USAF

1987-1992

Being "Of Service"

Tom — 11/2/2011 4:24:43 PM

Where will your path take you?

About two months ago, I was in a crowded restaurant in South Minneapolis, very near to where I live, and I happened to strike up a conversation with a young woman who had just returned from a two year stint in the Peace Corp. She had been working as an English teacher for underprivileged children in Madagascar, where the population is estimated at approximately 20 million people, and 85% live on less than two dollars a day. Having very little prior knowledge of the Peace Corp, and how it works, as well as what Madagascar is like, I had a lot of questions, and we must have talked for about an hour on what she was able to take away from the experience. She talked a lot about the kids themselves, and how eager they were to learn, not so much the older children, because they didn’t think they had much use for learning English, but more so the younger children. I walked home that night, and was absolutely blown away at how someone, in such a self-absorbed world, where it’s usually all about personal gratification, could be so selfless as to dedicate two years of their own lives to help make someone else’s world a little better. I couldn’t help but be impressed by her.

I get a little taste of that once a month through a volunteer program at my church. It’s called Pathways, and it’s part of an outreach program to assist those that are living marginal lives, possibly living out of their cars, or under bridges. It’s about a nine week program that touches on a wide variety of topics that are designed to help them transition back into society, and rebuild their self-esteem, and social skills. It touches on topics like how to keep a budget, or anger management, and mainly focuses on being spiritually centered, and finding that inner peace to climb out of their situation, and try and improve it. I generally work with another guy to serve dinner to these folks before the program begins, and I get such a great feeling being “of service” to them, because these folks are so appreciative no matter what is on the evening’s menu.

We try to apply these very same principles with our customers as well, no matter if it’s a 3 school district, or a 153 school district…we treat every customer the same…like they are our most important customer, because they are. Just like I try to make the folks I serve dinner to at Pathways know how appreciative I am to be “of service” to them, or I’m sure that young woman I met in that crowded restaurant, when she explained how she tried to make each child she taught English to feel important. In a world where generally the question is “what can you do for me?”, it’s refreshing to be in a position to ask someone else “what can I do for you?”

Social? Media

Kathy — 10/25/2011 9:20:21 AM

(notables sponsored table at CNIC 2010)

Social: (adjective) seeking or enjoying the companionship of others

Media: (plural noun for medium) the means of communication, as radio and television, newspapers and magazines, that reach or influence people widely.

I grew up in a household that was always on the cutting edge of technology. My parents have owned a computer since I can remember, and I was one of the few kids in my class that turned in “Word Processed” book reports in elementary school. (For the record, I’m about to turn 31. So, I’m not that old, but I do remember when phones were attached to the wall)

In some ways, I am fairly old-fashioned. Even through college, I always started writing assignments on a blank piece of notebook paper. I enjoy a conversation over a cup of coffee more than I enjoy a text-chat, and I prefer going up to a bank teller for a withdrawal rather than visiting the most convenient ATM.

Does this mean that I don’t appreciate “social media?” Absolutely not. I subscribe to Groupon, and the other social media coupon deals, 3 different sets of headlines are waiting for me in my inbox when I wake up in the morning, I shop online, I communicate daily via facebook and occasionally twitter, my smartphone is connected not only to my phone line, but also 3 different email accounts, all my networking accounts, and the web, and RSS Feeds are among my favorite ways to stay current regarding multiple organizations. I understand the rules and etiquette regarding cell phone use, when a text is more appropriate than a phone call, and how to organize events and manage information via the multiple channels now available.

But I don’t really think of any of that as social. Social media is simply media. It is a way for more and more people to interact with each other about absolutely everything. This seems social on the surface, but it is all just another layer masking actual human interaction.

As people, we all seek out that interaction, and no amount of statuses, postings, website updates or tweets will replace the connection you make when you look someone in the eye and introduce yourself. At notables® we constantly work to maintain personal connections. Of course, we utilize different (social) media channels – but we all prefer the real relationship that comes from getting to know child nutrition professionals and other industry members individually.

Through October and November members of the notables® team are travelling across the country to meet with schools and attend conferences. I guarantee you will see these trips tweeted, posted and blogged. But, the most important thing we ever hope to gain from these trips are new friends and colleagues, and establishing true social connections. This is something we can never recreate with a computer.

As technology moves faster and faster, sometimes it seems that our in-person approach may just be the most cutting edge version of social media available.

Apple Pie

Sarah — 10/18/2011 9:14:36 AM

If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.
Carl Sagan

There has been much discussion lately about school nutrition programs, with buzz words such as “fresh”, “scratch” and “local” entering the conversation, but will someone please define these words for me?

For instance, last night I made my family an apple pie. I used apples I purchased at the orchard just a few miles from my home. But, the apples were already picked for me; I didn’t actually pluck them from the branches with my own bare hands. Were my apples truly “fresh”? Let’s talk about my crust. I purchased a Pillsbury® brand refrigerated pie crust at my local Target® store. Both Pillsbury and Target are Minnesota based companies. Because I live in Minnesota, is my crust then considered “local”? And for that matter, what about “scratch”? After all, I did roll the crust out using a rolling pin and I gently laid it into the pie plate and craftily pressed the edges with a fork; that should count for something, right?

I’m not certain my apple pie meets the criteria for fresh, scratch, or local, but I do know that it was made with love and it was mighty tasty, and if you ask my family, they will tell you that nothing else really matters.

What`s With All the Numbers?!

Rich — 10/12/2011 9:36:33 AM

2,18,5,1,11,6,1,19,20

A little over a year ago I listened to a discussion about the power of numbers. If I tell you that Rich’s Luxurious Shampoo of the Stars will make your hair shinier, you may not believe me…but were I to restate that Rich’s Luxurious Shampoo of the Stars will make your hair up to 33% shinier, 4 out of 5 users claim their hair has 50% more bounce and as a bonus, there is 25% more free for first time buyers, suddenly there is an inherent truth simply because I have applied a numbers to it. How does that happen? It could be that it is because math is universal, we didn’t invent it, we discovered it but we all know that numbers are powerful

Let’s look at school nutrition and numbers. Numbers range from program participation and F/R percentages to fortification and total calories per meal, to name a few, these numbers can become overwhelming. Where is Fibonacci when you need him? Plus, sometimes, to really play with your head, numbers will fight each other…

”I am the bigger number!”

“No, I am the bigger number!”

…”Oops, too big!”…

For instance, let’s use the fruit component in a reimbursable After School Snack as an example. Typically, this is a shelf stable juice component, actually a shelf stable 100% juice…there is a number again. According to the USDA, for ages 6-12, this component should be a minimum of 6 ounces (3/4 cup). Our Snack Sack features a 6.75 ounce juice…, now what? How do we remove .75 ounces from a Tetrapak juice box? “Hey kids, leave a little in the bottom of the box…no slurping!” Seriously though, what do we do? Particularly when this lagniappe affects numbers like these, $0.76; $0.38; $0.07, the reimbursement rates for Free, Reduces and Paid students…Too many numbers!

Ok, before we completely shutter the entire topic and run away to join the zombie nation, here is clarity for consideration. The minimum number of ounces is 6 for the juice component…there is not a maximum number stated (caveat – this pertains to the reimbursable snack segment only, the a la carte segment is topic for another day), so you can keep those extra .75 ounces for good measure and still be in USDA (this pertains to individual states like Texas as well)…so drink all of your juice and be healthy…whew!

(How many numbers did you count in this blog? How many in the picture?)

Meeting Our Customers

Jeff — 10/6/2011 8:58:42 AM

Earle Brown Elementary students are all smiles as they taste test some notables breakfast samples during their Open House September 1 in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

I am in schools all the time meeting with Food Services Directors to talk to them about notables breakfast bags and afternoon Snack Sacks. Oftentimes I pass students in the office while checking in or in the hallways or cafeteria on my way to my meeting with the FSD.

Other than a request once in awhile by a bold middle-schooler to have one of the tasty samples I am carrying to my meeting, rarely do I get to talk to our real customers first hand. The students.

When I do get the chance to talk to the students, I do enjoy it. Two years ago I was at Covington Elementary in South Sioux City, Nebraska, to observe the process of breakfasts in the classroom, and just this past spring I was in Columbus, Wisconsin, to survey the students at Columbus Elementary on what they thought of some breakfast products that we were considering using in one of our breakfast options.

My colleague Kathy Goebel and I had the good fortune a couple weeks ago to introduce notables to the students at Earle Brown Elementary in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. Food Service Director Sandy Schultz invited us to the school open house to answer any questions the parents and students may have about our breakfast options and what to expect on the first day of school when the breakfast in the classroom program would be introduced.

Kathy and I brought plenty of samples for the kids to try, and judging by the smiles on their faces, students at Earle Brown Elementary will be excited to start their school day with a nutritious breakfast from notables!

K C & C O

Rich — 9/9/2011 10:05:00 AM

I am unable to add fresh insight as it pertains to the tensions that we, as a country, are experiencing. From a state government shut down here in Minnesota, political infighting in D.C., rising unemployment, increasing 4 day school weeks, manufacturing closures, on and on, we are inundated with the negative and honestly it can be overwhelming at times.

However, life must go on and we must do everything that we can to ensure that we are addressing the challenges that we chose to meet, and in our case, it is to increase access to school breakfast every single day.

Frankly we do not have time to worry; we have too much work to do.

In the West Corridor of the Library of Congress an inscription reads The Foundation Of Every State Is The Education of Its Youth. Truer statements are few.

Science proves that kids that eat breakfast are prepared to meet the learning day with the best possible set of circumstances. Kids that are succeeding in school are better prepared for graduation standards and at a minimum high school graduates earn at least 30 percent more than non graduates. It does not stop there. High school graduates going on to earn a four year college degree will earn, on average, 65 percent more.

The ripple effect experienced from educating kids is unending and without oversimplifying the argument, breakfast is the start.

So the message now is the same assertion the British Government used during WWII.

KEEP CALM and CARRY ON.

I THINK MOTHER NATURE COULD USE A SEDATIVE, OR TWO

Tom — 9/1/2011 12:26:21 PM

I have seen some crazy things from Mother Nature in my life, but I don’t believe I’ve ever seen two potentially catastrophic events like an earthquake AND a hurricane hit the same area of the country in the same week. That was crazy.

I experienced my one and only earthquake while out in San Francisco in 1999. I was sitting in a restaurant below the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the bridge that lost a 50 foot section during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake that measured 6.9 on the Richter Scale, and caused extensive damage throughout the entire Bay Area. I was with a bunch of friends who lived in SF, and had experienced earthquakes before. At first, I thought it was just the wake from the barges that were passing through the channel adjacent to the restaurant, but the person sitting next to me asked if I had felt something. When I replied yes, she confirmed it was an earthquake, and although it was in my mind, minor, it ended up being a 6.2, with most of the damage taking place some 75 miles away near the epicenter.

What was not minor was the Category 3 Hurricane Alicia I experienced in Houston in 1983 which caused the loss of 21 lives, and 2.6 billion dollars in damage. I had been through a Hurricane in Key Largo, Florida in 1981, but nothing that compared to the scale of damage caused by Alicia. I will never forget the sight of 80 story skyscrapers with 40 floors of windows completely blown out, and some six inches of glass that piled up within a two mile radius of the Central Business District.

I have recently talked with many School Food Service Directors we work with along the East Coast who had to do a lot of shuffling around of perishable food items due to the power outage from both the earthquake, and Irene…I know firsthand what they’ve been through. Fortunately, notables is shelf stable, and doesn’t require refrigeration, but my concern is more for the individuals themselves, their families, and their property. Food can always be replaced, but it is an inconvenience to have to deal with, especially with the start of school occurring simultaneously, and the busy time of year it is for Directors.

I hope that a sense of normalcy is restored to all those that were affected by both, and I hope that Mother Nature takes a few sedatives, and a long nap from further catastrophic events throughout the US.

Back to School

Kathy — 8/23/2011 10:45:59 AM

Last week, in honor of schools that are starting across the country, I went school supply shopping. I cleaned my desk, set up my new pencil holder with brand new sharpened wood pencils - my favorite, and tried to get myself organized for the coming school year.

As I was accomplishing these small tasks, I realized just how much there is for schools to do before the students come back. Classes need to be assigned, new students need to be enrolled, curriculums planned, workshops attended, and sports teams are already holding try-outs and practices.

And then there are lunches and breakfasts to be planned, food to be ordered, new guidelines to consider, and menus to complete. Growing up, I never stopped to consider all the planning on so many different levels that impacted my education. Everything from having a bus at the correct bus stop each morning, to making sure I had a desk to sit in, something to learn, and a good meal in the middle of the day.

Looking back, I realize how important all of those things are, and how I would not have done as well without them. So, this is a very belated thank-you to everyone - teachers, administration, custodians, bus drivers, food service - everyone who helped make my school years amazing and memorable! And thank you for everything you have done, are doing, and will be doing for the students this year. It is appreciated by all.

Cooler Days Ahead

Jeff — 8/18/2011 11:33:08 AM

During the Nebraska School Nutrition Association vendor food fair Tuesday, June 28, in Norfolk, Nebraska, I had the honor of meeting West Point Public Schools Head Cook Jill Carlson.

The theme of this conference was Building Blocks of Good Nutrition, and notables took part in the Builder Bob program that encouraged directors to visit vendors to check out what is new in the food service industry.

Above, Jill displays the new cooler she won by visiting the notables booth.

Sisterhood of the Travelling Cowgirls

Sarah — 8/9/2011 2:57:38 PM

I am lucky. I grew up with an older sister who I adored, just as she adored me. We got along wonderfully as children and still do to this day. But I am also lucky in having such wonderful sisters as part of my professional life; co-workers, employees, customers and partners. There are so many wonderful women in this industry who I have the pleasure of working with (and playing with) on a daily basis. Even notables has been blessed with a sister, Mission Nutrition.

We call Mission Nutrition our sister company, but in reality she is really more of our mother; from Mission Nutrition, notables was born. Mission Nutrition is the leading school foodservice promotions provider in the nation, having been in the industry for nearly 30 years, providing schools with fun and educational promotional materials and decorative meal bags. It was with Mission Nutrition that I cut my food service teeth 12 years ago. As more and more schools told me that they were using our decorative meal bags for breakfast in the classroom programs, we decided to put food in the bag, and that is how the notables story begins.

But, in no way is that the end of the story for Mission Nutrition. Mission Nutrition continues to provide schools with an affordable turnkey solution to marketing their food service programs through the 9 month Special Events program, we carry over 100 decorative meal bag designs and provide the opportunity for custom packaging solutions, we have promotional programs for National School Breakfast Week and National School Lunch Week as well as an entire catalog of fun and educational everyday items.

I recently had the opportunity to travel with Amy Dinkel, the Mission Nutrition Account Executive, to the TASN conference in Ft. Worth and ANC in Nashville and as always, we had a blast doing the things sisters do; shopping, dancing, eating, laughing and of course, working!

TASN Fun

Sarah Lindberg,notables and Amy Dinkel, Mission Nutrition

A Nashville Party

Amy Dinkel, Mission Nutrition with Sarah Lindberg and Kathy Goebel, notables

Check out our sister at www.mission-nutrition.com

SuperBOWL

Jeff — 8/3/2011 9:31:30 AM

School food service workers in Wisconsin know how to keep the party going… and with good reason! To continue celebrating the Green Bay Packers fourth Super Bowl championship, the School Nutrition Association of Wisconsin hosted a vendor bowling dessert party The SuperBOWL during the 54th Annual SNA WI Conference in Green Bay.

Despite my lack of bowling ability, and being a Vikings fan, I had a blast bowling with other industry members at the event.

My bowling team

pictured with me from left to right

Heidi Krabbenhoft and Donna Houswerth of Pepsico and Jim Gallagher of AccuTemp

Live from Nashville

notable News — 7/19/2011 3:00:07 PM

Recently, notables, and our sister company Mission Nutrition www.mission_nutrition.com went down to Nashville for the 2011School Nutrition Association Annual National Conference.

We saw old friends, made some new friends, and performed live at the Opryland hotel. While all of us were very excited about the celebrities we met, and the offers to tour, we decided to come home, and continue focusing on our favorite messages - healthy breakfast and good nutrition for all!

But, we wanted everyone to be able to enjoy our artistic success. So here it is, the long awaited Mello Smello performance! Sit back, relax, and take a moment to enjoy our version of Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus.

http://bit.ly/p09IZ7

Yeah... We know!

l-r Rich, Amy, Tom, Kathy, Jeff, Sarah

The Hoover Dam

Rich — 6/20/2011 10:00:58 AM

On Wednesday I drove through the Virgin River Gorge via Las Vegas to attend the Utah SNA summer show in St. George. The drive was incredible, the show was great and I had a blast getting to know the Utah Foodservice Professionals. Afterwards on my way to fly back home from Las Vegas, I routed the GPS to take me to the Hoover Dam…last weekend, I finished building a coop for my ten week old Columbian Wyandotte chicks and I was pretty proud of myself, because, and I am not ashamed to say, I think I did a pretty good job creating a new home for the little ladies…

...seeing the Hoover Dam though gave me my perspective back and my coop is just a coop…but my visit did make me think that if we can build a dam to harness the Colorado River, it can’t be that dam hard to broaden access to breakfast, right?

Minnesota Industry Conference

Jeff — 6/10/2011 12:45:30 PM

I had the fortune of working on the 2011 Minnesota School Nutrition Association Industry Conference Planning Committee this year, and what an experience it was!

Although the conference took place May 3 and 4, 2011 at Ruttgers Bay Lake Lodge in Deerwood, Minnesota, the planning process started just about eight months earlier when a very talented group of individuals came together to brainstorm ideas that would lead to one of the most well attended conferences in memory.

The committee was led by chair Laurance Anderson of Vader and Landgraf and included school food service employees Amy Thering of St. Paul Schools, Wendy Knight of Rosemount Schools, Bernie Reinke of Hutchinson Schools, Debbie Harrod of Moundsview Schools and Jean Winters of Prior Lake Schools. Committee members representing industry were Jill Ponder of Mascari, John Jurichko of ATSandR and Sue Schnichels of JM Smuckers.

The result of the eight planning meetings was the conference titled Better Together and was attended by more than 120 school food service employees and industry representatives. Highlights included: speakers Robin Getman on Is Your Networking? and Kim Ratz on Better Together by Playing Nice in the Sandbox. Breakout sessions were Are You Leading From Your Soul? by Robin Getman and Commodities 101 by Jeanette Johnson Reed of the Minnesota Department of Education. To allow for some networking by attendees, activities included a round of golf and a scavenger hunt, and for entertainment, industry and food service members teamed up for a game of Family Feud.

Chair Laurance Anderson already has some ideas for next year and I cannot wait to be a part of the planning process!

Industry Conference Committee Chair Laurance Anderson of Vader and Landgraf welcomes attendees to the annual Minnesota School Nutrition Association Industry Conference May 3, 2011 at Ruttgers Bay Lake Lodge in Deerwood, MN.

A Model of BIC Efficiency

Tom — 5/23/2011 10:23:02 AM

I recently visited Illinois to meet with several school districts, and one of the school districts was Bloomington 87, who serves notables as part of their Breakfast in the Classroom Program at the Junior High School. This is a model program that was set up by Julie Fehrenbacher, the Child Nutrition Director, Marc Dietz, the Junior High School Cafeteria Manager, and Holly Reindl, who heads up Procurement…34 classrooms serviced by 7 staff members segmented into pods, who place the exact number of breakfasts in boxes needed per classroom. They start right at 7:55am right before homeroom, and head out for each of their specific 6 classroom pod segment. The teachers have their counts, and they come out to the cart, grab what they need for that morning, and the staff member writes down the number per classroom on their chart. The whole process takes about 15 minutes tops, and if the staff members are on their way back to the cafeteria when the pledge of allegiance starts over the loudspeaker, then they are right on schedule. It wasn’t a notables breakfast day when I was there, but they used notables cases to distribute breakfasts, so at least we were involved in some small measure.

It was really fun to see a school district embrace this concept, and streamline it to be so efficient. I had seen a similar procedure done at MSD Washington Township Schools in Indianapolis, and I could see how serious the staff members from both school districts were in fulfilling their objectives to get the students started off correctly for a day of learning.

Summer is Here!

Kathy — 5/16/2011 2:31:28 PM

It has been my turn to update our notables blog for about two weeks now... As you can see, I have not been on top of it.

Every time I sit down to try to write something, I cannot help thinking about how beautiful it is outside! So, I would like to take a moment to encourage everyone to get out and enjoy the weather! Go for a walk, do yard work, visit a Farmers Market, whatever you think of when the weather is warm and the sun is shining.

This weekend I took full advantage of the weather by going on a 4-hour long walk around the lakes in Minneapolis. It was great to see so many other people out and about, enjoying the weather, and having fun!

Happy Summer!

My 3 Favorite Letters

Sarah — 4/20/2011 2:41:01 PM

SNS. Who knew how excited I could be about these three simple letters? It is official, I am credentialed, and I get to add more ink to my business card. Is that all it means? Not even close. These three letters are so much more than just that. They are an outward sign of my dedication to this industry, and our vision as a company. I am honored to be part of an incredible group of school nutrition colleagues who together are working to provide nutritious school meals and help students build life-long healthy eating habits.

And the Winner is...

Jeff — 4/1/2011 1:29:23 PM

Congratulations Amy!

Amy Lawrenz, the food service director for the Random Lake Wisconsin School District, was the winner of the framed Super Bowl program cover that notables gave away during the 2011 SNA-Wisconsin Spring Conference March 31 in Stevens Point.

Both notables and OlymPak Printing & Packaging are divisions of Mello Smello. OlymPak has produced the front cover to the game day program for each of the last seven Super Bowls.

Amy proudly displaying her super bowl cover

Is enough, not enough?

Rich — 3/18/2011 3:45:49 PM

I have participated in two national conferences so far this year and I have listened to authorities close to the topic of child nutrition speak on topics ranging from whole grains and sodium limits to revised USDA nutritional standards and childhood obesity, each voice speaking with similarity, much of which I agree. Before returning home from the 2011 Legislative Action Conference in Washington D.C., Sarah and I had an opportunity to take a tour of an organization that is actively using food to strengthen their community. Taking tours of schools, facilities and organizations is not new, we do this as often as we can, but this tour was different, and what I witnessed changed me…Maybe not so much changed me, but it made me rethink the singularity of school breakfast versus a more wide perspective of hunger issues and opportunities in our communities and the nation at large. So, what do I do with this seemingly epiphanic insight? I am not exactly sure…I do know this though…I thought we had enough to do, but the truth is, we have not even begun to do enough…so, while we continue to make the main thing (breakfast) the main thing, we will be seeking new opportunities to do more.

EHFAR,

Rich

A Wider Vision

Going Back to School

Jeff — 3/11/2011 4:01:13 PM

There are a lot of things to like about my job. At the top of my list is visiting school sites and meeting customers face to face.

On March 8, not only did I have the opportunity to meet customer Brenda Maier, the food service director at Columbus School District in Columbus, Wisconsin, I also got to meet some of our real customers, the students in Mrs. Baker`s Clubhouse Kids in-school daycare program.

I was at Columbus Middle School bright and early that morning to serve our notables hand-packed breakfasts to the Clubhouse Kids during National School Breakfast Week. I also used the opportunity to have the kids sample a product that notables is considering adding to our breakfast line up next year. From the great feedback I got from the teachers, food service staff and students, the notables breakfasts were a hit. One student was too busy enjoying her breakfast to talk to me, so she just gave the universal thumbs up to express her opinion!

Thanks Brenda for letting me be a part of your day and thank you Clubhouse Kids for being so polite and excited about breakfast!

Three Full Circle Experiences...From Several Angles

Tom — 3/4/2011 10:23:08 AM

It is funny how life can come full circle...after I graduated from Kent State University, my first job was as a restaurant manager in NE Ohio for Howard Johnsons in one of their casual dining divisions. After two years, I was offered a position that took me to Miami, Florida, where I worked for the Sysco Corporation in their Export Division. Now, I am with notables working with Child Nutrition Departments...Sysco is one of our customers...a full circle experience.

Between Howard Johnsons, and now notables, I worked in the exhibit graphics industry as a Project Manager. In early February, I travelled to NE Ohio to visit 18 school districts in two and a half days, and included a school district located in Canton, Ohio, home to the world famous Pro Football Hall of Fame. One of the most high profile projects I coordinated during my tenure in graphics involved two large photo murals that were installed as permanent exhibits in the PFHOF. While driving to visit Canton City Schools, I was going right by the Hall, so I decided to stop in and see an old friend, Joe Horrigan, who is the HOF Curator, but he was still in Dallas following the Super Bowl with the newly elected 2011 HOF Class. I took a couple extra minutes before my meeting to get our trademark picture of the notables bag in front of the main entrance, a second full circle experience.

After my stop at Canton City Schools, I drove down to Kent, Ohio to meet up with two of my old tennis teammates that I played with on the KSU team during college. One I had not seen in 25 years, the other, 30 years...we spent several hours catching up on our life travels since graduation, rehashing old stories of matches, and the many road trips we took during our career as student-athletes...bringing our lives, and collegiate tennis experiences...again, full circle.

Spring is here!

Kathy — 3/1/2011 4:21:26 PM

Ok, so there is still snow on the ground here in Minnesota, but the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and it is becoming easier to be outside without a bulky winter jacket.

March happens to be my favorite month. The weather is usually perfect to go for a bike ride and have a snow ball fight all on the same day. Winter storms may still come, but the snow melts sooner, and the sun shines brighter!

There is a lot going on in the month of March as far nutriton goes, too! March is National Nutrition Month! Celebrate by planning a healthier-than-normal meal, or eating your favorite fruit or vegetable as a snack.

National School Breakfast week is coming up, March 7-11. If you know any students, encourage them to participate in the events planned in cafeterias around the country - hey, why not stop by yourself?

So, whether you decide to wear green on St. Patricks day, try to fit in one last ski trip, or simply watch the snow melt away and dream of summer, make sure that you celebrate the nutritious side of the month, too.

I see Grass!

Test Day

Sarah — 2/18/2011 4:52:49 PM

My blog post this week is a bit self-serving, but I need your help. In two weeks I will be taking the School Nutrition Association SNS credentialing exam in Washington D.C.

How can you help, you ask?

Well, by putting this out here in cyber-world for all to see, it forces me to do well. Because you see, when my test results are in, I will be forced to announce the results, and I certainly do not want to come back here in six weeks and announce that I failed. So…

this weekend when I would rather curl up on the couch with a good book or movie than study meal patterns and food safety, knowing that I blogged about this today will be the exact motivation I need.

Gotta go study, wish me luck!

Groundhog's Day!

notable News — 2/15/2011 8:03:07 AM

Groundhogs Day was a couple weeks ago, and according the headlines, spring is on the way! Here in Minnesota, we are starting to see the snow melt, and the sun shine!

While we all go out and enjoy the beautiful weather, we also need to start thinking about summer, and what that means for school nutrition.

In Minnesota, the planning has already begun. Learn more in this article from Minnesota Public Radio: http://bit.ly/hD1VPC

Check out the story to learn more!

Breakfast Fit For a King!

Rich — 2/2/2011 10:47:36 AM

With few exceptions, since February of 1886, St. Paul Minnesota has hosted an annual Winter Carnival with the mission to foster a sense of community, pride, belonging and connectedness by celebrating the unique history and emerging heritage of St. Paul through fun and educational experiences. To communicate this mission a Royal Court, lead by a King and Queen, is established to be the visible voice, nationally and internationally, of the St. Paul Winter Carnival. This year, Team notables had the distinct privilege of meeting the King and Queen of the St. Paul Winter Carnival, and we just happened to be ready to help out with breakfast…from kids to Kings, breakfast still remains the most important meal of the day.

St. Paul Winter Carnival King Boreas and Queen Aurora 2011 – Madalyn Dosch; Keith LeBlanc

Exotic Destinations

Jeff — 2/1/2011 12:29:57 PM

In this space Team notables has written about its many travels to meet with School Food Service Directors around the country. While on the road we are afforded the opportunity to visit some points of interest that are in some cases exotic and others that are, shall we say, off the beaten path. Whether it is visiting the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. or hiking to the top of Harney Peak in the Black Hills of South Dakota, visiting some of these sites is a welcome relief after logging hundreds of miles behind the wheel.

Last week, I was traveling in Nebraska and had the opportunity to visit one of the shrines of NCAA college football – Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. I was giddy with the opportunity to visit the Osborne Athletic Complex to see the Big Red`s five national championship trophies, the Heisman room and its state-of-the-art workout facility.

Now visiting anywhere in the nation`s heartland in January would not qualify as an exotic location in any travel guide, but being a lifelong Cornhuskers football fan, being able to experience the tradition of Nebraska football in Lincoln ranks No. 1 among my travel highlights!

A statue of legendary Nebraska football coach Tom Osborne with a player greets fans in front of the main entrance of the Osborne Athletic Complex.

We Are on a Mission

Kathy — 1/28/2011 3:32:57 PM

In the past couple of weeks, there has been a lot of talk about the new propsed USDA regulations, and what that means for Child Nutrition Programs.

While on SNAs TrayTalk.org Website, I recently ran across a video that reminded me why we are all here. We are on a mission. I invite you to watch, enjoy, and be inspired! Together we will work through the regulations, we will continue serving kids healthy meals, and at least at notables, we will continue to enjoy what we do, and all of the Child Nutrition professionals we work with.

notables 101

Meroby 5th Graders — 1/22/2011 7:55:57 PM

The following quotes were collected by Greig Parr, 5th Grade Teacher at Meroby Elementary school. The school district recently introduced a grab and go breakfast program. According to Mr. Parr, Food Service Director Jeanne LaPointe and Principal Melanie Chasse gave our school a little history lesson on this latest motivational tactic to make kids aware of the importance of starting a day with fuel in the belly. My room happens to be 101, so we are calling this assortment of written notes...Notables 101

Great for kids who dont have time to eat in the morning. – Julia S.

My Notables are always yummy, and they are healthy too. – Alyssa A.

Notables are great. Just grab one off the rack, take a milk, and enjoy. – Jacob C.

When Im going to get a Notable and a milk, it`s like they jump off the rack and say Take me to your room. – Robin H.

Grab and Go is the best thing for us. – Megan G.

Notables are very convenient. I give them a 5 star rating. – Lucas B.

Im not able to describe how great the Notables really are, so I guess you will just have to experience them yourself. – Brooke C.

Notables work well for me. It gives me one less thing to worry about getting ready for school. – Jonah D.

They are great and they are free. – Katelyn G.

Breakfast is now faster, easier, and better. Cool with a capital C. – Jacob S.

Notables are healthy, easy to grab, and easy to eat. – Nathaniel R.

The Grab and Go Breakfast is filled with yummy foods. A great idea. – Stephanie N.

They are fast and very good for you. Notables are perfect for kids dont eat breakfast at home. – Beth M.

I love them, and you will too. – Devante D.

Have you noticed that Notables actually say NO TABLES? This makes it easy to grab it and eat it. No Tables are required. – Sebastian W.

In sunny Cal

Tom — 1/18/2011 5:28:30 PM

Jeff and I just returned from Pasadena, California after attending the California School Nutrition Association Conference. The Conference was really good…talked to some great people, learned a lot about their specific breakfast and snack programs, and most of all, what is important to them on an individual basis. Every state is different, and the more we learn by getting out there, and talking to people in school foodservice, the more we learn how we can be of assistance. We did get a chance to do a little sightseeing while we were there…saw the famous Rose Bowl Stadium, went to Hollywood, drove down Sunset Strip, and through Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive…plus, the weather was absolutely gorgeous the entire time. Being a sports fan, the highlight for me personally - and I think Jeff felt the same way - was walking into Dodger Stadium for the very first time, and actually seeing it with my own eyes instead of on TV. I thought about all the great moments that took place there, and Jeff even commented that I had that look of amazement like a 5 year old kid attending his first big league game…I hope I never lose that.

Happy New Year!

Kathy — 1/10/2011 5:24:28 PM

Wow, 2011 already seems to be flying by. One of my resolutions in the new year is to read more. This is saying a lot, since reading already happens to be one of my favorite pastimes.

One of the books I have started in the new year has been great. Free For All: Fixing School Food in America, Janet Poppendieck shares everything you have ever wanted to know about child nutrition in public schools.

Check it out! It really is fun, humorous, and definitely insightful. We can all learn something from this book.

Below is a link to an interview with the author.

http://bit.ly/arKk7a

Thoughts on Success

Sarah — 12/27/2010 4:09:02 PM

Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable. – John Wooden.

During our recent 2010 annual sales meeting I presented to our sales staff John Wooden`s Pyramid of Success and shared with them a brief presentation given by Mr. Wooden. I would like to share that presentation with you now, with the hope that it will have the same effect on you as it did on me, and the entire notables team. As we move into 2011 with brand new goals and a sense of `starting over`, perhaps the words of Mr. Wooden will provide you with a clearer path for achieving success, whatever your definition of success may be.

Nulla tenaci invia est via

Rich — 12/20/2010 9:48:26 AM

Last week I was scheduled to travel to Maine for field visits in Bangor, Augusta, Portland and points between. However, after a snowfall that left the Vikings Metrodome looking like a fallen soufflé, the flights east were not cooperating. As I hopscotched from one airport to the next I contemplated bagging the trip and heading back home; I also had time to consider what it means to be tenacious. We are a company that is focused on a mission-based solution to ensure that every kid that wants breakfast, gets breakfast. Sure, there are many other aspects to our focus, healthy offerings, efficiency, cost effectiveness, etcetera, but set within the mandate of the Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act, who am I to give up when it takes me over 18 hours to fly 1600 miles to meet with schools that are searching for help to serve breakfast?

Nulla tenaci invia est via..., indeed.

Healthy regards,

Rich

Bangor High School

No Moose on the Loose!

What a Ride!

Jeff — 12/10/2010 4:55:12 PM

The past year has been quite a ride... literally! I have put on quite a few miles over the past 350 plus days spreading the good word about notables breakfast and snack programs to just about anyone who would listen and advocating improved school nutrition.

I kicked the year off in January with a trip to Madison, Wisconsin. I was one of the dozens of school food service industry members and Food Service Directors who attended the SNA WI Legislative Action Committee Day at the State Capitol. The delegation met with virtually every Wisconsin lawmaker to stump for adequate financial support for Child Nutrition Programs among other key legislative nutrition objectives. The process was repeated in March with Minnesota political leaders.

Although it was closer to home, in February the notables team was honored to be able to be led on a tour of the Central Kitchen of Minneapolis Public Schools by none other than Rosemary Dederichs. After seeing the operation at MPS, it is no wonder that Rosemary is held in such high regard among School Food Service professionals.

In March, I was in Waukesha, Wisconsin for the SNA WI Spring Conference. In May it was up north to Brainerd Minnesota, for the MSNA annual Industry Conference and in June, July and August I represented notables as a vendor at state School Nutrition Conferences in Bismarck, North Dakota, Ames, Iowa, La Crosse, Wisconsin, Kearney, Nebraska, Huron, South Dakota and Rochester, Minnesota as well as at ANC in Dallas.

In all of these travels, one of the common themes that I have noticed is that we have many great people advocating for quality nutrition for our children. Lunch Ladies may be easy targets for the uninformed, but for those of us who see what is happening every day on the front lines of school nutrition, we know that we have many skilled school nutrition professionals striving to make our children healthier. I would like to thank all those I have met this year for their dedicated service.

A bump in the road... Somewhere in Iowa

Close to Home

Kathy — 11/22/2010 3:52:46 PM

As I went to write this blog, it occurred to me that I haven’t had a chance to travel for notables in quite awhile. Other notables team members have travelled across Southern Georgia, through Indiana, Michigan and Illinois, up into Maine, and across Wisonsin. I have followed their exciting travels and stories from the comfort of our Minneapolis headquarters.

Staying home does not mean that I never get to interact with schools, though. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to volunteer at a local school. Wednesday morning at Earle Brown Elementary with Ms. Stohlmann’s first grade class has become the highlight of my week. It always amazes me how quickly the time slips by, and how much fun I have with the kids.

The hour of activities is different each week – sometimes I get to read with a small group, and focus on a certain story. Other times I sit down with one or two students, to help with make-up work. Each time I walk into class I never know what we will be doing. But, as I pack up to leave, I am always happy I came, and am definitely energized about going back to work.

The chance to volunteer is definitely something I am thankful for. I have met amazing people, and I am reminded each week how great it is to work with school employees from all over the country… people who get to interact with students every day! Thank you for all you do, and enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday!

(Below: Earle Brown Elementary School as seen from notables HQ in Minneapolis)

Moose Country

Sarah — 11/16/2010 9:37:21 AM

I had the opportunity to visit Maine for the first time last month, on a whirlwind trip through New England during prime fall foliage season, and was astonished by the absolute beauty I saw around every corner. I arrived in Maine after dark and drove through thick fog on windy roads for several hours before making it to my hotel in Wilton, ME. I saw numerous Moose crossing signs along the way, which made me a bit uneasy, but also excited by the prospect of actually sighting a moose! When I awoke the next morning and the sun finally broke through the fog, I was in awe of the scenery I had missed the previous night in the dark. Although I never did see a moose, I did encounter many wonderful individuals on my journey. Thank you to Jeanne LaPointe at RSU10 and Jeanette Kimbell in Nashua, NH for your hospitality along the way, I look forward with great anticipation to my next trip to Moose Country.

Moose Country, ME:

A notable Reflection

Rich — 11/5/2010 3:37:50 PM

One of the sincere joys I have with my job is the opportunity to meet new people in new parts of the United States. I have been to Georgia numerous times (too many to count actually); however, recently I traveled to a part of that was new and unfamiliar, south-west Georgia. My itinerary directed me to Bainbridge (the Decatur County Seat) to meet with Debbie Purcell, Foodservice Director for Decatur Board of Education. Debbie was extremely gracious with her time as we visited one site after another so that I could understand how their breakfast programs worked at the elementary, middle and high school levels. The school foodservice community represents some of the most down to earth and pleasant individuals that you will ever meet and Debbie and her staff were no exception…Southern hospitality on display! Prior to leaving I drove through the streets of downtown, lined with trees dripping with gauzy Spanish moss, stopping to snap a photo in the city square. For me, for our entire team, it is truly about being able to not only talk the talk, but to walk the walk…to get out on the road and meet the frontline, the people that make an impact with child nutrition, day in and day out… and on this day as I packed up to leave, my thoughts were on my morning meeting and my much too short stay in south Georgia, and I was again thankful for the opportunity to meet new friends as we do our part to help shoulder the effort to increase breakfast participation.

Rich

Below is a notable reflection from Bainbridge

Field of (Whole Grain) Dreams

Jeff — 11/1/2010 4:20:58 PM

While traveling to visit school Food Service Directors in Northeast Iowa last week, I felt a strong urge to visit a place I had long been curious to see. No, I didn`t hear voices in my head encouraging me to make the pilgrimage, but being a big baseball fan and being less than an hour away, I couldn`t help but point the car toward Dyersville to visit the movie site of the 1989 hit film Field of Dreams.

Upon my arrival, I was surprised how simplistic the playing field was but also how regal the farm house and outbuildings looked from the diamond.

Being that it was a blustery day in late October, there weren`t any tourists visiting the field while I was present. There wasn`t even any corn standing to form the outfield fence. Although I don`t get very star struck, I did think it was pretty cool that Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones and Burt Lancaster all stood on this very spot while filming one of my all-time favorite movies.

While pulling away to my next destination of the Quad Cities, my reason for being in Iowa quickly returned to my thoughts and that is providing whole grain prepackaged grab`n go breakfasts and afterschool snacks to school districts to feed their students. In keeping with the theme of the movie, I thought of a new selling point (cue the whispering voice from the movie):

“If you feed them whole grain breakfasts, they will grow healthy.”

Living Healthy in Rochester

Jeff Borowicz — 8/13/2010 9:14:38 AM

I just got back from the 54^th Annual Conference of the Minnesota School Nutritional Association, which was held in the shadows of the world renowned Mayo Clinic at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester.

With the theme of Opportunity, Believe & Achieve, exhibit chair Colette Pohlkamp of ISD 181 in Brainerd, with the help of many, did an excellent job putting together a great show that was attended by more than 165 vendors and exhibitors and more than 730 food service professionals.

This year’s MSNA conference certainly gave notables® the Opportunity to continue to spread information about our nutritious prepackaged breakfast and afterschool snack options that we Believe will help food service directors Achieve their goals of feeding healthy minds.

We are already looking forward to another great show in 2011 in St. Cloud!

Just Add Milk

R. Morehouse — 8/4/2010 9:36:28 AM

We are in Spokane Washington for the annual WSNA conference and it has been an exciting couple of days! We have made lots of new friends and have had the chance to reconnect with some of our very first customers. It has been invigorating to share our passion of breakfast with the great child nutrition professionals of Washington. During our visit to Spokane we have seen many interesting landmarks, including a giant Radio Flyer wagon, but one stood out in particular because it fits our message of "everything but the milk"...Well, we found something that just might do the trick....Healthy travels and remember you can take breakfast with you!

Benewah Milk Bottle and notables®

New and old faces in Kearney, Nebraska

Jeff Borowicz — 6/30/2010 1:17:11 PM

I just returned from the 53^rd annual Nebraska School Association State Conference in Kearney. The folks in "Big Red" country did a really nice job spreading the message of "Share the Key to Healthy Child Nutrition."

Starting at Monday night`s dinner, it was great to finally be able to put faces with the voices of many of the Food Service Directors from Nebraska I`ve been speaking with by phone during the past year. While sitting at a dinner table with a couple of vendors and a few school food service people, I saw one face in the crowd that needed no introduction. Walking toward me was none other then Wendell Ring, director of sales for Grand Island-based The Thompson Co. "Coach Ring" as I knew him back in the day was my high school basketball coach 26 years ago at Park Center Senior High in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. We were able to do a lot of catching up as our booths were right next to each other during the Vendor Food Show on Tuesday.

Another new face I met along the way in Kearney was the (portrayed) old face of Crazy Meek, a 1800s mountain man at the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument. Crazy Meek (portrayed by University of Nebraska Kearney theater history professor Jack B. Garrison) looked like he could use a good meal, so I offered him a bag of notables (see photo below).

At the Vendor Food Show in the spacious Viaero Event Center, notables` breakfasts were very well received by many of the Food Service Directors throughout the state. I look forward to continuing to work with them on providing a cost effective, nutritiously conscious whole grain grab`n go breakfast solution.

Crazy Meek, at the Great Platte River Road Archway in Kearney, Nebraska, knows a good meal when he sees one.

Visit by Congressman James Oberstar

Sarah — 6/16/2010 1:08:43 PM

On Saturday, June 12 notables® hosted Minnesota`s 8th District Congressman, James Oberstar, at our facility in Grand Rapids, MN. The Congressman, an avid cyclist, truly understands the correlation between starting the day with a healthy breakfast, along with an active lifestyle, and its impact on fighting childhood obesity. He is a friend of notables® and a friend of child nutrition.

Thank you Congressman for your visit!

Happy Earth Day!

Sarah — 3/8/2010 12:15:48 PM

Celebrate Earth Day with a .40 Organic Breakfast!

Please call your notables representative at 1-800-967-1702 for additional information or to place an order. Hurry, supplies are limited!Offer is valid on notables breakfasts B, E and F only. Additional shipping charges do apply.

Healthy Holidays

Sarah — 12/21/2009 12:06:01 PM

Happy and Healthy Holidays! I love gifts. I love to receive gifts, and I love to give gifts. Birthdays will never get old for me, and the holiday season is the greatest time of all. When purchasing gifts for others, I often-times get much more excited about giving, than the recipients are of receiving. This year, however, I chose a gift for the notables® office staff that I think everyone should be excited about, a FEED Bag from FEED Projects. The purchase of this reusable shopping bag will provide a nutritious school meal to 100 children in Rwanda. Please take the time to read the staggering statistics below, and if you are still searching for that perfect gift this holiday season, give the gift of food, education, health and above all, hope.

Have a Healthy Holiday,

Sarah

Hunger and malnutrition kill more people than AIDS, malaria, and TB combined. The global food system is imbalanced and people are sick and dying due to lack of good quality nutrition. Almost 400 million children around the world go to bed hungry every night. In fact, every five seconds a child dies because he or she is hungry.

There are still over 77 million children not attending school (60% of which are girls), 150 million children drop out of school before attaining a basic primary education, and 50 million hungry children are not receiving any form of food aid.

School feeding is one of the most effective solutions to stopping hunger and breaking the poverty cycle. In 74 countries, the UN World Food Program (WFP) offers a nutrient-packed meal to children in school. This food gets kids to school, who might not attend otherwise, and gives them the energy to learn and empowers them to better their lives.

FEED Projects goal is to reach hungry children through the sales of FEED bags. FEED bags raise much-needed funds for WFP school-feeding operations and awareness of the problem of child hunger.

Purchase your bag online at www.FEEDprojects.org or pick one up at your local Whole Foods.

Welcome Kathy!

Kathy — 10/27/2009 11:49:28 AM

After the first bite of a Country Choice Organic^® Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bar, I knew that Notables was going to be a great place to work. Not only are the breakfast options Notables makes available to schools nutritious, whole grain and natural; they are also delicious!

Hi! I’m Kathy, the newest member of the Notables team. I will be joining Tom, helping out at our corporate office in Minneapolis. I come to Notables with a background in corporate responsibility and supply chain logistics. When our Vice President Rich sat down to explain the Notables mission, and what we were trying to accomplish, I was ready to sign on! I knew this would be a great way to promote healthy eating, while partnering with schools across the country to bring nutritious options to kids that will help them succeed and do their best!

Over the past couple of years, I have been lucky enough to volunteer with Big Brothers/Big Sisters in Minneapolis. Once a week, I would meet my “little sister” for lunch at school. I know just how tough it is to get kids to choose the healthy options schools provide, and how much tougher it is to actually get them to eat the food! One of my first thoughts when trying the Notables food was “Wow! My little sister would love this!” Being a part of a team that strongly believes all kids should have access to a balanced breakfast at the beginning of the day makes Notables a great place to work. We approach every opportunity with enthusiasm and energy, ready to work with schools to decide what works best for them, and how we can collaborate to improve their individual breakfast programs.

I look forward to working with Tom, Jeff, Sarah and Rich to get our message out there, and speaking with schools about how we can partner to help breakfast programs grow and be a successful experience for all students. Have a healthy day, and I hope to speak with you soon!

Partnership

Rich — 10/1/2009 9:16:44 AM

From day one Sarah and I steadfastly committed that Notables® would be a partner and advocate to and for the school nutrition industry. Over the past several weeks I have visited departments from Omaha, Nebraska and Texas Regions 2, 3, 4 to Phoenix Arizona and San Bernardino, California. Invariably after every visit a new learning is understood which strengthens our commitment. To be certain, we are not interested in simply becoming a supplier selling the next food item…but rather, we are committed to helping bridge the gap between industry and manufacturing, between whole grain nutrition and a great tasting breakfast, between problem and solution, and most importantly, between partner and supplier. At the end of the day, we want to be viewed as an ally that “gets it” and understands what is needed, rather than what is next.

Have a healthy day, and I hope to see you soon,

Richard

Spreading the Notables Message

Jeff — 8/25/2009 10:15:39 AM

Spreading the Notables Message
By Jeff Borowicz

Time flies when you’re having fun … and loving your job! As I sit here writing this blog I have already wrapped up my first month as the Account Executive in the Mid-Central Region for Notables by Mello Smello. And what a fun and exciting ride it has been!

First, a little background about myself: My name is Jeff Borowicz and I arrived at Notables after a 19-year career in newspaper publications and marketing communications. I live in a western suburb of the Twin Cities with my wife, Michelle, who is an elementary school teacher, and two sons, Joey and Marty, who are both very active junior high schoolers.

What probably attracted me the most to the Notables team is the passion and enthusiasm shown by our Vice President Richard Morehouse and Executive Director Sarah Lindberg for improving the lives of students one breakfast at a time. They absolutely know they are making a difference in the lives of school-age kids across the country by simply providing them with a highly nutritional breakfast to start their day. After all, studies show that students who eat school breakfast increase their math and reading scores, as well as improve their speed and memory in cognitive tests. That’s pretty noble work if you ask me.

This summer has been quite the learning experience for me. During the second week of my new career, I found myself in the beautiful Pacific Northwest at the annual Washington School Nutritional Association Conference in Tacoma where I met so many wonderful people who share a belief that all students should start the day off with the advantage of a healthy and tasty school breakfast. I quickly learned that this is not just a passion in the Pacific Northwest, but it is conviction shared by School Food Service Directors, Managers and Cooks in South Sioux City, Neb., Worthington, Minn., Superior, Wis., Chandler, Ariz., Dalton, Ga., and many more places in between.

As my duties take me to more school districts in communities from Aberdeen to Zumbrota, I look forward to meeting many more people in the school food service industry who are looking to serve Notables’ highly nutritional breakfasts. My message is simple: “Breakfast. It’s in the Bag.”

Seven Weeks In...

Tom — 8/13/2009 12:01:47 PM

I started with Notables on June 22nd, as Sales Coordinator, and I can’t express how excited I am to be a member of the team. From the very beginning of my conversations with Richard Morehouse, our Vice-President, and Sarah Lindberg, our Executive Director, I could see in their eyes just how passionate they are in promoting School Nutrition, and it is definitely contagious. I look forward to the start of every day, and what I can accomplish in support of our objectives, because at the end of the day... it’s all about the kids, our future, and who can’t get excited about that?

Tom Lemon

Notables Celebrates One Year

Sarah — 7/21/2009 11:51:00 AM

Notables shared an evening of good food, great entertainment and terrific company with friends and customers at ANC 2009 in Las Vegas. Thank you to all of you who helped us get here, it has been an unforgettable year.

See y’all in Dallas!

How Cool is That?

Sarah — 7/6/2009 1:10:06 PM

Notables is being featured on the “How Cool is That?” section of Rachel Ray’s non-profit organization, Yum-O!, website. “How Cool is That?” is dedicated to people and organizations who are making an effort to improve the way we eat, both locally and nationwide. And how cool do we think that is? It is very cool indeed.

Link

http://yum-o.org/how_cool.php?id=51

New Team Member

Sarah — 6/30/2009 2:40:26 PM

Notables is growing and we can’t wait to introduce our newest team member, Tom Lemon. A big part of our top-notch customer service team,Tom is available to track your orders, send samples, nutrition information, etc…

Tom can be reached at tlemon@notables.com or extension 5476.

Welcome Tom!

ANC 2009

Sarah — 6/30/2009 1:12:48 PM

It is that time of year again and this time it is Viva Las Vegas!

Notables will be unveiling new products this year, and we want to your feedback.

Our booth number is 2464 and we are looking forward to seeing all of you again and

showing you how Notables can make breakfast easier than ever.

What Is Your Most Vivid Memory of School Food?

Sarah — 3/18/2009 9:52:46 AM

Share your memory to win prizes and bring more resources for healthy school food

What is your most vivid memory of school food? Put that memory into words, images or video, and you can win some delicious prizes . Healthy Schools Campaign and Applegate Farms are pleased to announce the Fresh Voices for Fresh Choices Contest, in which entrants share their most vivid school food memories for a chance to win fabulous prizes while raising awareness of important school food issues. Adults can win a Panini party package, while students can win a healthy, tasty breakfast for their school and see their winning entry printed on Notables breakfast bags. Entries will be accepted through May 1, 2009 and votes will be accepted through May 15, 2009. Learn more and enter online at www.healthyschoolscampaign.org?contest.

Fresh Voices for Fresh Choices Contest Asks: What Is Your Most Vivid Memory of School Food?

Notables heads to Washington D.C.

Sarah — 3/12/2009 9:53:56 AM

Last week we had the unique opportunity to travel to Washington D.C., in support of the School Nutrition Association, to attend the SNA Legislative Action Conference and meet with our legislatures to ask for support of the 2009 Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition and WIC Act; what an awesome experience! Throughout the 4-day event we met so many incredible individuals dedicated to school nutrition; to say the atmosphere was electrifying would be an understatement. The true star of the event was the SNA 2009 Reauthorization Issue Paper. This issue paper, which was distributed to members of congress during our “charge to the hill”, asks for two simple things, an increase in funding and an improvement on nutrition standards. Both of these issues are fully supported by Notables and we have only just begun our journey through this legislative process.

Have a Healthy Day,

Sarah

2009 Issue Paper PDF

Why Notables?

Sarah — 2/3/2009 9:57:04 AM

Why Notables?

I have been asked on numerous occasions where the name Notables comes from? So, here is the much anticipated answer; drum roll please... ... Notables is the combination of two words, "no" and "tables"; clever, right? We think so. Anyway, we developed Notables with the intent of it being the perfect solution for situations where tables may not be an option; breakfast in the classroom, summer feeding programs, field trips, breakfast on the bus and other grab `n go venues. No tables, No Time, No Problem, try Notables!

Have a Healthy Day,

Sarah

Happy Holiday's and Healthy New Year, see you in 2009!

Sarah — 12/16/2008 10:00:21 AM

Hurray! It’s official; we are in the business of selling breakfasts. We are shipping orders and we couldn’t be more pleased. Thank you to our customers who helped make it happen, you know who you are . I look forward to continuing to work with all of you, and meeting those of you whom I have not yet had the chance.

Also, a great big thank you to our food partners! I am thrilled to be working with such wonderful individuals who produce such fantastic food. I had the opportunity to travel to British Columbia earlier this week and meet the folks at Nature’s Path Organic. What an impressive company with terrific values, and great tasting cereal. Be sure to grab a box the next time your at the store.

Happy Holiday’s and Healthy New Year, see you in 2009!

Sarah