Q. What kind of food does Acre Gourmet serve?
A. We make all of our food from scratch in our own custom designed kitchens. We use quality sustainable and organic ingredients including meat, chicken and fish from local and organic farmers.
Visit our Acre Real School Lunch page at www.acregourmet.com for more detailed information and menu samples.
Q. What are Acre Gourmet’s standards in regards to trans fats, additives, hormones, pesticides, sugar, GMOs and allergies?
A. Since opening our first kitchen in 1991 we have used sustainable and organic ingredients in all our cooking. Following in this tradition our Acre Real School Lunch Menus:
Q. Sustainable and organic food can be expensive. How can our school afford a lunch program that uses organic ingredients?
A. Making the transition to a healthy lunch program does not have to break the bank. We work with schools and parents to assure value in our Acre Real School Lunch. Volume-based orders are often delivered from organic farms directly to all our kitchens, allowing our sustainable organic ingredients to be affordable.
Q. Does the Acre Real School Lunch require an on-site kitchen?
A. In many cases it is possible to create a low cost on-site kitchen. If there is no option for an on-site kitchen, we welcome the chance to evaluate your needs to see how we can provide Acre Real School Lunch at your school.
Q. What system do you use for student payment, and how is it working out?
A. Acre Gourmet will work with your school to determine a workable payment model. Our existing schools work on 2 different types of models:
Q. Does a school need to add any staff to help manage the program? Who manages the food line and teaches young kids how to serve themselves?
A. It is not necessary for your school to hire any additional staff. Acre Gourmet is responsible for hiring and managing all kitchen staff. Each of our school’s lunch programs has its own floor manager who oversees the flow of the dining room and acts as a contact person for school administrators and parents. We welcome teacher and parental volunteers to help us in the dining room. We are also excited about our student volunteers who participate in our earth friendly projects.
Q. What will happen with our schools existing kitchen staff if we were to make a change to Acre Real School Lunch?
A. Our goal at Acre Gourmet is to provide you with a lunch program that serves you best. We will work with you to evaluate how your valued kitchen staff members can be integrated into our Acre Real School Lunch operation.
Q. How does a school navigate through the health codes and myriad of other compliance and related issues?
A. As food service professionals, Acre Gourmet can maintain the requirements of the health. We talk with our schools about all operational issues at the onset of the program and come up with commonsense methodologies to suit everyone. Other issues that come up after the program has launched are handled as they arise with flexibility, care and professionalism.
Q. As a parent, how can I bringAcre Gourmet’s program into my school?
A. Here are some general tips on getting started:
www.worldhungeryear.org/fslc/faqs/ria_063.asp?section=6&click=1
Steve De Cosse
Tel: 415-613-7296
Email: steve@acregourmet.com