AbbeyGroup – Page 12 – The Abbey Group

Stewartstown Wins First Annual Regional Teen Cookoff!

Colebrook, Stewartstown and Pittsburg recently participated in the first annual regional Teen Cook – Off. The student chef’s at each school took to the challenge of working alongside several local restaurants and The Abbey Group, in developing and producing new menu selections for the restaurants and school meal programs. The entire process consumed several months of planning and coordination. The two-part event started as a preliminary cook-off and the final cook-off was held on April 16. The Abbey Group had a hand in several parts of the competition including coaching and judging.

The students were required to make recipes that met the new food nutrition requirements met by the USDA while staying within 850 calories for the entire meal.

This year’s winner was Stewartstown Elementary and as winners, their menu was featured as a special school lunch where parents and the greater community were encouraged to join.

The winning meal was Turkey-Cheddar Wrap, Orange-Cucumber Salad and Brownie Pie.

Written by AbbeyGroup on June 4, 2014. Posted in Abbey in the News, Announcements

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Fairhaven Grade School Wins Smoothie Grant

The Fair Haven Grade School recently received a grant to purchase equipment to make fresh fruit smoothies. These smoothies will bring another exciting new breakfast option for the children.

Written by AbbeyGroup on May 8, 2014. Posted in Abbey in the News, Education, USDA, VT Department of Ed

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The Abbey Group Juding Teen Cook-Off Challenge

Recently, 3 teams from SAU 7 competed in a Teen Cook-Off challenge. Initiated by the district wellness committee, and funded by a grant from Harvard Pilgrim Health Foundation, the event challenged the student teams to create a school lunch that could meet the new USDA nutritional regulations. Each team was coached by staff from local restaurants, and advised by Steven Learned, the area Abbey Food Service Manager. The event drew enough interest to require a preliminary cook-off at 2 of the schools, Pittsburg School and Colebrook Academy. Those winners met the team from Stewartstown Community School on April 16th to decide which school would come out on top. The winners not only get bragging rights, but also monogrammed chef jackets with the winning restaurant’s logo. The judges for the final were Steven Learned, Nina Hansen, and Elaine Van Dyke. Elaine worked for the New Hampshire DOE in Childhood Nutrition for many years, and now operates her own consulting firm. The winner of the competition will be announced during a special presentation at the Tillotson Performing Arts Center in Colebrook on May 6th.

Written by AbbeyGroup on April 28, 2014. Posted in Abbey in the News, Announcements, The Abbey Feeds

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Eat Smart, Play Hard! – Healthy Living Education

As school food service providers, we believe that we have the power to positively influence the habits of a child’s eating habits. We start by providing wholesome and nutritious food every day and encouraging students to try new things through taste testing and cafeteria contests. We fortify these behaviors with our “Eat Smart, Play Hard” presentation given to all 4th graders. Site Managers and Nutrition Specialists deliver presentations, prepare food presentations, and play games with the audience. One game example is where the students have to name what each fruit and vegetable in a basket and determine if it is a fruit or a vegetable. Many educators request multiple presentations for younger and older audiences because the classes are so fun and educational.

The featured image of this article is fruit cups from one of our recent presentations!

Written by AbbeyGroup on April 18, 2014. Posted in Education, Events

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