Waldorf News

Kimberton Waldorf parents, students and staff grow, harvest and cook the school’s daily lunches

By Courtney H. Diener-Stokes

Every Monday around 9 a.m., Kimberton Waldorf School’s Food for Thought lunch program stocks up on Seven Stars Farm maple and vanilla yogurt.

Located just across the street, the biodynamic farm is among the many local food producers and growers the school uses to source ingredients for their daily lunch menu.

The agricultural hub of Kimberton, located in Southeastern Pennsylvania’s Chester County, makes the school’s location ideal for easy access to a range of seasonal produce that’s either organically or biodynamically grown.

Current partners include Seven Stars Farm, Kimberton CSA, Sankanac CSA, and Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op, among others.

Right on Kimberton’s 430-acre campus, the school’s two-acre organic/ biodynamic garden provides opportunities for the kitchen to preserve their bounty to last through the upcoming school year.

“I look forward to working closely with the planning of the garden to compliment a seasonal menu,” says Lianna Criniti, the school’s newly appointed kitchen manager and chef.

Gardening is interwoven with the curriculum and children at KWS experience the school’s acclaimed garden program from the elementary years through high school, so they give a hand in helping to create Criniti’s wholesome meals.

Lianna Criniti, left, is Food for Thought’s kitchen manager and chef. Photo by Melissa Kelly.

“The students plant a seed and, with love and care, watch the tiny seedling grow into a strong plant, which is then settled out into the garden — they get to witness the miracle of how the Earth provides for us,” says Celia Martin, KWS science teacher and student support coordinator, who previously served as a gardening teacher at the school for 16 years.

“When they finally get to eat the fruits of their months-long labor, they savor it and truly appreciate the time and care that went into growing it.”

The students benefit from the hot lunch program and garden program partnership in multiple ways, including expanding their palate, enjoying nutritious food, and realizing what goes into producing food.

“The kitchen benefits by getting free, fresh, very local food that the students are excited about and want to eat,” Martin says.

Items like homemade tomato sauce and pickles are among the more common pantry staples in the kitchen, compliments of last year’s harvest.

Apple cider, made from apples grown in the school’s orchard that were sponsored content picked and pressed by students, is highly anticipated come fall.

Leftovers are frozen into ice pops come spring when students can buy them at the snack bar after school. At the snack bar, they can also find Criniti’s plump, warm chocolate chip cookies.

Wednesday’s snack bar day is the designated spot for parents who are soup and sourdough bread boule subscribers, to pick up their share.

The slow-simmered soups, whether butternut squash, Italian wedding or potato leek, are packaged in 32-ounce Mason jars that are later returned by parents to be reused.

Parent volunteers help run the snack bar and earlier in the day, they provide necessary help in the kitchen to prepare each day’s lunch.

Food for Thought’s parent volunteer program is beneficial to both the running of the kitchen and for the building of community among parents.

Ania Zebrowski, who has four children at KWS, has a strong passion for cooking and feels that through volunteering, she can make a positive impact on the community while also gaining valuable culinary experience and skills.

“Knowing that we, as a community, prepare simple, delicious and healthy meals for the children and faculty gives me lots of joy,” Zebrowski says. “Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces as they come up for seconds is always heartwarming.”

Getting a chance to spend time with other members of the community is also a perk. “Working with other parents who share the same approach to the importance of cooking healthy food creates a good work environment,” she says. “I deeply believe that volunteering at the KWS kitchen brings joy and fulfillment to everyone’s life.”

Kimberton Waldorf School’s gymnasium is transformed into a dining room daily, with fresh flowers at every table. Photo by Melissa Kelly.

At about 11:30 a.m. each school day, a flurry of activity happens in the school’s gymnasium as Zebrowski and other parent volunteers work to transform the gym into a dining room complete with fresh flowers at every table, serving stations and a salad bar that offers a variety of toppings and sides, such as homemade applesauce and granola to top the Seven Stars yogurt.

After lunch, students place any leftover food in designated scrap bins. “The sixth grade comes and picks it up to dump in the compost bin on campus every day and sometimes the scraps are fed to the third grade’s chickens that live on campus,” Criniti says of their zero-food-waste approach.

She feels strongly that the involvement of the children in each aspect of the meals they’re eating is imperative to growing them to be food-conscious humans. “It’s a gift to be a part of passing that knowledge on to them and the community.”

Read on for Criniti’s tasty soup recipe that’s beloved by students, faculty and parents of Kimberton Waldorf School!

Potato Leek Soup with Fresh Dill

Potato leek soup is one of the beloved soups served for lunch by Kimberton Waldorf School’s Food for Thought program on ‘soup day’ every Wednesday. Serves 8 to 10

2 leeks, ends removed, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and kept whole
1 tsp. Paprika
3 Tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
3 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. cracked pepper
5 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and left whole*
6 cups vegetable stock 2 cups heavy cream**

• In a large pot on medium heat, sauté the leeks, celery, onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil for 10 minutes. Once the onions and celery are soft and translucent, add your spices and half of your dill.
• Continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
• Lastly, add your potatoes and stock, making sure to only use enough stock to barely cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes and then reduce to a simmer until potatoes begin to fall apart.
• Finally, using an immersion blender, blitz your soup while slowly adding your cream until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
• Fold in the remainder of your fresh dill and enjoy.

Notes from Chef Craniti:

* It’s very important to leave the potatoes whole during the cooking process because it allows for the natural starches in the potato to break down at a slower rate, thus making your soup rich and creamy.

** This soup can be made dairy-free by simply swapping out the cream for a dairy-free option. I prefer oat milk!
from GridPhilly.com