BK in the News
Chef "K" appeared on KSHB-TV 41 Midday Shows Living Green Segment Monday June 16th at 11:00am. Chef "K" discussed how menu changes are helping students in both the cafeteria and the classroom. She also made a delicious Bison Stew which is one of the items on the Bistro Kids Farm 2 School Lunch menu. The recipe is listed on our Recipe of the Month page. Click the link below to watch Chef "K" on Living Green.
August 1, 2011
BISTRO KIDS JOINS TREAT AMERICA FOOD SERVICES TO EXPAND ITS DELIVERY OF HEALTHY,
FRESH FOODS TO SCHOOLS
MERRIAM, KS -- Treat America Food Services announced today its alliance with Bistro Kids™, the small but mighty company that has been steadily transforming Kansas City school communities by “empowering, teaching, and feeding as many students as possible, kid-friendly meals that are healthy, seasonal, delicious and whenever possible, locally grown.”
William Pellien, Vice President of Treat America Dining Services, described the partnership as “bringing Bistro Kids under our umbrella of companies and furthering our mission to create healthy lifestyles through nutrition.”
“Kiersten Firquain launched ‘Bistro Kids Farm 2 School Lunch Program’ in 2006, and has successfully maintained the three integral philosophies she established at the onset,” said Pellien. “The first, to locally source organic and all-natural foods; two, to provide nutrient rich, delicious food choices to kids; and three, to deliver nutrition education to school communities. The Bistro Kids program is exactly where Treat America is focusing its school food programs, now teaching kids more about the foods they eat, where they come from and why healthy, fresh foods are so important.”
Bistro Kids has succeeded in making itself an integral partner with schools, emphasizing a closer connection for students and their food. “Students deserve the very best food we can afford to give them, especially as their minds and bodies are still developing,” said Firquain. “Bistro Kids works in the schools to provide hands-on cooking classes and also takes kids out of the classroom to experience local, organic farm operations,” she continued. “We’re helping to raise a new generation of healthier and better-educated students.”
Through its partnership with Treat America, Firquain hopes to “seize the opportunity to grow,” and serve healthy meals to as many children as possible. Lining up solidly with Treat America’s operations and corporate culture, “Bistro Kids is at the forefront of our wellness initiatives,” said Pellien. “We see healthy, fresh foods as the primary component to workplace and school food service.”
It’s no wonder that Treat America Food Services, a privately-held, locally-owned Kansas City company, is taking some critical steps in ensuring its products and services are aligned to shift populations away from the alarming trend towards growing obesity levels.
According to the eighth annual F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2011, a report from the Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Missouri was named the 11th most obese state in the country and Kansas was named 16th on the list. Currently, Missouri's adult obesity rate is at 30.3 percent. And, just fifteen years ago, Kansas had an obesity rate of 13.5 percent and was ranked the 36th most obese state in the nation.
“We have a unique opportunity with our business to affect multiple demographic segments with healthier, more nutritious food choices,” said John Mitchell, Jr., CEO for Treat America Food Services. “Within the businesses, schools and senior communities we serve, Treat America is serving more than 100,000 people each day. And, while our heritage is about culinary excellence, our conversations with clients today are more about nutrition and wellness – we’re influencing healthier lifestyles.”
Treat America recently launched Company Kitchen (www.companykitchen.com), a turnkey solution to healthy work place refreshment. Already operating in nearly 50 businesses, Company Kitchen uses cashless kiosk technology, an open-market structure, and is supported by a robust nutritional platform called Daily Nutritional Analysis (DNA). Employees use DNA to set personal nutritional goals and link data to their snack and meal purchases in Company Kitchen.