Ms. Jeanie's Blog Post Coming Soon !

I've been meaning to update the blog with a summary of my little meeting with Ms. Jeanie last week, but this paper, and my other papers, have been killing me, so when i finish this ill be sure to update. BUT i will  say that the meeting went great, and she provided a lot of really good information and support!  And I have to email Tawna Rathe, but she knows my struggles right now :)

Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act Signed Yesterday

Sooo you guys, our lord and savior President Barack Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act yesterday, and it includes a lot of the changes we talked about that we felt needed to be enacted, INCLUDING, a farm to school program, and policies that encourage the use of locally grown products !

Click on this link to go to the whitehouse.gov page

Hope this helps ! I think she'll be expecting to see it  !

Happy writing !
Jahan !!!!!!!!!

(exclamation points were intentional !!!!!)

REALLY GOOD SOURCE FOR BACKGROUND

This is a USDA Econ Research Service doc from 2008 that is PERFECT for relating the US obesity to the global problem.  PERFECT.

http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/GFA19/

Some Most Helpful Documents...

Hey guys! 48 hours and counting!

Over the weekend I looked into scholarly articles through the NU library, and found several that are incredibly helpful. Thought I would share!

Mooo... Restaurant is a No

Alexa DeMarco from Mooo... Restaurant pitched our idea to their executive chef, who ultimately decides what he wants to participate in, and unfortunately he said he does not feel comfortable participating in our program.

GREAT PRESENTATION TODAY !!!!!!!

That is all.

Framing to our Target Audiences

So I've almost completed the second half of the packet (2-7) however, I'm having trouble figuring out how we should frame our project to a few groups. I've copied and pasted a draft of that section, and if you guys could brain storm on it, we'll fill it in when we meet this evening.

I just need to finish the Goals and metric sections and we should be good to go!

Target Audiences:

Supporters

DREAM Kids:

Chefs: Opportunity for positive community involvement, and the development of a positive brand impression.

NU Clubs: We can help them do what they already planned on doing and it’s an opportunity for positive exposure

Opponents:

Rebellious kids:

"Risk Management":

Fence-Sitters:

Media: I feel like this would fall under the PR umbrella

General Public: Also PR umbrella, and how the media portrays us.

NU Administration: Same as Chefs and it casts NU in a positive light (trying to improve relations with neighboring communities)

Sesame Street: Our new partner!

Take a look at this article- it appears Sesame Street is also "aiming to help lower-income families eat healthier on a budget."

The article talks about the difficulties families face regarding food insecurity due to a number of issues we have discussed: lack of education regarding nutrition, lack of access to healthy choices (neighborhoods that do not have good access to grocery stores are classified as "food deserts").

A new DVD coming out in December will include "a guide for parents and caregivers about how to make nutritious and economical food choices, and some child friendly recipes."

Review of Class Notes

Hey all,  I went through all of my class notes and picked out all of the points we should make sure to include or do more investigation into.  It is formatted as an outline of the class notes with questions/notes on what we should include.

Paper Outline

Main Problem: Food Insecurity; malnutrition

-Globally (stats)

-Locally (stats)

Issue Breakdown (narrate it)

-How we got where we are, but DON'T specifically go into our project yet

Research Pertaining to Where We're Focusing

-Nutrition in schools research

-Legislation research

-What has been done so far/already

-Include here what surprised us, etc.

Our Solution

-How we got here

-How its diff

-How we'll frame it

(*tie into global networks)

Final Notes for Our Presentation

Here are some last thoughts we should consider before our final presentation:

Keep in mind our goals- mid and long term: how will they be measured?

Measure student comprehension of material through fun activities like game-show-style quizzes (ie jeopardy) and eventually activities like "recipe contests" that allow them to use their new skills to invent new recipes and fun, possibly themed snacks and meals.

Measure our organization efficiency in terms of "cost per life affected", using our budget and number of kids we work with.

Speaking of goals...

We should make sure to specify that long terms goals include scalability and replicability. Hopefully, this program will ultimately expand to teach a wider range of nutrition-oriented skills, also in a fun, hands-on setting. Long term possibilities include reaching out to families (parents and guardians), teaching shopping classes (how to shop for healthy food on a budget), and classes that give a broader nutrition-based education on what a healthy day or week looks like.

In terms of the presentation, let's make sure to start with the main problem (food insecurity, malnutrition), show why it matters (statistics of health problems, etc), BEFORE narrowing down to our specific issue, and, ultimately, our solution.

And as we finalize our presentation, we should make sure that we are constantly clarifying "how" the entire way through- for example, specify how we are going to partner with student groups, how we are using our contacts to our best advantage...

Marketing Dude, and Fundraising Office !

Tawna Rathe returned my email yesterday after giving birth....nbd that's totally normal. Anyway, through my friend Esther Chou, she told me to send her an email detailing exactly what we wanted from her. Literally, "do you know anyone who works in catering, whole foods, etc. and could you please provide us with their contact information?" So....I'm on that.

In other news, while talking to Esther, she told me that she knows a really good marketer who can apparently get really good press for us. I emailed her for his contact info, and I'm awaiting a response.

Correction: I misunderstood what Esther said. I heard a marketing GUY... turns out she said marketing GUIDE, so I guess I'll get the book from her tomorrow.

Miss Jeanie Contacted me back !

Hey everyone !!

I just received a return phone call from Ms. Jeanie inviting me to her home in Newton, MA to discuss the project in more detail, and to see how she could be involved !

I'll be meeting her at her house this Friday afternoon !

The Waiting Game

Still waiting to hear back from Ms. Fantasia to get a look at the "Nutritious U" curriculum. I've been thinking how funny/frustrating/sad it is that our university has no trouble scrounging up hundreds of dollars for a nutritionist to come in and teach a series of healthy cooking classes to sports teams, but when it comes to working with our young neighbors, we're left to appeal to student groups for financial help.

Steps for Student Groups to Obtain Money

Since Slow Food is a new student group on campus, they are still in the process of obtaining funds, funds which they want to share with us. So we are trying to speed the process along by figuring out for them how they can get money from SGA. This process is also helpful for us to understand because of the possibility of "Recipe for Success" becoming a student group and seeking funds ourself.

Here are all the forms that student groups may use. Here is the Account Registration form which student groups must submit in order to have an account. Here is information regarding sources of funding for student groups. Groups get $116 annually, but may petition the Budget Review Committee for more funding. Unfortunately, the link for the BRC seems to be broken and it is impossible to find otherwise!!

Becoming a Student Group

We've been talking a little bit about the possible benefit of becoming a student group. What would this mean for us?

-A source of funding, as student groups get some money

-Recognition, as we would no longer be just a "class project"

-Sustainability, as we could continue to bring this project to life next semester

The steps for becoming a student group are here. Basically, we would need to create a membership roster, obtain a faculty member to be our advisor (Prof. Horn!) and present our idea. This seems pretty straightforward.

The question that remains is how much money we would actually get... $40 is not going to help much. The website lacks information regarding the financial support (or lack thereof) that student groups actually get.

Miss Jeanie contacted me back !

Ms. Jeanie, the caterer who came to the Dominican Republic with me, responded to my email quite enthusiastically, offering to help us in any way she could. Unfortunately, she will be unavailable tomorrow (Saturday) because she is catering an event, however, she promised to connect with me on Sunday.

Google Doc Update

Hey guys, I went through the Google doc trying to fill out as many sections as i could. If you all could go through and fill out the networks, resources, or any other part that needs your contribution :) so that we can get this paper written!

Don't forget we're meeting tomorrow around noon. I'm going to try and get into the cave tomorrow, but if not I'll let you guys know where I found a place.

Have a good evening and I'll see you guys tomorrow
Jahan

Preliminary Budget

Our first attempt at making a budget yielded an estimated cost of almost $1,000 per event. So after some reflection, soul searching, and cost cutting we have developed a second budget which you can read by clicking on "Read more":

New Contacts !!!

I love networking !

Over the summer I participated in the Social Entrepreneurship's Field Study Program in Belize and the Dominican Republic. While in the DR the College of Business sent down a group of "guests" (donors) to watch us in action over our time there. One of our guests, Miss Jeanie founded a successful catering company here in Boston, and the Development Officer who accompanied them, Tawna Rathe, said we could contact her if we ever needed anything.

Oleana Restaurant - Cambridge, MA

While working on this project in the geology department, one of the students recommend we contact Oleana restaurant because their food is AMAZING, and apparently they like to participate in community events.

I called the restaurant, spoke with Don, and he provided me with Ana's, the chef/owner, email address. She will not be at the restaurant tonight, and she doesn't usually respond to emails over the weekend, but we can expect a response by Monday morning.

Oleana Restaurant - Cambridge, MA
671-661-0505
Ana Sortun - Chef/Owner
ana@oleanarestaurant.com

Mooo... Restaurant Follow-Up

Per the Communications Department's response detailing their capabilities, I have contacted Alexa Demarco, Moo...'s General Restaurant Manager, asking if the options provided were acceptable.

Turns out Moo... is actually spelled Mooo... that's why my email was returned !

Asana- Mandarin Oriental Call Back

Just received a call back from Edwina Kluender from the Mandarin Oriental Boston. She was exceedingly polite in telling me that because of the holiday season chefs typically do not participate in community events because they are so busy. When I told her that we wouldn't be doing anything for a few months she told me that she wasn't sure what would be going then so she couldn't say, but she could almost guarantee that the chefs would not participate. She said explicitly that she "could not commit to anything right now." She also said that the Mandarin Oriental receives so many requests for donations, support, etc. from all over Boston that they have to be selective in the ones they do choose to participate in.

She says all of their chefs are ServeSafe certified, "among many other certifications."

Overall, she really liked our idea and wished us well.

The Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel, Boston Common

I contacted the Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel via email containing our questions and project description. I called Michael Mooney, the restaurant manager, and he promised to return the email with the questions answered by Saturday afternoon, and that if I had any follow-up questions I could contact him. Find his contact information below:

The Bristol Lounge - Four Seasons Hotel, Boston Common

617-338-4400 (general hotel line)

Michael Mooney - Restaurant Manager

michael.mooney@fourseasons.com

More on Funding- Sourcing from Foundations?

We're contemplating the possibility of becoming a student group and applying for grants from foundations. Alice Waters' Edible Garden website has a list of possible sources of funding.

http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/links

Hoping for Funding...

We are grappling with our main roadblock: funding. We don't particularly want to be a donation-based organization (we took Professor Horn's lecture to heart) but since we are unable to sell our culinary creations, we're left with few options.

Jer-Ne Restaurant at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common

I'm hesitant to contact Andrea Hampton, the Director of Public Relations at The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common, because she is the same lady who is responsible for completing my hiring process. As such, Anna has agreed to be the contact person for this hotel.

Khaleed in Jer-ne forwarded us to her.

Contact information:

Andrea Hampton - Director of Public Relations - The Ritz-Carlton, Boston Common

617-574-7100 (general hotel line)

617-574-7143 (direct line)

andrea.hampton@ritzcarlton.com

The Dining Room at the Taj Hotel, Boston

Called the Taj Boston for the necessary contact information and sent off the email last night. Still awaiting a reply. Find the contact information below:

The Dining Room

617-536-5700

Riccardo Coluzzi - Restaurant Manager

riccardo.coluzzi@tajhotels.com

Asana at Mandarin Oriental Boston

I called Asana at the Mandarin Oriental Boston this afternoon and spoke with Cherry.

After explaining our project and the circumstances, she told me the best person to speak to was Edwina Kluender, the Director of Public Relations for the hotel. I emailed her, and am awaiting a response but I stressed the quickly approaching deadline. Find the email below:

Finally: The Lowdown on the Expo Kitchen

I finally reached Mr. Fantasia on the phone, and it turns out that Mr. Fantasia is actually Ms. Debra Fantasia. For future reference, her number is 617-373-24476, and I believe the extension is 2472. Email is debra.fantasia@compass-usa.com

A fantastic source of information on national legislation regarding food and nutrition in schools

http://www.schoolnutrition.org/content.aspx?id=2402

Maureen Timmons- Director of Dining Services, IV

I contacted Maureen Timmons the Monday before Thanksgiving. She responded the following Monday saying that she would meet with us either Thursday or Friday at 9am. Anastasia and Leila will participate in the meeting because Anna and I have class. We are preparing questions to ask her.

Note: Anastasia and Leila will meet with Ms. Timmons at 9am Thursday at Pete's Coffee in International Village.

Beginning to Budget Our Costs

Our budget planning is still quite tentative, since it hinges on the unknown costs of location and food, so it is crucial that we finalize our options for these major issues as quickly as possible. We are making more phone calls to locations today (NEU contacts and Haley House, as well as churches if these are not viable options). We are also determining the source of food (Northeastern or donation-based, by local grocery stores listed in previous blog). Because we are hoping to partner with DREAM, transportation (of kids) should not be an issue. The chefs we are bringing in are willing to come for free, but something must be "in it for them"(ie PR & exposure that makes them look good in the community, as well as publicizes their work).

Mooo... Restaurant at XV Beacon Hotel

I called Mooo... Restaurant at XV Beacon Hotel yesterday per a conversation I had last week. I spoke with Alexa Demarco the restaurant's general manager and she provided some great insight into the legal and administrative aspects of loaning out their chef. Please find the details below:

Steps to Completion

What do we still need to bring this project to reality? What are the steps we must take to achieve these short-term goals?

Contacts for Food Sources

This keeps coming up and we really need to get on it before we can do any financials work...

Contact Info for Location Alternatives

So incase the Exhibition Kitchen is not a realistic location for our classes, I'm reaching out to other possible locations.  Below is a list of locations with contact info and a current status.
*updates in blue

Restaurants don't like it when you call during lunch :)

So today, I called 5 area hotel restaurants: (1) Mooo... Restaurant at the XV Beacon Hotel, (2) Jer-Ne (pronounced journey) at the Ritz-Carlton Boston Common, (3) Asana at the Mandarin Oriental Boston, (4) The Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons, and (4) The Dining Room at the Taj-Boston.

Food Project

Spoke with Max from Food Project:

Kim Szeto- Boston Public School, Farm school coordinator, may or may not be at
food and nutrition services dept still, but that would be a good place to start to find her. She used to work for food project and worked on feasibility study for nutrition improvement in BPS, and at one point worked directly with BPS on their food progams. Feasibility project results were promising, but BPS said they didn’t want to implement it so food project was SOL (sit outta luck)

Solutions Across the Country

As we continue to conduct research and fieldwork, I have been reading about ways that school districts throughout the country have attempted to solve the issue of unhealthy school lunch as a branch of food insecurity.

MA Food Programs

All Programs:
-SNAP Food Stamps
-Food Pantries and Free Meals
-School Meals and Summer Food Programs
-Meals on Wheels and Dining Centers
-Bags of Food/Food Packages
     -Brown Bag: one free bag of food per month to low-income seniors
     -Dollar-a-Bag: $1 for one grocery bag of produce
     -Serve New England: stopped service, under investigation...
-Other
     -Mass Children's Fund
     -HIV/AIDS Nutrition Services

It's National School Lunch Week !

That is all.

Central or Individual Kitchens

My goal was to find out if Boston Public Schools used individual kitchens or central kitchens to supply their districts.

Organizations and Legislature Regarding Our Topic

As we begin this project focused on examining and potentially changing the food served in public schools, I've begun by researching the changes that are already being conducted. I discovered several organizations already working with schools in the Boston area and discovered pieces of legislature regarding school lunches.

Akshaya Patra

Read through their website after Prof. Horn told us to look into them.  Really cool set up, not sure if we can use their system on a small scale first.

http://www.blog.akshayapatra.org/