Quest Food Management Services is partnering with two-time James Beard Award winner Chef Sarah Stegner on an innovative program designed to give students hands-on opportunities to experience fresh, seasonal ingredients and connect with the people who grow and prepare their food.
Stegner is the chef and co-owner of Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook and a founder of Green City Market, one of Chicago’s celebrated farmers markets, with locations in Lincoln Park and the West Loop. Throughout her career, she has advocated for stronger local food systems that connect growers, chefs, restaurants and consumers.
“What drew me to Quest is their commitment to doing more than simply serving a meal. They’re creating opportunities for kids to understand where their food comes from and meet the people behind it. Those are values I’ve spent my career championing, and I’m proud to help bring them into schools,” Stegner said.
Stegner will work alongside Quest’s Vision and Innovation team to create culinary experiences that connect schools, farms, kitchens and neighborhoods.
Each month, select Quest-operated cafeterias will feature an original recipe from Stegner highlighting seasonal ingredients and local producers. Students will also receive step-by-step recipe cards, giving them an opportunity to recreate the dishes at home, share the experience with their families and extend the learning beyond the cafeteria.
The pilot is already underway, beginning with a marinated beets recipe featuring produce from family-owned Klein’s Farm and Garden Market in Elgin and local honey from Heaven’s Honey. Stegner and the Quest team recently visited Klein’s Farm, the first of several planned visits designed to build direct relationships between school communities and the local growers, producers and small businesses featured throughout the program.
“We’re excited to work with Sarah and Quest to bring our produce into schools,” Matt Klein of Klein’s Farm and Garden Market said. “Our family has been farming in Elgin since 1965, and if we can get kids excited about fresh food and the work that goes into growing it, maybe farms like ours can continue for another 120 years.”
Beyond the menu, food education and community engagement will be central to the partnership. Stegner will visit schools to host tasting tables where students can sample seasonal produce and interact directly with chefs and food producers.
“Food has an incredible ability to bring people together, students, families, farmers, chefs, schools and the communities around them,” Quest Food Management Services CEO Nicholas Saccaro said. “Working with Sarah allows us to turn school meals into meaningful points of connection, helping students see the people and relationships behind the food on their plates.”
Through these experiences, students will have opportunities to interact with chefs and recognize the broader community that helps bring fresh food to their school cafeterias.
The pilot will bring new recipes, school visits and seasonal pop-up activations throughout the school year. Together, Quest and Stegner aim to make school meals a starting point for stronger relationships among students, families, farmers, chefs, local businesses and the communities that support them.
Click here to view and download Chef Sarah Stegner’s Marinated Beets Recipe!
Click here to see Chef Sarah Stegner on Fox 32 Chicago.
Click here to read Food Service Director feature on the new partnership.
