Community Corner

Chefs from Local Restaurants To Make Dinner for West Hartford Families at Hall High

"Chef's Do School Lunch" Event is "an evening of wellness designed to help families make positive changes to their health.

The following is a press release:

There will be some special guests in the lunchroom kitchen at Hall High School on the evening of Thursday, Nov. 14 as Growing Great Schools, Inc. and their Chef to School partners, along with West Hartford Nutrition Services, serve up an evening of wellness and food.  Not only will guests be served delicious cuisine prepared by our region's best chefs, they will also have the opportunity to participate in fitness activities, and learn about maximizing their health.

The event is designed to promote the principles of the West Hartford-based, Growing Great Schools, Inc (www.growinggreatschools.org) - fitness, nutrition, gardens, culture and recycling.  In addition to the delicious food offerings, the event will feature a number of vendors.  2-4-1 Sports, AETNA, End Hunger, Farmer’s Cow, Fleet Feet, Hartford Baking Company, Sub-edge Farm, Sardilli Produce, The West Hartford Cultural Council and UCONN Master Gardner’s Program will also be on hand to share tips for creating a culture of wellness.

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The November 14th "Chefs do School Lunch" event is open to the public and will include the chefs’ visions of what the future of school lunch can be in West Hartford Public Schools.  Each chef will contribute a recipe for tasting that will potentially appear on the lunch menu.  Featured chefs include Hunter Morton, Executive Chef, Max Downtown; Billy Grant, Chef/Owner, Grant’s and Bricco; Chris Torla, Executive Chef/Partner; Trumbull Kitchen, Tony Camilleri, Executive Chef, Rizzuto’s; Esther Pryor, Pastry Chef, Max Downtown; KC Ward, Chef de Cuisine, Restaurant Bricco; Evan Romano, Line Chef, Restaurant Bricco; and Scott Kluger, Co-Owner, Hartford Baking Company.  


“We are so honored to have such a phenomenal group of chefs working with Growing Great Schools,” says Sally Mancini, president of Growing Great Schools.  “The chefs donate their time and resources in an effort to bring new items to the town’s lunch menus that include fresh, locally-grown fruits and vegetables. Our organization is creating a culture of wellness that ensures all students in Connecticut have access to local, healthy food, nutrition education, fitness, school gardens and sustainability as part of their everyday lives and the chef partners are an integral part of this mission.”

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“I got involved with the Chefs Move to Schools effort because I felt a need for a change,” says Hunter Morton, Executive Chef at Max Downtown and the chef who brought the movement to West Hartford Public School lunchrooms.  “All students should have access to fresh, healthy food each day. If we can teach children to enjoy good tasting, nutritious food while they are young, they are more likely to carry healthy eating habits into adulthood.”

There will be seatings at 5 p.m., 5:45 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $5 for adults and $2 for children and can be reserved at www.growinggreatschools.org or ggstickets@gmail.com.  Tickets will also be sold at the door but space is limited so reservations are suggested.  

Growing Great Schools, Inc. is a community-based effort to create healthier schools by connecting food, culture, health, and the environment.  The vision of Growing Great Schools is to empower students to become active participants in their nutritional and physical health, while caring for the planet.  


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