30 Sep 2025 Yes CHEF!
By Donna Lampkin Stephens
Eight North Little Rock elementary schools are among the first in Arkansas to take on the C.H.E.F. Challenge — and it’s already making a big difference.
Children’s Health through Education and Food (C.H.E.F.) Challenge is a new initiative developed by Healthy Flavors, a family farm and business with a location in Lollie Bottoms near Conway. Dan Spatz is the president of Healthy Flavors Arkansas and the vice president of Healthy Flavors, Inc. in Eagleville, Tenn. “The Challenge conveys our passion and drive at Healthy Flavors for overcoming any hurdle to getting whole, locally grown and minimally processed foods into our school cafeterias,” he said.
Thanks to a two-year grant of $498,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, schools in Arkansas and Tennessee are participating this year. The total investment of the two-year C.H.E.F. Challenge program, including from local sources, is $689,000, according to Spatz.
“This makes healthy eating fun and hands-on,” said Shanda Macon, innovation coordinator for the North Little Rock School District. “When you think of school cafeterias, often the first thing you think of is very negative thoughts. In North Little Rock, we are intentional in making sure the whole child is taken care of, and that includes food. They are learning, tasting, cooking and making healthy habits that will last them for life. They also take that home to their parents. We can make lifestyle changes for whole families if we start here in pre-K through 12.”
Participating NLR schools include Amboy, Crestwood, Glenview, Indian Hills, Lakewood and Ridge Road elementaries, NLR 6 Academy of Agricultural & Veterinary Sciences and Pike View Early Childhood Center.
Macon said NLRSD teaches more than academics.
“We are teaching life,” she said. “(This initiative) helps our students see that healthy food fuels learning, fuels growth and fuels success. It’s about giving them the confidence and skills to live well, now and for years to come.”
Robert Ginder, director of nutrition service for NLRSD, said he was most excited about the cafeteria-classroom connection, enabling students to learn about and understand the process and ingredients as they make food choices.
“Sometimes they play it safe instead of trying something new,” he said. “They may not really like chicken nuggets, but they know what they are. With the C.H.E.F. Challenge, we have the opportunity to change the way kids approach that choice. They get to see, feel and taste something before they cast their vote in the cafeteria.”
As an example, he cited black bean burritos vs. hamburgers.
“If they’re exposed to it, if they really know what it is, they could make an informed decision,” he said. “We have so many dishes we pour our hearts into, but they’re generally not student-accepted. We have a ton of rice, but kids don’t eat rice. They aren’t exposed to it at home. Often rice isn’t offered at fast-food restaurants, so they’re not exposed to it. They don’t have context. That’s the piece I’m really focused on.”
As part of the program, chef ambassadors are hired to lead the daily work in the schools. Chef April Alderson is working with the Arkansas schools, learning the kitchens and spending time with students in 45-minute labs where the kids create and taste the food.
The featured recipe this fall is a purple hull pea salad. Macon said staff explained to students where the food comes from and why it’s important to eat healthy.
“Listening to the conversations has been hilarious,” she said. “A lot of second-graders had never touched a purple hull pea before we started this process.”
The spring semester will feature butternut squash, with the veggies grown on the Healthy Flavors farm.
Ginder said eventually, the cafeteria would use the student-involved recipes as side items in the lunch line.
“So far we’ve seen fairly good take rates,” he said. “I’m excited to see what else we can push the envelope on and open our kids’ horizons to things they don’t normally see or get exposed to.”
Macon said field trips to the farm to see the vegetables growing would complete the circle.
“How cool is it to go over the whole process — what it looks like to grow the veggies, get them into your class, prepare the recipe, mix it and taste it?” she said. “The recipes are short, easy and not expensive. Then the kids will go home with the recipes, with info about Chef April, in hopes that families will try them at home.”
Learn more at wellnessintheschools.org/chef-challenge.
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