It was very serendipitous.
I had just finished working at a couple of bakeries and had that classic moment that can happen to chefs where I thought “why am I doing this?”. Don’t get me wrong, being a baker is wonderful, meditative and can be really satisfying, but I felt like making bread for the sake of people having delicious sourdough at home wasn’t, personally, fulfilling. I had worked in care, completed some training to become a nurse and volunteered locally to make meals for the Sheffield community, so I knew I wanted to be with an organisation that supported communities in partnership with them, not just telling them what to do.
Fast forward a few months and I’m in Stansted Airport, waiting for a friend’s delayed flight to land and needing entertainment. Loyle Carner was on the front cover of Positive News magazine, and being a longtime fan, picked it up. Inside was a story about Chili Con Carner, a cooking program that supports those with ADHD to find joy and understanding through cooking, this took place at the Hackney School of Food and then the page after featured Nicole Pisani and Chefs in Schools. On our way back to Sheffield, I was telling my jet lagged friend all about Nicole and the organisation! He was very accommodating!
A few days later, I wrote to Chefs In Schools through their website that I would be moving to London in two months and was keen to work in a school if a position came up. Nicole came back quickly, asking if I’d be interested in working with them instead, and if I’d be willing to stay up North for an extra month before moving down… Dream scenario.
I’ve always been hesitant to trust in destiny, but this seemed ridiculously predetermined. From disillusioned and confused, to finding inspiration and a dream career from a magazine in an airport.
As a Chef Trainer, my role is to go in and support the kitchen teams, wrap around care teams and senior leadership to create and develop their School Food Vision.
When we, the chefs and dining hall team, demonstrate and role model nice interactions during lunchtime, the children pick up on that, take up that example and are then just happier. That’s been my favourite learning.
Additionally, reframing the wider school community’s understanding of a chef’s day is very rewarding, as often the school chef’s role within a school is respected. Some schools may have come out of catering contracts or would like some upskilling and need a system that works for them. The first key learning is that the training program has to be catered to the school and wider community. We have to work out:
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What kind of food do they want to give their children?
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What equipment do they have and what do they need?
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What are they studying that we could match to the curriculum?
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How can we add a growing space?
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Do they want to do workshops or demonstrations, school trips, etc.
All of this helps shape the School Food Vision and a foundation so that the kitchen teams and school can keep developing their vision.
The main challenge is a perceived cultural notion that School Food is only meant to fill children up. People share stories of terrible school food almost like it’s a rite of passage into adulthood. But why should it be that way?
If a child eats lunch every day they are at school, that makes up 190 lunches per academic year, this doesn’t even include whether or not they are attending breakfast and after-school club, where they’d also be given something to eat, and seeing as they cannot leave the school, don’t they deserve good food? A lot of the time, the food served to children is fine, but it is basic. We show kitchen teams that fine isn’t okay when excellent is possible.
However, making the teams feel they are supported by their community and do have the skills required is a big challenge. With encouragement, time, autonomy over their food, and (most importantly) engaging with the children, the teams start to enjoy this idea of providing the best food possible for the kids and educating the kids as part of their working day becomes a highlight.
How are Chefs in Schools and the teams you train, helping to prepare the next generation to be good food leaders?
It isn’t too bold to say that there is a systemic health crisis in the UK. Children are flooded with promotions for cheap junk food, while nutritious options grow more expensive at a time when obesity costs the NHS billions a year.
From my experience, I see a lack of usable time for people to sit and eat together. All of this contributes. At Chefs in Schools we want to lay the foundations for a good food culture and introduce varied diets
Firstly, we engage with the children to create menus and suggest food items. We don’t tell them they’re wrong to want chips every day, but engage in a conversation as to why chips are totally okay to eat, but maybe not so often, eh? We welcome them to challenge us and have opinions. Everyone has personal preferences and these preferences change. A child isn’t wrong to dislike a meal their chef has made for them, but we help to build their food literacy skills. What could we do to make it better? What are the flavours and textures you enjoy, could they be incorporated into this meal? We aim to have a solutions-based approach to these conversations, as those might actually resolve into an outcome.
Finally, whilst the “sneak in vegetables” movement has been amazing for increasing nutrient varied and dense meals, the lack of communication around that means that those kids have grown up and told their younger siblings, so they’re aware of it now! So, we don’t lie or hide ingredients. It may say “Creamy Mac n Cheese” on the menu, but if they ask what’s in it, we recommend telling them everything even down to the ten whole roasted butternut squashes that are blended through the bechamel to give a slight sweetness and rich orangey colour to the sauce.
Engage, Be Curious, Be Honest. That’s how we help children leave school not only nourished, but equipped to make informed, joyful food choices for life.
Already, there exist amazing initiatives, organisations and programs that move towards Good Food For All.
School Food Matters, Food Foundation, Impact on Urban Health, No Child Left Behind, BiteBack, Sustain and Soil Association are just a handful of brilliant people doing brilliant work.
When it comes to better supporting the movement as a whole, I believe it is always going to be communication, connection and collaboration. We are already working with wonderful people who care about this area of work, and by adding more voices on a shared topic, even if we come at it from slightly different angles, will boost and push this movement even further.
I work best in analogy and metaphors, and I see it that we are all singing from the same hymn sheet, but sometimes maybe not in the same room, or maybe not in the same key. By coming together, our voices are louder, more harmonious and our points are better crafted to put forth our mandates, our ideas, our solutions toward a time where there is Good Food For All.
There are countless great examples of schools doing amazing projects around the country.
On the 1st of September 2025, we hosted the 2nd annual Chefs in Schools Conference, a day of inspiring guest speakers, food demonstrations, and networking with school chefs and leaders from across the country. Often, school food can feel siloed, so we wanted to give a chance for professionals to meet other professionals, upskill, communicate and build on relationships
Amber Francis, Head Chef Educator at Christ College Finchley has transformed her school’s food in such a short period of time. Going from serving pizza bagels and pizza every day to serving delicious, nutritious food that the children can have an impact on has been a huge success. Instigating Try Something New Tuesday and using suppliers like Natoora to bring seldom seen fruit and vegetables for the kids to try for free and open their understanding of food. She also was the most recent winner of the BBC’s Great British Menu, showcasing that school chefs have all the skills and ability of Michelin level eateries.
Dan and Meg of St Luke with St Paul in Tower Hamlets have created the instagram account @primary.kitchen showcasing the food they are making day-in-day-out for their school community. This is a great way to break down barriers for parents and guardians, who don’t know what their kids’ meals look like, except from reading a menu.
With school just back in session, what are Chefs in Schools top priorities right now?
This year, the government announced that Free School Meals will be expanded to all children on Universal Credit from 2026. And not only that, the School Food Standards are being revised. Together, these changes have huge potential to improve school food and children’s futures across the country. Chefs in Schools campaigned long and hard for this change and we are so excited to see it happen. For me, it’s a step closer to Free School Meals for all!
But, this opens up wider questions; How do we make sure that the food being served is delicious and nutritious? How do you connect this influx of children eating to education and food culture? How do we make sure that the foods being made for a higher number of children don’t end up in the bin? How do we make sure that we keep junk food out of schools and this extra funding into children’s futures ensures nutritious meals that feed bodies and minds? With this new influx of money, potential change in legislation and culture, how can we support school leaders and kitchen teams?
In essence, we aim to continue to do what we do best; support schools to serve the most nutritious and delicious meals possible throughout the school day. We’ve created bite-sized training that can work for any school – catered in-house or outsourced, but we also have in-depth training for the schools that want to overhaul their food culture. One size doesn’t fit all in this case, so we will continue to put in the hard work of creating bespoke training and plans for the schools and communities that ask us for help. Please check out chefsinschools.org.uk to see more of the training and work we do.
Can you share a few words about your experience at the Chefs’ Manifesto London Action Hub?
The main joy of the day was meeting so many like-minded people, who weren’t just agreeing with each other but actively trying to find solutions and challenging them. I had great conversations with people who didn’t just agree with me, but stress tested the ideas and initiatives that I and Chefs in Schools were implementing. I came away with more knowledge and fresh perspectives on areas I hadn’t considered, which is so valuable and important to our work.
The breakout sessions were excellent to be a part of and chair, as the conversations were energetic, and not everyone agreed on the ‘how’ — even if they did on the ‘what’ and ‘why’. It showed that even within a group who is likeminded, compromise is needed. It’s good training when you come up against those ardently opposed!
Additionally, as it felt so solutions based, there was an element of hope that these issues around climate, culture and all the areas surrounding global food networks will change. Maybe not tomorrow or next year, but the movement is moving in a positive direction.
