In celebration of Earth Day, a Land to Ladle soup-focused culinary event created the perfect bowl of homemade soup which begins with an understanding that many of the essential ingredients are local products and produce harvested from Waupun farms. Held for the Waupun, Wisconsin community, this “farm-to-school experience” highlighted a unique partnership between K-12 by Elior, Waupun Junior and Senior High School teachers and students, as well as local growers.
Attendees expanded their palates, tasting these delicious, homemade soups that boasted depth, flavor and nutrition. K-12 by Elior chef demos provided an added advantage of watching the soup cooking process, while students from the school’s Foods class served. The top favorites were ham and potato cheddar soup, fish chowder soup, vegetarian minestrone with pesto and beef and mushroom soup. Other featured recipes including Bruschetta, Goat Curry, Spicy Korean Pork Tenderloin w/ Asian Slaw, Marinated Steak Bites, Smoked Queso Dip and Basil Lemonade rounded out this fun and educational culinary experience.
Thank you to Waupun School District’s Kris Beaver, AG Instructor & Jr. High FFA Advisor and Jenna Frens, Family & Consumer Sciences Instructor; K-12 by Elior team members including: Briony Storz, K-12 by Elior Food Service Director for Waupun School District (Creator of the Event); Vice President of Operations Kathy Murray; District Manager Kelli Stradling; Regional Marketing Manager Rylee Shaffer; Regional Marketing Manager Khyla Dixon; Dawn Rens (head lunch cashier), Carol Leahy (special projects), Karen Breusch (junior kitchen team members), and Cristy Zanto (junior kitchen team member)
Special Thanks to the following Individual and Farm Partners
- Goat: Devin and Jensen Zimmerman
- Pork Belly: Jason Ganske
- Smoked Ham: Van Egtern Family Farms & Lucas VanEgtern
- Beef Steak: Gibbs Family Farms, John & Karen Gibbs
- Alsum Farms Produce
- Tilapia, Herbs, and Veggies: Waupun Agriculture Department
- Urban Farms of Chicago IL
- Sweet Potatoes: Triple K Sweet Taters, Coloma WI
- TNT Wild Rice of Eagle River WI
- Edible Cuts of Kenosha WI
- Midwest Foods of Chicago IL
- Honey from Oscar Stowell’s Apiary
- Trifecta Farms: Keven Schultz Family
A shout out to sister company, Aladdin Campus Dining at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, and Aladdin District Manager Steve Godard.