1

Healthy Changes to School MealsNow is the perfect time to encourage your child to choose school meals. As a result of the new regulations issued by the USDA for the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, Chartwells has risen to the challenge of serving nutritious, well-balanced meals that your children will enjoy for the value that you, as a parent, are looking for. Our school dining centers are serving up more fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. We have also updated our menu items to meet these guidelines without sacrificing great taste. Some of these menu updates are included in the articles in this issue of e-bites.

December 5, 2012 - Issue #30

Pizza Pizzam! Now Available in Chartwells School Dining Centers Across the U.S.Did you know that Pizza Pizzam! is Chartwells proprietary pizza crust that was reformulated by our chefs and nutrition specialists for the start of this school year? Pizza Pizzam! is made with high-quality, all-natural ingredients such as olive oil, flaxseed and whole grains to meet the new USDA requirements.

To celebrate the launch of Pizza Pizzam! we are running a Facebook contest where you (or your child) can enter to win a pair of Chartwells neon shoelaces! To enter, please go to http://www.facebook.com/ChartwellsSchoolDiningServices. The contest will close at 5 p.m. Eastern Standard time on December 31, 2012.

2

Chartwells Introduces School Garden GuideChartwells believes that school gardens provide an excellent opportunity to educate children about agriculture, food origin, nutrition, and core academic subjects, in addition to promoting life-long healthy eating habits. Because of this belief and the growing popularity and prevalence of school gardens nationwide, Chartwells recently introduced a Garden Guide. This guide is a comprehensive resource for foodservice operators, school educators, parents and community members who are interested in developing and maintaining school gardens.

New Breads Meet USDA Whole Grain GuidelinesWe are pleased to announce the introduction of three new bread products that align with the new USDA whole grain guidelines. According to the guidelines, school menus must offer specific amounts of whole grains throughout the week but cannot exceed maximum amounts defined for each grade group. Chartwells has worked with our vendor partners to offer these new bread selections in our school dining centers.

The three new bread options that are now being offered at schools throughout the U.S. include:

• Pepperidge Farm Gold Fish Bread 100% whole grain, no high fructose corn syrup, crust-less soft goldfish look, meets 1 bread serving

• Arnolds Sandwich ThinsExcellence source of fiber, made with whole grains, no high fructose corn syrup, zero grams of fat per serving, meets 1.5 bread servings

• Mission Tortillas Whole wheat tortillas with significantly less sodium than traditional tortillas, zero grams of fat per serving, meets 2 bread servings

3

At Chartwells, we are committed to sustainability and wellness through the Simply Good – You Are Sustainable program, a farm to table initiative focused on sourcing and serving fresh and local produce in school dining centers.

This program was implemented in Chartwells school dining centers this September – October and we were pleased to offer fresh foods at the height of their nutritional value while also supporting local communities.

In the New England area, for example, Chartwells representatives collaborated with various Farm-to-School programs and State Agricultural offices to connect with local farmers and increase the supply of local produce to our schools.

In Northeast states like Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts, demand for local produce is stronger than supply due to a shorter growing season. In these cases, Chartwells utilized the flash freeze method where we picked local produce at its peak and quickly froze it for later use.

The food choices that we make have a significant impact on our health, our environment and our community. Chartwells believes it’s important to teach students about sustainable food practices that will create a better environment now and for future generations.

Simply Good — You are Sustainable ProgramYou are

Eating Fresh and Local foods helps your body and your community.

SUSTAINABLE.

www.simplygoodfood.org

For more information, please visit http://www.

simplygoodfood.org.

4

Leveraging the concept that chefs have a unique ability to deliver healthy nutrition messages in a fun and appealing way to children. Chartwells and The Fort Lee, New Jersey, School District, recently held a Chefs 2 Schools® event featuring celebrity chef and author, Martin Yan. Chef Yan prepared one of his signature pan-Asian recipes utilizing local produce and nutritional ingredients such as whole grains and fresh vegetables while also educating students about the cultural history behind this cuisine and the benefits of healthy eating.

“We are extremely honored to have Chef Yan participate in this excising program,” said Scott Kallensee, Director of Dining Services with Chartwells School Dining Services. “With the new USDA School Lunch guidelines implemented this year, students are finding more fruit and vegetables in their school lunches. It is our responsibility to find ways in which to integrate nutritious meals into the school dining program without sacrificing taste. The Chefs 2 Schools program and Chef Yan can help us do that.”

The celebrated host of “The Yan Can Cook Show” on PBS, Chef Martin Yan has hosted over 3,000 episodes all over the world. He is also a certified Master Chef, a highly respected food consultant, a cooking instructor and an author of more than 30 cookbooks. He has also been instrumental in leading many culinary and cultural tours to explore the many culinary and cultural treasures of China.

Celebrity Chef Martin Yan Prepares Lunch Entrées for High School Students that Emphasize Healthy Eating with a Cultural Twist

5

Ingredients AmountYellow Popcorn, raw kernels 1 tbspCanola Oil 2¼ tspCheerios, Bulk 1½ cupTiny Twist Pretzels 2¼ ozRaisins 1¼ cupRoasted Sunflower Seeds 3 tbspMargarine 3 tbspFine Ground Black Pepper ¼ tspGround Paprika ½ tspSalt ½ tsp

Looking for a healthy snack for the holidays? Give our Spicy Energy Mix recipe a try!

Instructions1. Make the popcorn:

Heat the oil in a saucepan on medium high heat. Put 3 or 4 popcorn kernels into the oil and cover the pan. When the kernels pop, add the rest of the popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat and count 30 seconds. Return the pan to the heat. The popcorn should begin popping soon, and all at once.

Once the popping starts, gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. Try to keep the lid slightly ajar to let the steam from the popcorn release (the popcorn will be drier and crisper). Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat, remove the lid, and put the popcorn immediately into a large wide bowl or pan.

2. Add the Cheerios, pretzels, raisins, and sunflower seeds to the popcorn and mix together.

3. Heat up the margarine in a pan. Pour heated margarine over the popcorn mixture. Add the spices and toss together.

4. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature and enjoy!

Portion Yield1 cup 6 servings

8

4

Throughout the year, we will provide you with regular updates on the new USDA regulations for school meals.If you would like to receive regular issues of e-bites, please sign-up for our electronic version at:

http://www.chartwellsschools.com/Nutrition_Newsletter_K12.cfm

www.facebook.com/ChartwellsSchoolDiningServices

@ChartwellsUSwww.twitter.com/ChartwellsUS

Contact Chartwells Follow ChartwellsPhone: 1.877.586.9631

Web: www.eatlearnlive.com

Email: chartwellsK-12schools@compass-usa.com

Follow Chartwells School Dining ServicesCheck out our new Facebook and Twitter pages! Find fun facts about healthy foods and Chartwells Schools around the country! Don’t forget to enter the Pizza Pizzam! contest - tell us your favorite pizza topping and you may win some snazzy shoelaces for school!

Make sure to click the “Like” button on Facebook to stay up-to-date on all the exciting new things Chartwells is rolling out.