A chef who once worked at the Seattle Four Seasons will bring his culinary chops to the cafeterias of Coupeville School District.
Chef Andreas Wurzrainer owns Christopher's on Whidbey Island. He loves to use Mediterranean recipes, especially with seafood, but how is he with a fish stick?
"I will find out," he laughed.
Fish sticks aren't exactly Chef Wurzrainer's taste given that he earned a Master Chef certificate while cooking in Europe before coming to America where he cooked at the Seattle Four Season.
"My love for cooking started in my mom's kitchen," the chef said. "For me it's coming full circle, in a way."
That circle led him to the lunch rooms of the Coupeville schools. Chef Andreas has just signed on as the district's new Director of Food Services.
Superintendent Steve King hired the chef to design made-from-scratch meals from locally sourced foods, eliminating frozen, pre-made foods brought in by a corporate vendor.
"We think it connects to learning. We think it connects to behavior and attendance," King said. "It's a game changer for our kids. It will certainly impact their health in a positive way to get more nutritious food at school."
But how do you get kids to eat stuff that is good for them? The chef, also a father of two, said it's simple. Get sneaky.
"One could do a mac and cheese where we introduce cauliflower into it," Wurzrainer said. "They might not even know they're getting nutrients and still good tasting food."
As for the lunch room staple sloppy Joe?
"The first thing we would do is get a much more nutritious bun. Then we could introduce some vegetables. Kids probably wouldn't even be aware of it," the chef said.
However, quality comes with a cost. The district will likely have to double its food budget.
King believes some of that would be made up by more students buying lunch.
The district is asking parents to help support the project financially while it seeks grants and other funding.
For Chef Wurzrainer he said there is no better way to serve his community.
"What a great opportunity for me to make a difference on the younger generation."