2017 February PASO Magazine

EDUCATION & YOUTH
DIRECTOR OF FOOD SERVICES GREGG WANGARD
ANNOUNCES A NEW SYSTEM…
MICROS: A PRE-PREPARED HEALTHY
FAMILY TAKE-OUT MEAL PROGRAM
By Meagan Friberg
In the first few minutes of talking with
Gregg Wangard, Director of Food Services for
the Paso Robles Joint Union School District,
his excitement and enthusiasm for the various
food programs that he oversees is immediately
apparent. Wangard a talented and dedicated
chef that has earned accolades and awards
throughout the county, joined the district in
April 2015. For nearly two years, he has been
sharing his passion for all things food with
students, staff, and the extended community
with his commitment to bringing fresh, whole
foods to the table.
“Our biggest change, and the mission of
what we do, is that we are bringing back a
whole foods approach,” said Wangard. “We
want to limit the amount of packaged and processed
foods and bring back a scratch cooking
method into our district. All of our salad bars
throughout the district have fresh, whole foods
– no more canned fruit, beans, or veggies.”
The response from those enjoying the fresh
foods and meals, including the breakfast and
lunch meals served in the Academy Café to
the general public Tuesday through Friday, has
been outstanding, according to Wangard.
“The kids are the ones that win; we are educating
them, showing them fresh choices, and
letting them see a lot of fresh vegetables including
locally-sourced and organic fruits and
greens,” said Wangard. “We work with several
local companies such as Harvest Santa Barbara
and SLO Money, an organization that promotes
local, small farmers; it’s great to have the products
of local farmers on our salad bars.”
UPGRADES & NEW PROGRAMS
In the past few months, there have been
several upgrades and improvements made at
the Culinary Arts Academy and Cafe, located
at 1900 Golden Hills Road, including new
paint, carpet, and flooring. Future plans call
for a new sound system and separating the
rooms within the café area to allow for three
separate banquets to be held at one time.
“We want to be able to use the facility more
for the community,” said Wangard. “So, those
businesses and people locally who are looking
for a meeting space with the option of food service
for breakfast or lunch will have the option
to book space with us.”
Additional plans include the use of Open
Table, an online reservation system that allows
customers to reserve a table using a cell phone
or computer, and MICROS, which gives students
and staff the ability to program a menu
into the computer and send an order directly
back to the kitchen.
“The Academy is all about student achievement
and student success,” said Wangard,
“so we want to go with models that allow us
to make more modern updates to what we are
already doing to train students for employment
after high school.”
FAMILY TAKE-OUT MEALS
The MICROS system will also allow for the
newest endeavor of the Academy – a family
take-out meal program, set to launch in
mid-February. This exciting meal option gives
families in the community the opportunity
to order and then pick up a full meal that
feeds four in a price range of $20-30, Monday
through Friday.
“The food will be prepared and ready for
customers, some of it partially-cooked, and
families will just have to pick it up and heat it
for their dinner,” said Wangard.
As a dad and husband, Wangard said he understands
how it’s often difficult for parents to
find time to prepare a healthy meal for the family
after working all day. Wangard and his wife
Kelly, a chef and hospitality consultant, are parents
to daughter Elle, and son Mason, both students
at Georgia Brown. His first-hand knowledge
of juggling time with family and outside
obligations has been the driving force behind
starting the family take-out dinner program.
“I want to be able to help parents and children
enjoy family dinners together,” said Wangard,
“and I think it’s important to show our
Academy students how they can work and still
enjoy family time. I think sharing the evening
meal together makes families happier and
healthier. It’s not just the food, but also the
Gregg Wangard, Director of Food Services for
the Paso Robles Joint Union School District.
chance to spend time together, pray, thank
God, and talk about the highlights and lowlights
of our day; we all need to do more of
that and I hope these take-out meals will allow
families that opportunity.”
ENJOY A MEAL
& SUPPORT LOCAL STUDENTS
As the second month of 2017 gets underway,
Wangard said he would like to see more
support from the community for the Academy
Cafe, especially with the launch of the take-out
family meals and what he calls the “grab-andgo”
lunchtime deli options.
“We are situated in a great location, right at
Union and Golden Hill, so it’s convenient and a
good option for dining on the east side of Paso
Robles,” said Wangard. “And, really, this is all
about the kids – we want to show them what
a busy restaurant is like, we want them to be
educated with the most modern technology,
and give them all of the experience necessary
to go right into the industry after graduation.”
The Culinary Arts Academy provides juniors
and seniors in the district culinary arts and food
industry training. It is a four semester elective
course that has been headed by Chef Phillip
Riccomini for the past 18 years; Riccomini is set
to retire February 5, with a new head chef to be
hired soon. The facility is home to an academic
and instructional kitchen with a fully-functional
dining area.
Currently, the Culinary Academy students
and staff prepare meals in the full production
kitchen and provide breakfast and lunch orders
for all district schools as well as San Ardo and
Bradley schools; this amounts to around 1,000-
1,200 breakfast meals and 1,500-2,000 lunches.
In addition, approximately 30 community members
visit the café for meals Tuesday-Friday, a
number Wangard would like to see increase.
Dine at the Academy Café, located at 1900
Golden Hill Road, Tuesday through Friday;
breakfast is served 8-10:30 a.m. and lunch is
served 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call 769-1133 for more
information on the new family take-out dinner
program, set to start mid-February.
18 PASO Magazine, February 2017