Dan Thomas wins national award from Chef & Child Foundation

[Robin Garr]

Congrats and a standing O for Chef Dan!

NEWS RELEASE

Chef Dan Thomas, supervisor of the JCPS SCNS catering department will receive the American Culinary Foundation Chef and Child Foundation True Spirit Award at the upcoming ACF conference in Dallas.

The True Spirit Award is presented once a year to a person or chapter who has demonstrated extraordinary effort to aid children with the issues of nutrition and obesity. Chef Dan’s efforts include volunteering his time to coordinate an after school nutrition education program called “Chef’s Club” at Wellington Elementary. He worked with the local ACF chapter to coordinate two “Hit a Homerun for Nutrition” breakfast events at two elementary schools. Dan also worked with our department to organize our first “Culinary Student Breakfast Recipe Challenge” that culminated in a large event a Lassiter Middle School, where the winner was crowned by a group of celebrity judges and the students at Lassiter. He also worked with JCPS students to enter several recipes in the USDA “Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge”.

Dan has also volunteered on several nutrition initiatives with the Food Literacy Project at Oxmoor Farms. Dan was instrumental in planning and executing a “Field-to-Fork” dinner event last fall, to raise funds for an outdoor kitchen at the farm. The outdoor kitchen, which recently opened, enables over 2,00 unban youth each year to take hands-on learning in an outdoor environment, on an eight-care vegetable farm, to a new level through participatory cooking and nutrition education.

Congratulations to Chef Dan Thomas and this wonderful recognition.

Hip, hip, hooray! Congratulations, chef Dan. Applause, applause, applause!

WOW! Good for you Dan! Congrats!

Congrats Dan!! A well earned honor indeed!!!

Talk about selfless... Dan is the man!. Thanks for inviting me out to Oxmoor farm for the unveiling of the outdoor kitchen. Looks like a great program they have there. Glad to donate some $ for that.

Way to go Dan. Glad to see you get the props that you deserve.

Sweet! First beer is on me next time I see you out.

Congratulations Dan!!

Good news indeed! Congratulations!!

Freaking awesome...Congrats Dano. If Justin has the first beer, I've got the second.

That is awesome, great accomplishment to you sir!!

Thanks everyone
It was quite a surprise when I opened the e-mail this morning. I am quite humbled to receive such a prestigious award.

I had actually submitted an application for a scholarship from the ACFCCF Micheal Ty Endowment Fund which if I win, I can name a school or charity to receive funds on my behalf. I was hoping to name the Food Literacy Project as the recipient of the funds if I'm awarded the scholarship. I was wanting to kick off a new project at the farm in a positive way. They need to raise funds to move a donated modular building to the farm for use as an indoor classroom.

I suppose the awards committee felt I was worthy of the True Spirit Award based upon my application for the scholarship. What's really cool is that Chef Nancy Russman won the same award last year, so two local chefs have won this national award back to back. I think that says a lot about the culinarians in our community.

You're doing great work,and although you don't do it for the recognition, it's always nice when it's noticed on a scale such as this!!

Congratulations! You're certainly an asset to JCPS and the community.

Way to go, sir!