PHONE 413-232-7174
EMAIL amy@freshcotler.com

Fresh from the Farm: The Massachusetts Farm to School Cookbook is now out!
Berkshire Author Publishes Ground-Breaking Farm to School Cookbook Better School Nutrition and A Boost for Massachusetts Farms is its Aim Contact: Amy Cotler, Farm to Table Consultant, 413 232 7174. amy@freshcotler.com

Complete book on-line
http://www.mass.gov/agr/markets/Farm_to_school/index.htm
Table of Contents page 6, numerous quotes page 127. Cover photo and quotes available on request

Better student nutrition and a boost for Farm Sales are the dual aims of a new groundbreaking book, Fresh From the Farm: The Massachusetts Farm to School Cookbook. The book, which is now available on-line through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources website, is a tool for school food service staffs, training them how to work with farm-fresh food and introduce more local produce into school lunches. Print copies will published and distributed to every school district in the state through the MA Department of Education, who will soon list it on their website as well, where school food service directors also procure their food.

With the new federal mandate to include more produce in school lunches and the increasing discussion of childhood obesity, the schools are under enormous pressure to improve school lunches. But, they have tight budgets and limited food preparation time. Fresh From the Farm: The Massachusetts Farm to School Cookbook contains 46 recipes using seasonal produce, many emphasizing valued-added farm produce such as already sliced carrots or peel butternut squash, to ease school preparation time. The book is jammed with easy-to-follow educational tips on preparing fresh produce and seasonal buying, along with resources for procurement from nearby farms. All recipes include a nutritional analysis and safety guidelines. There is an addendum for educators with classroom lessons, focusing on the importance of fresh food and the farm to table connection, with a lesson plan development bingo game for educators on how to integrate the book’s concepts into existing mandatory school frameworks.

The book’s recipes were tested statewide for their ease of preparation and student receptivity. School food service professionals submitted requests, some of the recipes, as well as ideas on how to make the book effective. As a result, this empowering book liberally refers to and quotes specific personnel who participated in the project. Locally, Tammy Jervas, Food Service Director at the Richmond Consolidated Schools and an enthusiastic supporter of serving fresh foods, contributed a tomato sauce recipe, using fresh harvest tomatoes.

“I wasn’t interested in creating a book that would get dusty on the shelf,” says author Amy Cotler, “Rather, I want to implement real change. So to do so, I needed to engage the kitchen staff and appeal to the students.” said author Amy Cotler. “So the book’s recipes were served at school lunches and tastings were wheeled around in carts with questionnaires for feedback, which I incorporated into the book’s content.”

Ms. Cotler conceived and wrote the grant for this yearlong project after giving numerous cooking lessons in school kitchens across the state. The Mass Farm to School Project was already starting to connect schools to farms, but after working with processed foods for decades, many school kitchens personnel simply didn’t have the skills necessary to prepare fresh foods.

Although Ms. Cotler currently sells real estate with Cohen & White in West Stockbridge, where she has a special interest in land conservation and green development, she has worked as chef, culinary educator, cookbook author and farm to table advocate for 24 years. She was director of Berkshire Grown, a non-profit supporting local food and farms, and has consulted and lectured nationally on farm to table issues.

This book project was a unique collaboration, supported by an advisory board of members from, The Massachusetts Farm to School Project, The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, The Massachusetts Department of Education, the School Nutrition Association of Massachusetts, as well as several school nutritionists and Food Service Directors and School Nutritionists — Donna Lombardi of Worcester, Lynn Petrowski of Middleborough and Frank Maher of Westfield.

Ms Cotler consults on farm to table issues regionally. She is currently looking for funding to provide the book to other states, tailoring it to their needs . She is also working with the Pittsfield city school system to fund a project to integrate farm foods into school lunches.

Fresh From the Farm: The Farm to School Cookbook can be easily downloaded: http://www.mass.gov/agr/markets/Farm_to_school/index.htm

Culinary Coaching and Cooking Classes
Several new clients, looking to change their diet over a six-month period are excited about my culinary coaching.  Bi-monthly meetings help keep people on track and provide recipes and on-going support. Summer cooking classes begin in Great Barrington with an Eat Your Greens class.

Culinary Business Consulting
Fresh helped to develop seasonal, sustainable and spa menus for two new luxury Berkshire resorts — The Lenox Athenaeum, an “intellectual retreat” in Lenox, and Mepal, a state-of-the art health spa in New Marlboro.

Event Planning
The FRESH team is in the preliminary stages of coordinating two large fall events. More soon….

Internet Host
Amy Cotler co-host four food forums for The New York Times on the Web.