This year’s Good Food Champion has been championing local and seasonal fresh foods for Plymouth School District students for nearly a decade.
Nourish congratulates Caren Johnson, who was named the 2022 Good Food Champion during the nonprofit’s annual fundraiser.
Nourish initiated the Good Food Champion award in 2017 to recognize an individual or group each year who has been influential in encouraging more healthy and local foods being shared in our community and/or has helped advance good-food and nutrition education.
Nourish Program Manager Katie Bartelt presents the 2022 Good Food Champion Award to the 2022 Good Food Champion, Caren Johnson
Johnson joined Plymouth School District in 2013 as district chef and has been the district’s foodservice director since 2020. Nourish Executive Director Ryan Laswell said Johnson has been an important partner to Nourish ever since she joined the school district. He recalls one of her first projects was engaging Plymouth High School students to make healthy snacks for the elementary students to enjoy during their after-school programs. She sources as much food as possible from local farms, in her efforts to make school meals healthier and more flavorful by using seasonal produce. This has been made easier as she established the district’s kitchen to receive, use and process local foods – including the Harvest of the Month vegetables or fruits identified by Nourish.
Recently, Nourish and Caren collaborate with the Department of Public Instruction to hold a training for foodservice directors from around the state. Caren is also featured in DPI videos focused on the culinary guidance and nutrition education necessary to incorporate fresh foods in school meals.