CVUSD seeks to build central kitchen

Some east valley students could soon say hello to fresh-cut fruit and goodbye to frozen burritos, that’s if the Coachella Valley Unified School District moves forward with a central kitchen.

The central kitchen would be a place where cafeteria workers could mass produce fresh-cooked meals and distribute them to every school in the district daily.

The kitchen’s cutting edge technology would minimize heavy lifting and increase employee safety.

“The biggest concern for the people I work with is whether it’s going to cut into our jobs,” said cafeteria director Carrie DeVoe.

The central kitchen would allow schools to serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to students, which would call for more full-time cafeteria positions and drivers to deliver the fresh meals.

“It means from them working at the school sites to working at the centralized kitchen. We’re looking to doubling the amount of meals served and we’ll need all hands on deck,” said Antonio Raymo, CVUSD chief executive director of business and finance.

A culinary arts program will also be available for students and parents.

The project would cost an estimated $13.5 million. The district said it would take about two years to build from the ground up.

CVUSD will need approval from the school board. It will also need approval from the state to spend cafeteria funds on the project. It’s working to qualify for additional funding.

The goal is to improve the quality and quantity of food for students and the community.

“If they have more choices, fresh fruit and freshly cooked food, instead of pre-packaged food, they’re going to be happier with that,” said DeVoe.

The school board could vote on the project as soon as Tuesday.