Winning Meal Announced for Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! Healthy School Meal Contest

(New York, NY) — We have a winner! In celebration of October’s National School Lunch Week, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (Alliance), the School Nutrition Association (SNA) and the Yum-o! organization have announced Donnie Barclift from Oakland Unified School District as the winner of Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! Healthy School Meal Contest with his recipe for Pozole con Pescado.

Rachael Ray’s Yum-o! Healthy School Meal Contest asked school foodservice workers from around the country to submit an innovative, delicious, healthy school lunch – including meat/meat alternative, bread/grain, vegetables and fruit – which met or exceeded the new USDA school meal guidelines.

Three of the submissions were chosen as finalists and were prepared and judged in a school cafeteria by students and representatives from the Alliance, Yum-o! and SNA. The recipes were judged on nutrition, appeal to students, ease of replication in schools and presentation.

Donnie Barclift’s Pozole con Pescado was the winning recipe. It features a zesty tomato broth with kale and other vegetables, served with a piece of seasoned and roasted fish on top and a side of diced melons with lime, mint and basil. "We were thrilled with the creative, healthy recipes submitted for the contest and congratulate Donnie and the other finalists!" said Rachael.

Get the recipe! Plus, check out the at-home version to make in your own kitchen!

Donnie has worked for Oakland Unified School District for more than three years and says he’s proud to be working in school food service at such a critical time for our nation’s students. "Being a part of this exciting time for school food and shaping the way this generation of children eat is a great source of inspiration for me. I think the changes we are making in kids’ lives will leave a lasting impact on the way they see food and their relationship with food."

As the winner, Donnie Barclift joined the studio audience at the Rachael Ray show during National School Lunch Week and will be featured in the November issue of School Nutrition Magazine.

The runner up meal was Susan Foster’s Fiesta Fish, a Mexican seasoned tuna sandwich served with seasoned sweet potatoes, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables, served with a yogurt dipping sauce. Susan is from Hall County Schools, Gainsville, GA.

The two recipes were submitted from school districts as part of the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program. The Healthy Schools Program currently supports more than 15,000 schools and more than ten million students nationwide and is available to anyone – at no cost – who is interested in improving health and wellness initiatives on a school campus.

The recipes are available for free to any school in the country by visiting the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s website.

About the Yum-o! Organization
Yum-o!® is Rachael Ray’s nonprofit organization that empowers kids and their families to develop healthy relationships with food and cooking by teaching families to cook, feeding hungry kids and funding cooking education and scholarships. By providing the tools to create easy, affordable and delicious meals, Yum-o! is changing the way America eats. For more information about the Yum-o! organization, please visit www.yum-o.org.

About the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation works to address one of the nation’s leading public health threats – childhood obesity. The goal of the Alliance is to reduce the nationwide prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015, and to empower kids to make healthy lifestyle choices. Founded in 2005 by the American Heart Association and William J. Clinton Foundation, the Alliance works to positively affect the places that can make a difference to a child’s health: homes, schools, doctor’s offices and communities. To learn more about the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, visit www.HealthierGeneration.org.

About the School Nutrition Association
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, nonprofit professional organization representing 55,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. To learn more, visit www.schoolnutrition.org.

Media Contacts:
Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Megan McIntyre   
917-399-5250 
[email protected]

Yum-o!/Rachael Ray
Charlie Dougiello
646-340-1766
[email protected]

School Nutrition Association
Diane Pratt-Heavner
301-686-3124
[email protected]

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