North Dakota partners with college culinary program to improve school meal nutrition

A partnership between the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) and the culinary arts program at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton aims to enhance school meal preparation by focusing on reducing sodium and sugar content. The initiative involves college students receiving instruction from NDDPI nutrition experts and a culinary consultant, after which they will train school cooks from both North and South Dakota. These training sessions are scheduled for October, November, and spring 2026.

The collaboration is designed to provide new recipes and food preparation methods for school cooks while also expanding the nutritional education of participating culinary students. Lynelle Johnson, who directs NDDPI’s child nutrition unit, expressed hope that the experience would encourage more students to pursue careers in school food service.

Training sessions will include dishes such as banana bread, cinnamon rolls, reduced-sodium chili, granola, yogurt parfaits, and a wojapi-inspired fruit sauce—a Native American berry sauce.

“We’re hoping to show that school nutrition is a good career opportunity,” said Amy Nelson, a Department of Public Instruction child nutrition specialist.

Benjamin Whitmore, associate professor at the College of Science and coordinator of its culinary arts program, said approximately 25 students would take part in the project. He noted that while many students aim for roles like restaurant management or executive chef positions—which involve longer hours—there is growing interest in institutional settings due to steadier schedules and increasing demand for healthy cuisine.

“This is a new project, and a great partnership for us,” Whitmore said. “These are things we are teaching anyway."

“You’re not working every night, every weekend” in an institutional job, Whitmore added. “They like the hours. They like the steadiness. Those jobs are starting to pay better, too. And there is even more demand for healthy cuisine in the school, the hospital, the nursing home, any kind of health-care setting. It really is a win-win.”

The program is managed by NDDPI with funding from a U.S. Department of Agriculture Team Nutrition grant totaling $759,474.

School cooks will have access to training this fall at both the Wahpeton campus and United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck. Additional sessions are planned across North and South Dakota next spring as well as during the 2026-27 academic year; these will focus on providing recipes and instruction specifically aimed at lowering sodium levels in school meals.