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Live Oak Today
By the People, for the People
Live Oak School District's Food Lab Provides Culinary Education
Students learn cooking skills and help prepare school meals using produce from the district's farm.
Apr. 8, 2026 at 11:07pm
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Vibrant silkscreen prints of cooking tools and fresh produce celebrate the hands-on culinary education provided by Live Oak School District's innovative Food Lab program.Live Oak TodayLive Oak School District's Food Lab program is giving students hands-on culinary education, from recipe testing to preparing school lunches. Some of the produce used in the meals comes from the district's adjacent 1.1-acre 'Field of Dreams' farm, where high school students also work to till the soil, tend the crops, and harvest the bounty. The program aims to provide nutrition and cooking skills while increasing scratch-cooked meals served in the cafeteria.
Why it matters
The Food Lab program is part of Live Oak School District's mission to cultivate a new generation of healthy eaters. By involving students directly in meal preparation and sourcing local produce, the district is teaching valuable life skills while also improving the nutritional quality of school lunches.
The details
Live Oak School District's Food Lab program includes afterschool enrichment classes where students learn culinary skills like using chopsticks, baking, and applying math to recipe testing. Some classes focus on producing the actual school lunches served in the cafeteria. The district's Director of Child Nutrition Services, Kelsey Perusse, says the program was inspired by a similar initiative at Pacific Elementary School.
- The Food Lab program has been running in Live Oak School District.
- Next year, the district hopes to expand the program to include 5th graders from Green Acres and Live Oak elementary schools.
The players
Kelsey Perusse
The Director of Child Nutrition Services for Live Oak School District, who oversees the Food Lab program.
Live Oak School District
A school district in California that has implemented the Food Lab culinary education program for its students.
Cypress High School
A high school where students enroll in the district's Food and Farm Lab class to work on the 'Field of Dreams' farm.
What they’re saying
“Food Lab is a program inspired by Pacific Elementary where students help prepare meals that are served in the cafeteria. In Live Oak School District, it has been a way to provide nutrition and culinary education to students while increasing scratch cooked meals prepared.”
— Kelsey Perusse, Director of Child Nutrition Services
“Some classes are centered around recipe testing — like sushi — and others are producing school lunches. Students develop knife skills, learn to bake, apply math skills and learn about the seasonality of foods. This work supports our mission of growing a generation of healthy eaters.”
— Kelsey Perusse, Director of Child Nutrition Services
What’s next
Next year, the district hopes to expand the Food Lab program to include afterschool 5th graders from Green Acres and Live Oak elementary schools.
The takeaway
Live Oak School District's Food Lab program is empowering students with valuable culinary skills while also improving the nutritional quality of school meals by incorporating locally-grown produce from the district's own farm.