iBites Podcast

Shannon FitzGerald interviews Hannah Carroll, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who leads food services for a K–6 district of roughly 4,000 students in Santa Barbara County. Hannah describes a centralized production model — a full scratch-cooking central kitchen supplying nine sites through mobile serving lines — that has driven lunch participation to around 75% and breakfast participation above 50%, largely by adding Second Chance Breakfast. The conversation centers on three strengths of Hann

What does it really take to move a school meal program from freezer-to-oven to scratch-cooked? In this episode of iBites, host Shannon FitzGerald, PhD, RDN sits down with Jeanne Reilly, School Nutrition Director for RSU 14 in Windham and Raymond, Maine, for an honest, inspiring conversation about scratch cooking from the ground up. Jeanne shares how a community visioning grant sparked the idea of hiring a permanent district chef — a role that’s been transforming her program for 12 years — and ho

In this episode of iBites, host Shannon FitzGerald sits down with Maria Patiño, a school nutrition manager with 17 years of experience at Manor ISD — a fast-growing district just outside Austin, Texas. Maria shares how she went from walking into the district office unannounced with a 9-month-old in tow to becoming the district’s go-to manager for catering and summer feeding operations.

Meet Rhiannon Mejia, a Child Nutrition Supervisor in Texas who oversees 10 schools including elementary, middle, and high schools with innovative bistro concepts. Rhiannon shares her inspiring journey from restaurant management to school nutrition, motivated by her own childhood experiences and desire to ensure every child has access to meals. She discusses her leadership approach grounded in empathy, open communication, and patience—lessons learned from an impactful mentor. Rhiannon also highli

Chef Andrew Urbanetti traded Harvard Law School's dining room for the school cafeterias of Boston — and he's never looked back. In this episode, recorded live at the 10th Farm to Cafeteria Conference, Andrew shares the story behind Boston Public Schools' new Central Kitchen, what it felt like when a student encountered whole-muscle turkey for the first time, and how his team is building trust with families through halal and kosher programs, local sourcing partnerships, and scratch cooking at sca

Lisa Strine is a Child Nutrition Manager in Fort Worth, Texas, who brings retail training expertise and 18 years of school nutrition experience to her role—where she serves 780 meals daily and maintains an impressive student participation rate. As her district’s in-house trainer and compliance expert, Lisa prepares new managers for success through hands-on MIT (Manager in Training) camps while ensuring her own team stays audit-ready and confident. In this episode, Lisa shares her journey from re