Samantha Cowens Gasbarro, a Johnson & Wales University graduate, became involved in school food after a move to Maine and she hasn’t looked back.
While serving as the nutrition and wellness coordinator for Windham/Raymond School District, she discovered her life’s mission of feeding children appealing and healthful foods.
She helped transform that operation from a heat-and-serve to a scratch cooking model. She believes that food education and exposure to new and healthy foods is crucial to changing children’s eating habits. Today she spends much of her summers training school food professionals across the country in basic culinary skills.