Food

At Palmer Trinity School we are passionate about sustainability. Our staff and students are always thinking creatively about sustainable food, including purchasing ingredients from local farms which reduces energy use and greenhouse gas emissions through shortened delivery routes and creating innovative meals that are both healthy for the environment and delicious.

Here is what Chef Brian says about our PTS kitchen:

“All meals are prepared from scratch, onsite, daily. Menus are custom-designed for our community, and change with the seasons to reflect the fresh produce available to South Florida residents. We batch cook, preparing small quantities of food throughout the day to maximize flavor and minimize waste. All of our soups and sauces are made from scratch on a daily basis. We serve turkey breast and roast beef that is roasted in-house, and purchase locally-baked breads. Our salads and salad dressings are made from scratch. Our milk is antibiotic-free and hormone free. We use shell eggs that are cage-free and Certified Humane. In support of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines, we strive to increase our purchases of sustainable seafood, and our tuna is dolphin-safe and packaged in water. We use fresh herbs to enhance flavor and garnish our displays. Whenever possible, we use fresh herbs and vegetables from our Palmer Trinity School student gardens.

In an effort to help PTS faculty and students appreciate the value of buying and eating locally, I met with local farmers at local farms, at the start of this school year, to begin to build relationships with them. After viewing their abundance of local produce, I was inspired to create a menu that included produce indigenous to our area—such as Florida citrus fruits, avocado, boniato, callalou, coconuts and star fruit—and I hosted a special school lunch, in late October, to serve this menu to PTS students, faculty and staff. Buying locally contributes to the local economy, enhances plant diversity and decreases the distances food must travel—ultimately reducing carbon dioxide emissions from trucking. By principle, we at SAGE Dining continue to promote the use of local and organic products, and aim to provide the PTS community with more opportunities to “eat locally” throughout the year.”