Homemade, fresh, and made with love, the TNCS lunch program offers students more than just nutrition.

When you think of school lunch programs, what comes to mind? For many, it’s images of mass-produced meals, plastic-wrapped portions, and food that’s more about function than flavor. But at The New Century School, lunch is about so much more—it’s about creating a family meal experience that nourishes both body and community spirit.

From Greenhouse to Table

For Chef John Moomau and Sr. Manuel Cuevas, the dedicated culinary team behind TNCS’s beloved lunch program, food is an extension of the school’s educational philosophy. “It’s very much like family meal,” explains Chef John. “We strive to please the youngest to the oldest.”

This philosophy guides everything about their approach, from ingredient selection to meal preparation. Currently serving an average of 40 students daily (with pizza day—Friday—being the most popular), the program emphasizes quality over complexity. “What we did was simplify it, make it consistent, but really increase the experience,” Chef John shares. “It doesn’t have to be complicated, but just make it really good. That’s the whole goal.”

Big Flavors, Fresh Ingredients

What sets the TNCS lunch program apart? According to Chef John, it all starts with “big flavors.” “Number one is big flavors,” he emphasizes. “And number two is very careful selection of ingredients.”

The team personally selects produce and goods weekly from their vendors (e.g., Performance Food Service, International Gourmet Foods, DelightSoy), ensuring the highest quality ingredients. Their homemade tomato sauce is made from fresh tomatoes, enhanced with herbs harvested directly from the TNCS greenhouse.

“We hand select fruit and most produce for the week from our fruit vendors,” John explains, underscoring their commitment to quality. Sr. Manuel adds, “There’s never anything pre-made. We start right from scratch every day. Nothing is pre-prepared.”

Vegetarian chicken sandwich, grapes, fries, and salad were on the fresh new menu for Thursdays in May.

Although they simplified the menu offerings themselves, again, to please a wide variety of palates, the program they run is incredibly well-organized with clear roles, thoughtful planning, and flexibility to meet student needs. They arrive in the morning and start prepping the food that goes in that day’s lunch to maintain the highest level of freshness possible, but some of their prep actually happens the afternoon prior. They have developed a system of labeling the lunch baskets used to serve lunch with each student’s name. This not only sets them up for success the next day, but it also means they can readily accommodate the child who forgot to bring a packed lunch to school that day. Menus are also planned and circulated in advance.

With the kitchen running so smoothly, Chef John and Sr. Manuel have the capacity to fulfill other culinary needs—sometimes they provide food for special school events, for example, or they might whip up a batch of croissants for the Meet and Greets TNCS Head of School Ann Marie Simonetti holds Friday mornings for prospective parents.

Garden of Learning

The garden program is an integral part of the lunch experience at TNCS. In the school’s greenhouse, Sr. Manuel works with students to plant, tend, and harvest a variety of vegetables and herbs that find their way into the lunch program.

“For now, we have cilantro,” Sr. Manuel explains during a greenhouse tour, pointing out the various growing areas. “Next week the idea is to plant tomatoes, broccoli, and cucumbers.” Students are actively involved in the planting process, with different age groups participating in various aspects of the garden’s maintenance. Sr. Manuel explains that he does the planting mainly with preprimary and primary students, but all TNCS students in all divisions participate in greenhouse activities at some point.

The greenhouse currently nurtures mint, cilantro, and even a mango plant. When harvest time comes, these fresh ingredients enhance the school meals in numerous ways—tomatoes for salads or pizza sauce, cucumbers for snacks and sides, and herbs to add those “big flavors” the program is known for.

Menu Magic and Flexibility

Flexibility is key to the program’s success. The chefs adapt constantly to meet the changing preferences of their young diners. “What we might have served last year, they might not want to eat this year,” Chef John explains. “They used to love these vegetarian meat and bean burritos. This year, they don’t want to eat them, so we switched to a quesadilla, which they eat. We’re always making sure we see those trends.”

The menu rotates monthly, with about 12 main items in regular rotation. But even when serving the same main dishes, Chef John and Sr. Manuel keep things interesting by changing the accompaniments and occasionally adding surprises. “With the quesadilla, for example, you might get a little extra queso, or sometimes we serve a custard,” Chef John says. “We like doing little surprises like that.”

Pizza Day: The Crowd Favorite

Ask Chef John about his favorite meal to prepare, and he doesn’t hesitate: “I love pizza Friday because it’s just fun. We’ve tried lots of variations of the sauce and lots of different cheese combinations.”

The pizza preparation process is impressive—the team starts with around 18 balls of dough that they hand-spread. Their homemade sauce and carefully selected cheese blend create a pizza that has students coming back for seconds.

“We can tell they love it because they’re piling on,” Chef John smiles, noting how the students’ enthusiasm confirms they’ve perfected their recipe.

(And, although the TNCS lunch program is vegetarian—and nut-free to boot—Sr. Manuel always keep a small stash of pepperoni on hand for Mr. Mike.)

More Than Just Lunch

For both Chef John and Sr. Manuel, the lunch program represents a deep connection to the school community. Chef John has been involved since 2017, and Sr. Manuel joined him in the fall of 2021. Both have had children attend TNCS; Chef John’s now high school–age daughter attended for 12 years, and two of Sr. Manuel’s children currently attend, giving them a personal investment in the quality of the food they prepare.

“I think that’s really one of the main drivers that keeps me going to do this—there’s this family sense,” Chef John reflects. “The school’s got a lot of foundation in our lives, so we want to keep supporting and providing, and lunch is important.”

Their dedication extends beyond just feeding the students. Chef John still teaches food safety training 3 days a week through his company QRS Training, and Sr. Manuel drives the school van in addition to tending the garden and helping out around the grounds.

“One of the other drivers of me wanting to do this is to make sure that this is high-quality, safe food,” Chef John emphasizes. “It’s important, especially for kids. We follow the highest standards for quality and cleanliness, making sure our food is tops.”

Join the Family Table!

With its emphasis on fresh, homemade food made with care and attention, the TNCS lunch program offers students far more than just nutritional sustenance—it provides them with a daily lesson in community, quality, and the joy of sharing good food.

If you’d like your child to participate in this delicious, nutritious, made-from-scratch school lunch program, sign up online! You can even opt in for select days!

And, if you’re wondering how this amazing, one-of-a-kind program came to be, check out the TNCS School Lunch origin story blogs: Sustainable School Lunch: Garden Tuck Shop Program Part I and Part II.