Alumni Spotlight Archives
Bridget Collins PCP '87
by Julie Burba PCP '02, CCP
Bridget Collins is not your stereotypical school 'lunch lady.' In fact, she's making ground-breaking advances in the Medford Public School system as the Chef and Nutritional Coordinator, a relatively new role in educational food services. Bridget manages the purchasing and budgets, recipe and menu development, and the cafeteria staff of seven schools within the Medford, Massachusetts, public educational system, helping to elevate the reputation of school food service.
"There are so many layers to public school food service," said Bridget. "From developing recipes incorporating USDA nutritional and wellness guidelines, breaking down a USDA recipe into 400 servings, using commodity and frozen ingredients, budgeting labor and food costs, avoiding multiple food allergies, reducing waste, meeting the students' taste preferences, incorporating the cultural and socioeconomic diversity in menu choices among schools, and training staff, it's taken all of my 20 years of culinary experience to prepare for this job and I love it."
Bridget's path to working in a culinary role for public schools was not a direct one. Her experience encompasses 20 years of cooking and baking in restaurants, catering companies, and country clubs. For 13 years she worked as a pastry chef in the executive kitchen at Fidelity Investments. While preparing healthy and unique baked goods at Fidelity, she became interested in working with whole grains. She joined Oldways Preservation and Trust and attended its Whole Grains Council conferences, at which she learned about childhood obesity, general nutrition, and what role diet plays. "I am drawn to this path," said Bridget. "It has come through a natural progression of my interests, my professional affiliations and advocacy, and through being a parent."
In 2006 she enrolled at the National Institute of Whole Health, where she is working toward certification in nutritional counseling. This certification will help her raise awareness and ensure wellness through food, health, and nutrition. She's also a member of Oldways, Women Chefs and Restaurateurs (WCR), Chef's Collaborative, and the Massachusetts Public Health Association.
She has already incorporated initiatives into the Medford schools to benefit the health of the students, including farm to table events; "trayless Tuesdays," where the cafeteria foregoes the Styrofoam lunch trays for brown bags; eliminating soda and candy vending machines; and selling a la carte snacks approved for Massachusetts schools by the John Stalker Institute.
Bridget finds working with the USDA recipes a challenge in many ways yet rewarding. "I was testing a broccoli cheese quiche recipe and sampling it out to the students," she said. "It's a challenge to take a government recipe and turn it into 400 servings, sometimes using subpar ingredients. But when the students say 'Yum! This is the best thing ever' it makes me feel great, like it's all worth it. One fourth-grade student even asked me for my autograph!"
She received a scholarship from the WCR to study with Ann Cooper, known as the "Renegade Lunch Lady," in the Berkeley Unified School District. She'll pack her knives and chef's uniform this April and Shadow Ann for a week, helping to transform cafeteria lunches into 60% organic and fresh options. In addition, she recently won first prize in the Dole Food Service non-alcoholic beverage recipe contest, receiving $1000 for her "Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Smoothie." Plus, she was one of 12 winners in the Aunt Jemima/Pinnacle Foods contest. Each winner was featured in a calendar distributed to schools and at food shows by Aunt Jemima/Pinnacle. September's recipe featured Bridget's "Blueberry STuffed Hand Cakes"—food that has definitely moved beyond a gray meat on a white bun.
A graduate of The CSCA's Professional Chef's Program in 1987, Bridge left a life in graphic design to pursue her passion for food. She worked at Davio's Restaurant as the executive pastry chef for three years and was also the executive pastry chef at the Brookline Country Club. She worked in positions at Johnny's Luncheonette and at Basil Tree Catering as well, before joining Fidelity.
"My advice to students is to pay attention in school," said Bridget. "Give 100% and it will pay off. Be sure to follow your passion, whether it's in fine dining or running a sausage cart, it comes from your soul. I think I've come full circle. Everything I learned at The CSCA was instrumental to get me to the level I am. Now I want to apply all I learned and take my skills and teach other people how to do it."
Alumni Newsletter, Volume 7, Winter 2009
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