Contract Food Service

Our Contract Food Service aims to bring local, seasonable and sustainable cost-effective dining service to local schools or any other business that wants to create a sustainable food model for their future.

Check out our Menus for the month of July:

Client Profile: Washington Jesuit Academy

Through our Contract Food Service, graduates of the DC Central Kitchen Culinary Job Training program provide excellent cuisine from local and seasonable ingredients for charter schools and day care centers in the nation’s capital. At Washington Jesuit Academy, one of our current clients, we provide just under 100 middle school students 3 meals a day, 5 days week, 11 months a year. We pride ourselves on working with the students there to understand their preferences and create nutritious and delicious foods sourced from the area’s best farms and purveyors.

“People have noticed the creativity occuring in the kitchen,” comments Brian Ray, Director of Finance at Washington Jesuit Academy. “We used to have food handlers who served the students heat and serve meals. Now, with Fresh Start Catering, we have cooks who have a great customer-service attitude, make everything from scratch and provide fruits and vegetables at every meal. We’ve chosen to make an investment in the health of our students and it’s paying off in the classroom.”

The Fresh Start Catering staff at WJA are beginning several new initiatives, such as integrating herbs and produce from the school garden into meals and in partnership with Profish, featuring a local fish for dinner every Tuesday. Read more...

Hire Us!

Please email Ama Blankson-Wood at ablanksonwood@dccentralkitchen.org. Include the following information:

  • Name and location of school
  • Number of students
  • Type of catering (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks)
  • Contact name, number and email
  • Preferred method and time for contact

Client Profile: Next Step Public Charter School

Fresh Start Catering provides healthy and seasonable meals for 70 students at Next Step Public Charter School in Columbia Heights. As a predominantly Spanish-speaking community of students, the menus are available in both English and Spanish.

We pride ourselves in providing a diverse selection, introducing students to new flavors, such as Black Bean and Cumin Soup and Corn, Tomatoes, and Tarragon Salad.

"Our new caterers work for a great cause and use locally grown foods. They invest time in food presentation and students feel like they are eating at a fancy restaurant. Overall, students are eating healthier with more vegetables and receiving exposure to foods they never would've tried before." - Next Step Faculty Member