iBites Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Meet Rhiannon Mejia, a Child Nutrition Supervisor in Texas who oversees 10 schools including elementary, middle, and high schools with innovative bistro concepts. Rhiannon shares her inspiring journey from restaurant management to school nutrition, motivated by her own childhood experiences and desire to ensure every child has access to meals. She discusses her leadership approach grounded in empathy, open communication, and patience—lessons learned from an impactful mentor. Rhiannon also highlights her district’s successful Manager-in-Training (MIT) program that identifies and develops rising leaders, including how her colleague Lisa (featured in a companion episode) trained her and continues to train new managers today.

Chef Andrew Urbanetti traded Harvard Law School's dining room for the school cafeterias of Boston — and he's never looked back. In this episode, recorded live at the 10th Farm to Cafeteria Conference, Andrew shares the story behind Boston Public Schools' new Central Kitchen, what it felt like when a student encountered whole-muscle turkey for the first time, and how his team is building trust with families through halal and kosher programs, local sourcing partnerships, and scratch cooking at scale. If you believe school food can be extraordinary, this one's for you.

Lisa Strine is a Child Nutrition Manager in Fort Worth, Texas, who brings retail training expertise and 18 years of school nutrition experience to her role—where she serves 780 meals daily and maintains an impressive student participation rate. As her district’s in-house trainer and compliance expert, Lisa prepares new managers for success through hands-on MIT (Manager in Training) camps while ensuring her own team stays audit-ready and confident. In this episode, Lisa shares her journey from retail management to school nutrition passion, reveals why production records are her “kitchen Bible,” and offers candid advice on navigating administrative reviews, batch cooking operations, and the inevitable equipment failures. Her leadership philosophy? Train your staff so well they could take over your job, take one deep breath when stress hits, and never forget that you can’t do this work alone.

This podcast episode is about the real work of school nutrition leadership. In this episode, we explore how a kitchen manager builds strong teams, engages students, and creates menu programs that balance nutrition standards with student appeal. Practical strategies are shared for staff development and motivation, creative approaches to menu marketing and student engagement, and proven methods for increasing meal participation. From career inspiration to day-to-day leadership challenges, this conversation offers valuable insights.

Welcome to iBites, the podcast from the Institute of Child Nutrition.
On iBites, we talk with school nutrition professionals from around the country. Our guests share real experiences, practical tips, and proven strategies to support your work. Whether you’re an experienced nutrition director, a manager, or new to child nutrition, this is your community to connect, learn, and get inspired.
Grab your coworkers or your earbuds, put on your walking shoes, or find a comfy spot. It’s time to dive in!
Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you, your dedication, and the difference you make each day in nourishing the next generation.

Crystal Beers shares her approach to leading her staff and making sure all her students are fed with a smile and warm greeting.

Host Patrick Garmong sits down with national school nutrition leader Stephen O’Brien to talk about how school meals can shape a student’s relationship with food for life. They dig into scratch cooking, smart procurement, small-district strategies, building allies, and why universal free meals shift the conversation from access to quality.

Welcome to iBites, the podcast from the Institute of Child Nutrition.
On iBites, we talk with school nutrition professionals from around the country. Our guests share real experiences, practical tips, and proven strategies to support your work. Whether you’re an experienced nutrition director, a manager, or new to child nutrition, this is your community to connect, learn, and get inspired.
Grab your coworkers or your earbuds, put on your walking shoes, or find a comfy spot. It’s time to dive in!
Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you, your dedication, and the difference you make each day in nourishing the next generation.

In this episode, Rosalynn Ordanez shares her best kept secrets for keeping staff engaged and motivated. Rosalynn is a compassionate leader for her school nutrition team.

On this episode of The Mix Up, Patrick Garmong sits down with Leah Botko, who shares her journey from starting in food service as a teen to leading school meal programs in Massachusetts—and now stepping into a new role in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.

Leah reflects on career growth, mentorship, and the impact school nutrition leaders can have in shaping healthier, more engaging meals for students. Her story offers both inspiration and practical takeaways for anyone working in child nutrition.

Welcome to iBites, the podcast from the Institute of Child Nutrition.
On iBites, we talk with school nutrition professionals from around the country. Our guests share real experiences, practical tips, and proven strategies to support your work. Whether you’re an experienced nutrition director, a manager, or new to child nutrition, this is your community to connect, learn, and get inspired.
Grab your coworkers or your earbuds, put on your walking shoes, or find a comfy spot. It’s time to dive in!
Thanks for joining us. We appreciate you, your dedication, and the difference you make each day in nourishing the next generation.

In the first episode of Season 2 of the iBites Podcast, Tina Hastings brings her transformative approach to school nutrition leadership. A passionate and humble trailblazer, Tina shares insights on career development, team building, and creating meaningful professional growth opportunities in school nutrition. Listeners will be inspired by her strategic vision and commitment to empowering nutrition professionals.

Raising the Bar: Brittney Rodriguez on Scratch Cooking and Food Quality in School Nutrition

In this episode of The Mix-Up, host Patrick Garmong welcomes Brittney Rodriguez, Nutrition Services Supervisor at Hacienda La Puente Unified School District in California. Serving over 15,000 students across 28 schools, Brittney shares how her team is making strategic changes to improve food quality, expand scratch and speed-scratch cooking, and strengthen operational consistency. From menu development to workforce training, Brittney emphasizes how thoughtful leadership and strong systems can transform a school meal program. This episode is packed with practical strategies for directors and supervisors aiming to modernize their operations and boost meal appeal for students.

#CulinaryJourney #SchoolMeals  #TheMixUpPodcast

Music: Dirty Gertie by Shane Ivers – https://www.silvermansound.com