Farm to School: Foodservice Equipment for Program Success

In our recent interview with Sydney Turnipseed, Associate Director of the Mississippi Farm to School Network, we explored the many facets of running a successful Farm to School program. 

We shared Sydney's insights in our September article, Your Farm to School Questions Answered, but we just scratched the surface on the topic of foodservice equipment.

Today, we’re going to take a deeper dive into the recommended types of equipment needed for handling and processing fresh, locally sourced foods, from receiving and storage to preparation and cooking.

If you’re looking to start or expand your Farm to School program, the right equipment can help make fresh food more practical, efficient, and scalable. You may be surprised by how well equipped you already are!

Receiving

Equipment item: Sturdy Utility Cart

We recommend: Channel Manufacturing bussing and utility carts

Made of all-welded 18 gauge, 304 Series stainless steel, these multipurpose carts have a 500 pound distributed weight capacity. Full swivel 5″ non-marking casters come standard for easy maneuvering.

 


Storage

Equipment item: Walk-in Cooler

We recommend: Polar-Pak or KoldFront by Kolpak

Your walk-in cooler does the critical job of keeping food at the proper storing temperature and humidity to protect your valuable food investment. 

Built tough with the high-performance construction that has made Kolpak a leader in walk-in refrigeration, Polar-Pak and KoldFront walk-ins feature an attractive and rugged exterior and interior finish with 4” foamed-in-place insulation for superior insulating capabilities.

 


Equipment item: Walk-in Cooler Shelving

We recommend: Hybrid Mat Shelving by Quantum Foodservice

Built on a foundation of Proform Green Epoxy Wire shelving designed for walk-in cooler applications, Hybrid Mat Shelving includes removable and dishwasher safe polypropylene shelf plates. 

Vented shelf plates promote air circulation around fresh produce. Weight capacity is 600 to 800 pounds per shelf. 

 

 

Prep


Equipment Item: Prep Tables and Prep Sinks

We recommend: Stainless Steel Prep Tables and Sinks by Aero Manufacturing 

Aero Stainless Steel Work Tables provide the commercial grade construction needed for safe, hygienic, and comfortable food prep. A stainless steel top with a backsplash with marine edges on the front and sides of the table inhibits spillage and minimizes cleaning time. Stainless steel legs with adjustable stainless steel feet keep the work surface level, even if the floor isn’t. Aero Hemmed Safety Edges™ on tables and undershelves prevent cuts from rough edges.

Aero Stainless Steel two-compartment prep sinks are built with ¾" pitched drainboards for proper drainage, a full 10" backsplash, hemmed rolled safety edges, and stainless steel legs.

Aero also offers 3 and 4-compartment sinks needed for washing large pots and pans.

 

Equipment item: Food Processor

We recommend: Electric VariCut by Edlund

The versatile VariCut is built to handle the daily demands of your busy child nutrition program with a 7-in-1 adjustable thickness blade and over 30 cutting disc options for slicing, dicing, shredding, and more. 

VariCut’s components are removable and dishwasher safe for quick and hygienic cleanup.

 


We recommend: Manual Titan MaxCut by Edlund.

The Titan Series MaxCut is your all-in-one manual prep solution—no electricity needed. 

Slice, dice, wedge, or core fruits and veggies anywhere. Create farm fresh apple ‘fries,’ fresh zucchini or carrot sticks, and more.

 



Equipment item: Cutting Boards

We recommend: Grippy™ Cutting Boards from TableCraft

Sanitary and dishwasher safe with an integrated handle, corner grips help hold these polypropylene boards in place. 

Grippy boards are sold separately in white, green, red, yellow, blue, and brown for color coding to reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

They’re also sold in convenient multi-color variety packs of 4 or 6, in 18" x 12" and 15" x 20" sizes.

 


Cooking


Equipment item: Combi Oven

We recommend: Convotherm maxx pro

Working double duty as both a convection oven and a steamer, the Convotherm maxx pro combi oven meets the fast-paced demands of K-12 nutrition programs, combining efficiency, consistency, and nutritional quality. 

The Convotherm maxx pro combi’s disappearing door feature also improves operating safety by keeping walkways clear.

 

Equipment item: Tilt Skillet

We recommend: Cleveland Power Pan Tilting Skillet

The Cleveland Power Pan can replace stock pots, steam kettles, griddles, fryers, and roasting pans. Its broad, heated cooking surface and tilt feature allow you to batch cook, grill, braise, steam, fry, and simmer—all from the same piece of equipment.

Cleveland offers a broad range of sizes to suit the scale of your program, from 10 and 15 gallon tabletop models to 30 and 40 gallon floor models.

 

Whether you’re starting a farm to school program, doing more scratch cooking, or simply need to replace equipment, we can help you identify the right equipment for your program. Contact us!

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