Nichols is proud to offer a new food service program through SAGE Dining. Following a presentation regarding the national Chefs Move to School program and the partnership efforts of Delaware North Companies, the School evaluated its food service program with a fresh perspective, and began exploring options for providers whose mission and product aligned with the School’s desire to continually offer quality food and bolster sustainability efforts.

 

SAGE focuses on healthy options and high quality ingredients, while keeping up with modern trends and tastes. SAGE can be found in 190 schools across the U.S., with the majority of their clients being private schools and universities.

 

SAGE operates within means that help all members of our community maintain healthy lifestyles. They shared the following with us and we are happy to have these offerings at lunch and our events:

• We cook primarily from scratch, reducing use of processed foods.
• We grill, bake, broil or sauté to avoid frying.
• We use fresh and frozen vegetables to maximize nutritional value.
• We offer meatless entrees daily.
• We offer fresh salads and fresh fruit daily.
• We offer a variety of whole-grain breads, bagels and rolls.
• We offer a complete deli bar daily, with a low-fat selection.
• We offer 2% and skim milk at all locations.
• We offer 100% fruit juice.
• We cook with trans fat-free oils, such as olive and canola.
• We use MSG-free seasonings.
• We use a variety of herbs and spices to reduce the use of salt.

SAGE provides fresh cut salad items daily, house made hummus, and house made grain salads, bean salads, pasta salads and more. To view our current menus, click here.

 

They serve organic products whenever feasible, and their milk is rbST-free and hormone free. Eggs are cage-free and Certified Humane, and they serve only dolphin-safe tuna, packed in water. SAGE supports the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch guidelines and strives to increase purchases of sustainable seafood.

 

Spa water – fresh fruit in water, without sugar or sweetener added – has become a favorite of many in our community. It offers a delightful option for a healthy beverage with a great deal of flavor. Milk and chocolate milk are bought in bulk in order to eliminate the waste of individual cartons. Antibiotic and hormone free milk are used. They serve shade-grown coffee that is certified Fair Trade.

 

SAGE promotes sustainability in many ways, including by helping fulfill our mission of being “trayless.” By using only plates, we greatly reduce the amount of water used by the School for dishwashing. Many of our students led the charge in eliminating trays last school year.

 

They also offer aesthetically pleasing food displays for all their menu items, as well as educational signage and nutritional information. All SAGE menus are checked by a nutritionist, and all items are approved by a dietician at corporate headquarters.

 

SAGE’s menus are custom-designed for each school community. Their menus change seasonally to reflect the fresh product available in each market, and they source local food wherever possible. They enthusiastically supported the School’s green roof garden and love to serve locally grown food in our kitchens. Most recently, we harvested our tomatoes, peppers and basil, which will be used in the coming week’s menu.