Schools

Gilmour Adds Local Produce to its Menu

Gilmour has partnered with a local provider to buy 100 percent of its produce from Ohio farms.

This year's menu for students at Gilmour Academy has a fresher flavor than years past.

Gilmour and AVI Foodsystems, the nation's largest, family-owned and operated food and hospitality provider, have agreed to purchase 100 percent of the private school's produce locally, when available, for the daily menu. AVI partnered with Premier Produce & Specialty Foods for the produce.

That means the Gates Mills academy's apples, lettuce, berries, beans, syrup, cheese, tomatoes, watermelons, peppers, pickles, potatoes and more are from farms in Ohio.

"We have worked collaboratively with school administration, parents and local growers to provide a fresh, locally grown product for our students," Mel Waite, the AVI director of food services at Gilmour, said in a statement. "We are not only instilling a love of fruits and vegetables, but we are also supporting local growers."

Each day, signs will be posted in the dining halls identifying which menu items are made with local produce.

Cuyahoga Heights-based Premier Produce is owned by Tony Rossi, a 1985 graduate of Gilmour. The business buys from farms in Kent, Middlefield, Sandusky and more.

"(Gilmour's) efforts to showcase local produce are on par with some of the finest chefs in Cleveland and play a vital role in our local sustainability program," Rossi said. "We look forward to growing with and for Gilmour Academy for years to come."


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