Maggie Hubbard
Nutrition Team Leader, School District of Holmen, Wisconsin
Change may often seem slow to come within the regulation-heavy world of K-12 foodservice. But Maggie Hubbard embraces challenges and has found plenty of ways to pivot and excel while always putting her students first.
One of the biggest shifts Maggie has championed has been the push for more locally raised food items. She has adopted a “farm-to-school” mentality, working to bring as many regionally produced goods into her school as possible. Their baked goods come from a local bakery and many of their meats come from local farms.
Sourcing different food items from local producers is certainly a positive change, but Maggie has overseen programs that take things one step further — cultivating produce and different menu items on site. At Prairie View Elementary School, students help grow peppers, tomatoes, gourds, pumpkins, kale and radishes right next to their playgrounds. The district’s high school even has one of the largest asparagus farms in Wisconsin. Produce grown at the school then finds it way into various applications in the cafeteria. Maggie is sure to label the items whenever they’re used in the salad bar, and she says, “Our students are really very open to trying new things. We do a roasted veggie pizza that’s a big hit.”
