Hinsdale School Cooks Receive Distinguished Award

This summer Hinsdale School received the Cook Fresh Award sponsored by the Montana Team Nutrition, the office of Public Instruction and Montana No Kid Hungry. The award recognizes schools for their dedication to serving nutritious school meals, cooking from scratch as well as succeeding in state requirements.

Hinsdale school was nominated for this award after successfully passing a state inspection, which is required from all state schools. Thirteen schools were provided an honorable mention while four schools won the distinction of “Cook Fresh” at the Montana School Nutrition Association conference in June. “It was a total shock of surprise to receive this award,” stated Joyce Leatherberry, one of two cooks at the school.

Leatherberry and her assistant cook, Margo Salveson, ensure students obtain fresh, delicious and nutritious meals during the school day. The meals are homemade daily, with vegetables from the school garden and the beef from Bear Paw Meats in Chinook. “We serve kale, lettuce, potatoes, carrots and pumpkins. Come fall we will use the pumpkins to make pumpkin bars and carrots for carrot cake,” said Leatherberry.

When first starting at Hinsdale School 15 years ago, Leatherberry attended trainings where she was taught to stray away from processed foods and have a more home-cooked feel. She came from a home where everything was home-cooked growing up, so she utilized the training from her mother and aunts to make it a reality for Hinsdale school. She would try out recipes at home, and if her family found it delicious and successful, she would make the recipe at school.

She is very open to the feedback provided by the students on her meals, even offering taste tests of new items. “I truly listen to the kids to see what they like and what they don’t like,” Leatherberry said. Current homemade items include cheeseburgers with sauteed fresh veggies, meatballs, pizza dough and cinnamon rolls. “What I do doesn’t seem like a job. I love coming here and cooking for the kids and staff. I am here for nine hours a day, and I enjoy every minute of it,” said Leatherberry.

It’s a high honor to have received such an award during its inaugural year. Leatherberry and Salveson are excited to serve the students and staff of Hinsdale school with delicious and nutritious home-cooked meals in the upcoming school year.