DeRusha Eats: Raising Money for School Salad Bars

Remember all the attention that Travail got for it’s Kickstarter campaign? Maybe you read Jon Tevlin’s column about it where he talked about his frustration with people’s generosity towards a for-profit business (and he quoted my somewhat anti-Kickstarter column I wrote for this column.)

In the column, Jon talked about the Minneapolis Public School effort to raise money for salad bars in four schools. It’s called the True Food Chef Council, and the schools need about $40,000 to start-up salad bars in them.

No surprise: our local restaurants are extremely generous, so teams of awesome places have adopted the schools and they’re hosting fundraisers.

I noticed this last Friday, when I was having dinner at La Belle Vie—there was a line on my check to donate (I added $10 to my tab with pleasure).

Bertrand Weber is doing amazing work operating within the budget challenges of a large public school district to improve the food options that our Minneapolis young people are exposed to.

The chefs on the council are helping brainstorm recipes and ideas to get more “wholesome, unprocessed, ‘real’ food” in school meals. It’s important.

Birchwood Cafe is donating $2 from every house salad sold to Seward Montessori School, which is right up the street.

Wise Acre Eatery is also going the greens for green route—donating $2 to Jefferson School for every green salad purchase.

Solera’s giving $1 from every Mixed Greens salad ordered to Elizabeth Hall School.

Sen Yai Sen Lek is donating $2 from every Thai Red Curry to Marcy Open School’s salad bar.

And dozens of restaurants will have that donation option at the bottom of your check this month. So you have a couple more weeks to get out and eat, and make a difference for the schools.

The fundraiser runs through October at the following dining establishments:

  • Raising money for Marcy Open: 
    • ”‹Brasa
    • Restaurant Alma
    • Sen Yai Sen Lek
    • Pizzaria Lola. 
  • ”‹Raising money for Jefferson:
    • Wise Acre Eatery
    • Patisserie 46
    • Tilia
    • Common Roots
    • Lucia’s
    • Grand Cafe
  • Raising money for Elizabeth Hall:
    • Haute Dish
    • Solera
    • Vincent A Restaurant
    • La Belle Vie
  • Raising money for Seward Montessori:
    • Birchwood Cafe
    • Good Life Catering
    • Salty Tart
    • Kitchen in the Market
    • Muddy Waters