Nicole Pisani & the future of food in schools
Who: Nicole Pisani was head chef at Nopi before pivoting her career in a very unexpected way. She is the co-founder of Chefs In Schools - a program that provides training, guidance and support to schools who want to elevate their food standards and educate children on the role and magic of food.
Why: Nicole is a master at sneaking veg into delicious kid-friendly dishes, and is on a mission to help kids distinguish broccoli from cauliflower...all on the tightest of budgets (£0.90/meal!).
1. Let’s start from the very beginning - can you tell me about your family and childhood?
My family owned a restaurant in Malta so I grew up around food. It was only when I went off to school that I realised there was a life that didn’t have food at its centre.
I used to hate how limited and basic the ingredients were on the island, but with time I’ve come to realise that the produce actually tasted of produce. Lettuce had a flavour to it, not just watery crunch….tomatoes and melons and peaches all had rich distinct flavours which I now associate with different moments of my childhood. When I eat melon it takes me back to the beach in Malta. Even though we had very few ingredients, I can now really appreciate their quality.
2. What type of food did you eat growing up?
Whole fish, bone marrow, lamb chops...food that was on the island. We ate crabs off the stone. I didn’t realise that bone marrow was trendy until I went to St. John's. Butter from bone marrow?! It blew my mind that these foods that I considered simple were trendy.
Left: “Surplus“ tomatoes used for family hampers during lockdown. Right: Kids enjoying a pizza treat. Credit @saltbutterbones.
3. How did your chef career come about?
Food has always been a central part of my life - 80% of conversations revolved around food. I developed a passion for cooking and became a chef - all my friends are chefs - which led me deeper into food and getting excited about produce. Work life balance was impossible in a restaurant though. The older I got the more I realised that sustaining the hours demanded in the restaurant world would not be possible with a family. I knew I needed a change.
“When I entered the school I felt like Alice in Wonderland falling through the rabbit hole. I don't mean to point fingers, but to me the beauty of produce was simply not present”
4. How did your entry into the school kitchen come about?
I was planning to take some time off to go travelling, but ended up answering a tweet by Henry Dimbleby who was searching for a chef to take over the kitchen at his children’s school. Henry has since penned the National Food Strategy, but at the time he had just released the School Food Plan - a set of regulations and government standards that schools should abide by.
Next thing I knew I was in a school kitchen instead of on holiday in India. When I entered the school I felt like Alice in Wonderland falling through the rabbit hole. I don't mean to point fingers, but to me the beauty of produce was simply not present in the school kitchen - it was just about putting meals on plates.
Left: Nicole with her old “employer“ - Ottolenghi. Right: Nicole testing recipes for the children. Credit @saltbutterbones.
“Changing children’s habits wasn’t going to be possible if we didn’t educate them on food. Without education, food is foreign and intimidating.”
5. What are the big lessons you can share about cooking for children?
I felt immediately that Chefs in Schools needed to offer education too. Changing children’s habits wasn’t going to be possible if we didn’t educate them on food. Without education, food is foreign and intimidating. It’s heartbreaking for any chef to see 700 portions of fish go in the bin...and this was bound to happen without the education.
Even just using the dining room as a classroom was a big change. We realised we couldn’t have good school meals without food education. Once that came into focus we created a model which we now share with chefs - how they themselves choose to go about this is up to them and their own passions.
6. What types of things are the chefs doing?
We work with a school in Streatham which built a lab to teach fermentation. We have a chef in Tottenham doing treasure hunts with veg. Even something like the Periodic Table of Veg can help make food more exciting. I feel like it’s not about forcing children to eat everything on their plate, but they must be able to recognise a cauliflower and know that tomatoes grow on trees. Giving children education helps them make better choices. Having a good relationship with food serves us so much better.
Left: Kids recipe testing inspiration. Right: Curried fish with rice, whole roasted cauliflower and pineapple salsa. Credit @saltbutterbones.
7. How do you get kids to eat veg? Any tricks up your sleeve?
At one point we really didn’t want to admit that serving broccoli wasn’t working. We wondered whether we were being stubborn if it was ending in the bin and the kids were leaving the dining hall hungry. We had to come up with a balanced plan. If we make a simple tomato sauce we will sneak six veg in there, but we also serve broccoli on the side. We hide veg as much as possible - something we would do in sauces, cakes and curries - so we are sure kids are getting their vitamins. On the other hand we also put actual veg on the plate to ensure children learn and familiarise themselves with the food. This is the lesson we’ve learned.
“The fact that we can provide food at this [restaurant-worthy] level and quality in some of the poorest areas in London is incredible.”
8. What has been most rewarding about running Chefs in Schools?
Around one o-clock I scroll through my instagram and see the food getting served in our schools: you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between our meals and those from restaurants. The fact that we can provide food at this level and quality in some of the poorest areas in London is incredible. One of our schools made black ink squid buns recently. Paying it forward and getting kids to understand food is lovely.
Left: Healthy ready meals prepared for families over lockdown. Right: Food hampers to support families in need. Credit @saltbutterbones.
9. Are you hopeful for the future of food in schools?
Yes, we now have 50 chefs and have been expanding into many things. We are now in Sheffield, our first school outside of London. We built the Hackney School of Food over lockdown. We are working on a school box for other schools to follow the model. Over the years we’ve also linked with other charities like Bite Back (Jamie Oliver’s charity), School Foods Matters, and FoodEd to show the importance of school food. I feel like school food is gaining in importance like a wave across the UK. There is also a museum of food being built in East Anglia...things are happening.
10. If you could give one piece of advice on how to achieve health in its physical and emotional forms, what would it be?
For me, it always goes back to food. I have a friend who says that food is medicine or poison. People ask what is key to me, and I believe it's balance. I never say no to pizza or meat but I alternate that with other things that make me feel good, like greens or daal. You need to be aware and listen to your body to achieve a balance: we need to listen to our body’s needs and timing. In this COVID year I’ve also appreciated slowing down. The pace changed during lockdown, and I think I'd like to take that into the future.
