Plant-Powered Education: Solid Rock Community School in Tarpon Springs Offers 100% Vegan Cafeteria Menu

At Solid Rock Community School in Tarpon Springs, every item that comes out of the cafeteria is 100 percent plant-based. Families can even order vegan to-go meals to take home and eat for dinner. That puts Solid Rock in a pretty small group of K-12 schools in the U.S. that are completely plant-based. The idea for a plant-based cafeteria came from Solid Rock’s founder and executive director, Michele Fasnacht, who started the school in 2004. The K-12 private school also offers programs like gardening, culinary arts and veterinary education alongside academics.The Zest team met up with Michele in the school office. In our conversation, she explains why she overhauled the school’s menu. In this episode, you’ll also hear from some Solid Rock students about what they think of the cafeteria food now. Thanks to Louise Krikorian for suggesting this episode. If you’d like to suggest a Zest guest, email us: [email protected] episodes: 10 Tips for Cooking with Kids At YES CHEF Village, Marques “Omaka” Clark Helps Kids Access Healthy Food How “Fab the Vegan” Dropped 150 Pounds, Reversed Diabetes & Became a Plant-Based Influencer