FIG K12

This is what the Honor Roll is all about.

Anderson School District 5 Culinary Services did not win these awards at the Family Reunion — they earned them all year long. Districtwide Professional Development and Standards. Excellence in Compliance. That is not luck, and it is not one person. That is a whole team holding itself to a standard most programs only talk about.

Director Quentin Cavanagh accepted the hardware, but he said it best himself: it takes a team. Congratulations to every member of the Anderson 5 Culinary Services family — the FIG Family is proud to call you ours.

, the bar has been set. Who is coming for it next year?

Congratulations to Anderson County School District 5 Culinary Services. 🎉 🏆

On behalf of the entire Anderson School District 5 Culinary Services team, Director Quentin Cavanagh proudly accepted awards recognizing our department's outstanding achievements in districtwide Professional Development and Standards, as well as Excellence in Compliance from Swan Solutions and the FIG K12 family. 👏 🌟

These honors reflect the dedication, hard work, and commitment of every member of our Culinary Services team. From serving nutritious meals to maintaining the highest professional and operational standards, it truly takes a team to achieve success. 🍎 🥗 💙

Thank you to our amazing staff for making these accomplishments possible and for your continued dedication to serving our students each day. Together, we are making a difference. 🙌 🏅 ✨

Before the first session. Before the first bell. There was the Directors Reception.

The night before the Family Reunion, directors from all over the country gathered on Pensacola Beach — some reconnecting with old friends, some finally putting faces to names they have known for years.

The people who feed America's kids spend their lives taking care of everyone else. For one evening, the only job was to relax, laugh, and be taken care of for a change.
Welcome bags, beach air, and a room full of people who just get it. That is how a Family Reunion is supposed to start.

If you were there: drop your favorite moment from the night in the comments. We know there were a few.

Thank you, Representative Michelle Salzman, for showing up for our kids.
At the 2nd Annual FIG Family Reunion, Rep. Salzman (Florida House, District 1) joined our Buy American session and spent real time with the school nutrition professionals who feed this community every day.

Here is what she saw: feeding a child at school is not just a hot meal and a smile. It is federal compliance, sourcing decisions, tight budgets, and a workforce that shows up before sunrise — and every meal served brings federal dollars back into our local economy. The people running these programs decide whether those dollars stay home or leave town.

Our representatives cannot support what they have never seen. That is why this matters. Rep. Salzman chose to come see it for herself — and our directors made sure she left knowing exactly what it takes.

Feeding kids is not red or blue. It is the one issue every community can stand behind, and the officials who show up for it deserve our thanks.

Thank you for caring, Representative Salzman.

School nutrition friends: your officials will never know what your program needs unless you show them. Invite them. They will come.

It's report card season at FIG K-12 — and these five districts brought home straight A's. 🎓

We're proud to recognize the 2025–2026 Professional Standards Honor Roll: districts that reached 100% training compliance in the FIG K12 LMS. Every staff member, every certificate, every document tracked and current.

Anderson School District 5 — Quentin Cavanagh, Culinary Services Director
Clarke County Schools — Mallory Phillippi, Child Nutrition Director
East Irondequoit Central School District — Jeff Weis, Director of Food & Nutrition
Franklin County Schools — Shelley Ingram, Director of School Food & Nutrition
Linden City Schools — Jasmine Williams, Child Nutrition Director

Reaching every mark takes a team that treats getting better as part of the job. These leaders and their teams proved that compliance, done right, is the floor that excellence is built on — and the children they serve are better for it.

Congratulations from your whole FIG family. 💙 Future. Inspire. Grow.

Tight budgets. Rising costs. Same mission: feed every kid well.

If you've ever looked at your commodity allocation wondering how to make it go further, 7th Period is built for you. Gary Russin (Foster Farms), Dina Wilson, M.Ed., SNS (Pilgrim's), and Frank Samuelson (Butterball) are putting "Spend It Smarter" into practice at the 2nd Annual FIG Family Reunion.

Tag a fellow nutrition director who needs to be in this room — then come learn alongside them.

When: June 8, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Where: Pensacola, FL
Cost: Free to attend

Register here: https://sales.figk-12.com/marketing/ffr-landing

Some people get the loudest applause. The ones who quietly change things are usually somewhere else — answering the phone.

Tony Diers was that person for me, for ten years. I knew everything I needed to know about school nutrition technology because I knew Tony's phone number, and he always picked up.

We lost him in 2019. This June 8, at the 2nd Annual FIG Family Reunion, we're naming our highest honor for him — the Tony Diers Legacy Award. It will go to the person in the FIG family who carries his way forward: the mentor, the helper, the one who answers.

Honor Roll · 4:00 PM · Blue Wahoos Stadium, Pensacola.

It's almost here. The 2nd Annual FIG Family Reunion is Monday, June 8 at Blue Wahoos Stadium in Pensacola — a full day built on real ideas, real solutions, and the real people who feed our kids. It's free to attend, and you can earn up to 5.25 training hours toward USDA Professional Standards — with documentation ready to forward for travel approval.

Save your spot: https://sales.figk-12.com/marketing/ffr-landing

Heading to the 2nd Annual FIG Family Reunion? Don't wait to book your room — our hotel blocks close May 31.

We've held group rates at two Pensacola spots:

Hilton Garden Inn Downtown — $194/night, 0.8 miles from Blue Wahoos Stadium (close enough to walk). Book: (850) 438‑7900 https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/pnsdngi-91c-feabd185-4d64-4d90-a36a-0d73956dbdac/

Hampton Inn Pensacola Beach — $249/night, right on the water. Book: (850) 932‑6800 (heads up — small toll on the Bob Sikes Bridge) https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/pnsflhx-fig-39c059d0-24ce-466b-94c5-04b9e588e58e/

Just ask for the FIG Family Reunion room block, or use code FIG.

June 8 · Blue Wahoos Stadium · Free to attend. Bring the family, bring the fishing rods, and make a long weekend of it.

Register here: https://sales.figk-12.com/marketing/ffr-landing

LIVE KITCHEN TAKEOVER — 11:15 AM at the FIG Family Reunion

Chef Thomas Kurza from Pilgrim's Foodservice is taking over the kitchen at this year's FIG Family Reunion — and he's bringing the trends that have kids lined up at the serving line.

"Get the kids excited about your food — that's the goal from every presentation."

Johnson & Wales-trained. 10+ years in K-12. Menu development for top-100 chains. Thomas knows what works — and on June 8 he's sharing it all with you.

Featured product: Pilgrim's Whole Grain Breaded Drumstick #7803 (Gold Kist)
— Fully cooked, heat and serve
— Whole grain rich
— Whole muscle drumstick
— 2 oz M/MA + 1.25 oz Grain credit
— 290 cal, 21g protein per 4 oz piece

Where: Pensacola Blue Wahoos Stadium
When: Sunday, June 8, 2026
Credit: 0.50 USDA CEU (Develop Culinary Skills)
Cost: FREE for school nutrition professionals

Save your seat — https://sales.figk-12.com/marketing/ffr-landing