Throughout the past month, we checked in with our 2025 grantees to learn how their funded programs, projects, and initiatives are progressing – and to better understand the impact they’re making across Los Angeles. Now, we are excited to share these interviews, with stories of growth, challenges, and community transformation. [Find each of their stories here.]

Lunch Bunch Community Foundation received funding through the LA2050 Grants Challenge from the Goldhirsh Foundation to support its hands-on culinary education program, which combines nutrition education, food access, and workforce training for students in Title I schools. Below is an edited transcript of our conversation with their team.

Interview Participants:

Freya Estreller, Executive Director

Bianca Castagnaro, Director of Enrichments

LA2050: Lunch Bunch Community Foundation is combining hands-on culinary education with nutrition and workforce training to address food insecurity among students in Title 1 schools. How does this experiential approach help shift both individual habits and broader relationships with food?

Lunch Bunch Community Foundation: At the individual level, hands-on cooking builds confidence, ownership, and curiosity. Instead of being told what is “healthy,” students actively prepare meals themselves: chopping, seasoning, tasting, and adjusting. This process helps them develop practical skills and a sense of pride in what they create. Over time, that ownership shifts habits: students become more open to trying new foods, more aware of how ingredients affect their bodies, and more likely to make informed choices because they better understand nutrition. Our biggest feedback from parents is always “how did you get my kid to eat (insert healthy food) they never eat it when I make it.” Giving them the autonomy to have fun and create their own food makes a huge impact on their relationships with food.

At the community level, the program strengthens relationships with food by embedding it in culture, collaboration, and shared experience. Cooking together fosters teamwork, communication, and respect, turning meals into moments of connection rather than isolation. The impact also extends beyond the classroom: students bring knowledge and enthusiasm home, influence family habits, and help expand access to healthier practices within their households. By combining culinary education, nutrition, and workforce training, we are not only helping students eat better, but also equipping them with the skills, confidence, and mindset to build a stronger relationship with food and carry that learning into their communities.

LA2050: Your program bridges food access and education while expanding into new school districts. What challenges have you encountered in scaling this model, and what successes have you seen in engaging students and building lasting skills and confidence?

Lunch Bunch Community Foundation: Scaling our model has been both exciting and complex, especially as we expand into new school districts with varying needs, resources, and structures. One of the biggest challenges has been staffing, particularly finding and retaining qualified, reliable team members who can support after-school programming. Because the model is hands-on and relationship-driven, it requires staff who are not only comfortable in a kitchen setting, but also skilled in youth engagement and classroom management. After-school hours can make recruitment more difficult, since the schedule does not always align with traditional full-time roles. In addition, each new district comes with its own administrative processes, facility limitations, and level of readiness, all of which can affect how quickly and effectively the program launches.

Despite these challenges, we have seen strong successes that continue to validate the model. Student engagement is consistently high, and once students begin cooking, they become invested in the process. Over time, that excitement translates into real skill-building: students gain confidence using kitchen tools, following recipes, and making independent decisions about food. Another major success has been the ripple effect beyond the classroom. Students often bring what they have learned home, share recipes, influence family meals, and become advocates for healthier choices within their households. These outcomes reinforce the idea that combining food access with education does not just address an immediate need, it can also create long-term change in how young people and families relate to food.

LA2050: What do you hope to achieve in the last six months of the grant, and how can the broader LA2050 community support?

Lunch Bunch Community Foundation: We are focused on deepening impact while strengthening the foundation for long-term sustainability. By the end of this period, we expect to be operating in 26 elementary and middle schools in Compton, hosting 100 classes, and serving 1,500 meals. A key priority is also strengthening the staffing pipeline by recruiting, training, and retaining high-quality instructors who can carry our Lunch Bunch ethos into every classroom, especially in after-school settings where the need is high but staffing can be challenging. We hope to continue developing its workforce training component by creating clearer pathways for older students to build skills that translate into real-world opportunities.

At the same time, we plan to continue gathering data and stories that demonstrate student growth in confidence, food literacy, and healthy habits. The broader LA2050 community can support this work through connections to mission-aligned partners, including schools, community organizations, and workforce development programs. Support in recruiting passionate, dependable staff for after-school programming would also be meaningful as we continue to scale. Together, those partnerships can help us sustain its momentum and expand its impact for students and families across the communities it serves.

Photo Credit: Lunch Bunch