Ep 27: World-class chef who formerly served as the head chef at Noma, in Copenhagen, and founder of Brigaid, Dan Giusti

On today’s episode of Catalysts for Change, we talk to Dan Giusti, the founder of Brigaid. A world-class chef who formerly served as the head chef at Noma, in Copenhagen, Dan left the #1 restaurant in the world and headed back to the U.S. to work in school food. Dan started Brigaid, with the mission of helping school districts trade processed meals for meals made from scratch.

Today we talked with Dan about Brigaid's work, and the critical need for school food transformation to bring healthy, whole, real food to our most marginalized students across America. 

After serving as Head Chef at Noma, which is considered one of the best restaurants in the world, Dan decided to take his enthusiasm for cooking to public school kitchens. A call from the Superintendent in New London, Connecticut, brought him and his team in to help transform the quality of food in their cafeterias, and with that, he founded Brigaid. Dan and his team of chefs are dedicated to getting schools cooking again. Using culinary expertise, they're improving the offerings of institutional food for K-12 districts one tray at a time. 

Approximately 31 million American students aged 4-18, who attend public school, receive either free or reduced meals. Brigaid focuses on feeding students in our most marginalized communities collaborating with school and food services leaders to prioritize nutritious food for all students. Many studies show that food has an underlying effect on chronic disease, school food transformation could improve both our youth and country's health outcomes. 

We love that in preparing and serving delicious and nutritious school meals, Dan believes love may be the most important ingredient. For him, school is a place where students learn, grow, and get fed well. Dan and his work with Brigaid prove that providing fresh, student-centered, culturally preferred meals, within the USDA subsidy, is possible for every student..  

Learn more about Dan Giusti and Brigaid’s incredible work on his Instagram @dan.giusti and at www.chefsbrigaid.com.