At Queen Creek Unified School District (QCUSD), students are starting their days with something special. Fresh, scratch-made muffins, bagels, and breakfast items made with flour and ingredients sourced directly from Oatman’s Farm, a local regenerative organic farm. While this partnership isn’t new, its impact continues to grow, making headlines last week when Fox 10 News visited Queen Creek Junior High School (QCJHS) to cover the story.
The collaboration between QCUSD’s Child Nutrition Department and Oatman’s Farm focuses on bringing locally sourced, minimally processed, high-quality ingredients into school kitchens. It’s a partnership that reflects the district’s ongoing commitment to both student wellness and sustainability.
“We’ve been working with Oatman’s Farm since the spring to purchase regenerative organic items such as bagels, pretzels, and flour,” said Yezica Hostetler, Director of Child Nutrition. “These ingredients are now a regular part of our school year cycle menu, and the flour is used to bake house-made muffins for our breakfast program.”
According to Hostetler, sourcing food locally supports sustainable agriculture, promotes soil health, and ensures meals are made with fresher, more flavorful ingredients. “Local food travels a shorter distance from farm to table, which means it’s often harvested at peak ripeness and retains more nutrients and flavor,” she added.
Students are taking notice, and they’re loving the results. Lexi P., a student at QCJHS, picked a muffin and apple juice for breakfast. “I like it,” she said, smiling. “It tastes like bananas and chocolate, and it’s fluffy.” When told the muffins were baked that morning using flour from a nearby farm, she responded, “I didn’t know that… but I’m glad I’m eating fresh stuff.”
District Nutritionist Bailey Hanson explained that the feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive. “They come in, they’re able to smell their food, they’re excited,” she said. “Especially with the muffins, they were so excited to see something freshly baked. We’ve seen increased participation, and we’re excited to see where this school year goes.”
Beyond improving taste and nutrition, this initiative helps strengthen the connection between home and school. “When parents know that their children are being served meals made with wholesome, high-quality ingredients, it builds trust,” Hostetler said. “It also reinforces healthy habits at a young age.”
Preparing meals in-house also gives the district greater control over what goes into students’ food, reducing added sugars and eliminating unnecessary preservatives and additives. This aligns with QCUSD’s goal to not only meet USDA nutrition standards but to exceed them through thoughtful ingredient sourcing and preparation.
“This is just one example of how we’re always working to improve the quality of school meals,” Hostetler added. “We encourage families to stay connected and engaged in our wellness efforts—they’re a vital part of making programs like this successful.”
As this partnership continues to grow and evolve, QCUSD remains committed to serving meals that are fresh, nutritious, and made with care, straight from our community to your child’s plate.