Middletown — Middletown Public Schools on Tuesday introduced Kesha Diaz as the district’s new executive chef after winning a Connecticut State Department of Education Chefs to School grant that will fund the position for three years.

Randall Mehl, Director of Food, Nutrition and Wellness Services, told the board the district was one of five of 32 eligible Connecticut districts to receive the award. “We have Chef Kesha here for the next three years with the goal of her helping us to create such a financially stable system that we can continue with her partnership and her great work,” Mehl said.

Chef Kesha described early priorities, including student engagement and operational improvements. Mehl said Diaz has already led professional development for cafeteria staff on knife skills and time management, led district catering for more than 1,100 staff at a recent event, and identified over $200,000 in potential additional revenue for the next school year through improved offerings and catering opportunities.

The nutrition office used the presentation to mark National School Lunch Hero Day (May 2) and described the department’s broader work: leading cooking clubs at multiple schools, expanding farm‑to‑school procurement under Connecticut Grow for Connecticut Kids funding, building school gardens and operating hydroponic units that supply lettuce for salad bars. The district said its nutrition staff serve nearly 1,000,000 meals per year across the system.

Board members asked about revenue sources for the expanded offerings; Mehl replied with examples from snack sales and site‑based cafe operations, noting one day’s snack sales at a high‑school location reached $400.

The board also heard that the district continues to monitor federal and state policy changes that could affect school meal funding. Superintendent Dr. Vasquez Matos reported that federal discussions around the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and broader nutrition funding remain unresolved, creating uncertainty about future meal funding and potential return to application‑based free/reduced processes for some districts.

No board action was required; the district said it will publish more about the Chefs to School initiative and planned publicity with local media.