Jenn grew up on a dairy farm with 7 siblings. Her life included LOTS of gardening, baking, cooking for her siblings, lots of outdoor chores, and life lessons about working hard.

She attended Grand Rapids Community College (MI) for 2 years, earning an Associate’s Degree in Culinary Arts & Applied Sciences. While at GRCC she competed in several NRA (National Restaurant Association) culinary competitions and always won a silver or gold medal in various skill competitions.

She secured a job & stayed for the next 14 years at the same fine dining restaurant, Bay Pointe Restaurant on Gun Lake in Michigan.  While at Bay Pointe, She was responsible for making all of the desserts, breads & rolls.  In addition to the responsibilities of prep cook, line cook, banquet chef, sous chef, and ultimately executive chef for the final year of service there.

She left the restaurant life to have more quality time with her growing family of 3 children.  She secured a job as the Executive Regional Chef for Chartwells K12.  During her tenure there she helped grow the region from 75 school districts in 3 states to 216 K12 schools across Michigan/Ohio/Kentucky/Wisconsin/Minnesota.  Her role was to support/train/problem-solve, food merchandise, product supply chain/commodities, culinary development, sales team activities, chef hires, food truck menu/activities and so much more. She was with Chartwells K12 for almost 23 years before leaving in June of 2021.  

In the fall of 2021, she was hired by Share Our Strength-No Kid Hungry/Michigan to work with a severely needy school district in the Detroit area.  She worked for 2 years with them training, executing fun student activities and tastings for new menu ideas, farmer’s markets with take-home recipes, and overall FSD meal improvements for breakfast & lunch.

In the fall of 2023, she started her own company (CHEF-N-MORE, LLC) to begin working with school districts across the United States on her own in conjunction with being hired by CICN/CIA to conduct contractual FSD trainings on their behalf for culinary components.

She has a true passion for developing and advancing culinary skills with the FSD in the trenches within our K12 kitchens, as well as working with students of all ages to develop life skills in kitchens and how to make amazing & fun food.  These 2 topics make her culinary food soul sing!!

Rebecca Polson CC, SNS, is a seasoned chef with over a decade of diverse culinary experience, including a significant focus on revolutionizing school nutrition. With a passion for crafting wholesome, chef-inspired meals for educational institutions, Rebecca serves as a dedicated K-12 culinary trainer and chef consultant. Her mission is to collaborate with school districts, manufacturers, and non-profit organizations, championing the introduction of scratch-made, nutritious options into school cafeterias nationwide.

Rebecca embarked on her culinary journey in 2011 after earning her culinary arts degree from Johnson & Wales University. Additionally, she holds a bachelor's degree in merchandising, textiles, and business from Florida State University. Her culinary career has taken her through various facets of the industry, including working as a line cook at the prestigious James Beard award-winning Bern's Steakhouse and leading culinary innovation as a Research and Development Chef for the restaurant chains, Beef 'O' Brady's and The Brass Tap.

In 2015, Rebecca's dedication to promoting healthy eating led her to join The Culinary Institute of America's Healthy Kids Collaborative, where she remains an active and passionate member, most recently appointed Social Media Chair. She has also made significant contributions to the School Nutrition Association and School Nutrition Magazine, serving as a monthly contributor to the Food Focus section of the publication. During the pandemic, her engaging unboxing videos and quick recipe tutorials featuring Minneapolis Public Schools meal boxes garnered national attention, showcasing her commitment to innovative school nutrition solutions.

Beyond her culinary pursuits, Rebecca maintains an active presence on social media, where she can be found @ChefRebeccaK12. When not in the kitchen crafting nutritious recipes, she enjoys staying active, exploring her new hometown, traveling, and spending quality time with her beloved dog, Roxy. 

Chef Amanda found her love for food as a kid, running around her grandparents' restaurant and learning to bake one-on-one with her grandmother. She’s been in the kitchen ever since she started in scratch bakeries at age 15 and later attended Culinary School with a focus on Baking & Pastry.

For over six years she has poured her heart into school nutrition, making sure meals are not only healthy but fun and approachable for kids. She’s especially passionate about creating budget-friendly recipes that are packed with veggies and totally kid-approved.

Amanda loves to make homemade granola and homemade breads.