Real Food for Real Kids’ largest food investment is for fresh produce. That’s why for the bulk of nature’s finest they rely on the Market and their long-time produce buyers, AJ Lanzarotta Wholesale Fruit and Vegetables and EverGreens Fine Fruit and Vegetables.
“Real food is the foundation of happiness.” This is how Lulu Cohen-Farnell describes the importance that food plays in our lives. Having been raised in France on a Mediterranean diet, Lulu knows what real food is: fresh, sustainably grown and prepared from scratch. This is why after moving to Toronto and giving birth to her first child, Max, she was shocked to learn that the meals being provided in daycares were highly processed and nutrient-deficient.
Resolving to do better, each day Lulu prepared Max’s lunch and sent him to school with wholesome, real food.
Before long, the director of the YMCA childcare centre Max was attending took note and asked if the young mom might be interested in providing food for all the children. Unsurprisingly, Lulu’s lunches became really popular, really fast. So, holding firm to their belief that all children deserve to eat real food, Lulu and her husband, David Farnell, did the only sensible thing they could: they took out a second mortgage on their home, quit their day jobs and founded Real Food for Real Kids (RFRK).
Now in its 11th year, this family-founded company has expanded from childcare centres to providing delicious and nutritious meals to schools, summer camps and busy families looking for healthy dinner solutions.
Their colourful fleet of 18 vans can be seen delivering meals prepared from scratch to children across Toronto, the GTA and beyond. With demand increasing, the RFRK family is moving to a 32,000 square foot facility with a kitchen built to CFIA standards and on HACCP principles. The new headquarters will also include spaces for health and wellness workshops and cooking classes for kids.
“They told us our vision was too impractical to be viable because of the challenges surrounding the handling of fresh ingredients,” says Lulu, “but we knew it was possible.” Here’s to keeping it real.
This article is taken in its entirety from SAM, a trade publication produced by the Toronto Wholesale Produce Association.
Photo by Evan Dion.