June 20—The Portland (Maine) School Department’s new central kitchen is set to open this fall, in time for the first day of school. Food Service Director Ron Adams said the new kitchen will allow the department to better prepare and build on its already large program to serve locally sourced, fresh food.
A majority of city schools’ food is made at the central kitchen, which serves 10 schools and makes more than 1 million meals per year, according to the Portland School Department. While the new kitchen was purchased with a $3 million bond approved by the City Council in 2010, Adams said the final price tag on the project will end up being $3.2 million. The city will help pay the total amount by drawing from other reserve accounts.