Rachael Ray Makes School Lunches

How cool would it be if celebrity chef Rachael Ray were your lunch lady? Well starting next week at New York City schools, Ray will be dishing out delicious lunches.

According to a New York Daily News story, Ray recently partnered with the New York City Department of Education to launch a program designed to get kids to eat healthier. Next week, 1,200 NYC schools will serve up Ray's sizzling soft tacos, chicken tacos stuffed with roasted corn and ranch sauce and served with steamed broccoli and beans.

It seems the perky chef must be turning over a new leaf. After doing all those Dunkin Donuts ads, we were worried healthy eating was the furthest thing from Ray's mind.

The healthy-lunch initiative began about a year ago when Ray's non-profit, Yum-O!, approached the New York City Department of Education about creating school lunches. Next week's chicken tacos mark the start of the program, and eventually, Ray hopes that her healthy dishes like whole wheat mac n' cheese will be served up regularly at public schools.

Ray helped start this program, in part, because she believes that all people, regardless of socioeconomic status, should have access to good, healthy food. "Good food costs so much money," Ray told the New York Daily News. "It is not accessible in poorer communities. There needs to be a radical change."

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.