Our Culinary Excellence

Our Culinary Team Provides Nutritional & Balanced Meals

The goal of our kitchen is simple; create wholesome, hearty and nutritious food similar to what you would enjoy at home.

Our chefs are committed to providing students with delicious meals from scratch in our state-of-the-art professional kitchen. We take pride in our kitchen and its cleanliness. All meals served at Diamond Ranch Academy have been approved by our dietician, who oversees the nutritional and caloric content of everything we offer. Our meals have originated from some of the best home recipes and local cuisine in the area.

Our meal options are vast! We offer dishes from a variety of cultures (Asian, Italian, Greek, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and American dishes). Our meal plans are set up on a 4-week rotation. Every student will eat one custom meal every 30 days (no repeats).  At the end of the 30 days, the menu will reset.

WE ACCOMMODATE FOOD ALLERGIES…
DRA is one of few therapeutic programs that accommodate many food allergies:  We have diet options for students who meet specific medical criteria and can accommodate allergies and other dietary needs. 

If students do not like a meal, they can submit a grievance. When we receive 15 grievances, we will eliminate that menu item and create a new recipe. Our kitchen’s recipes are around 70% from scratch and 30% from the box.  Box means we use canned marinara as our base, then add sautéed veggies, seasonings, etc.

Lastly, students who wish to receive real-life transitional job experience are encouraged to apply to work in our kitchen.  Diamond Ranch requires our students to apply with a completed application. Afterward, they are interviewed and hired by our Culinary Director. Students learn to function/operate in a large professional kitchen. When the students leave Diamond Ranch, our Culinary Directory will email parents a letter of recommendation and a completed resume for any student that has worked in the kitchen. They can use these tools at their convenience while applying for employment etc.

Meet Our Culinary Team

4 Week Culinary Menu

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Nutritionist Menu Review – Link

Nutritionist Endorsement – Link