Good Food Cookbook by Chef Bobo

A Revolutionary Approach to School Lunches

Spring 2003

Chef Bobo (aka Robert Surles), a graduate of The French Culinary Institute (FCI) and Executive Chef for The Calhoun School on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, is spearheading a revolution in school lunch programs.  He’s doing it with natural and healthy foods that feature bold flavors and nutrition as the cornerstone of his menu plan.  Chef Bobo’s philosophy is simple: “If you give kids interesting food that has been seasoned well, they’re going to love it.” The experience, notes the Chef, “has been a love affair.” Chef Bobo accepted this great challenge at The Calhoun School upon the recommendation and advice of Chef Alain Sailhac, Executive Vice President of FCI.

Only in its second year, Calhoun’s new school lunch program has already attracted international attention and acclaim. Chef Bobo was first recognized in The New Yorker’s “Talk of the Town” (January 20, 2003) for the success he has had in getting students and faculty at Calhoun to change the way they eat and the way they understand nutrition.  In the February 3, 2003 issue of Fortune, an article entitled “We’ve Got to Stop Eating Like This!” hailed Chef Bobo’s program as “…profound:  an object lesson in how to reverse the metabolic disaster of the modern American diet.”  Chef Bobo was given further recognition for his work on National Public Radio’s program “All Things Considered,” in an interview with Michele Norris on March 7, 2003. Additionally, Chef Bobo’s program at The Calhoun School has been covered by news media in Chicago, Texas, Canada and Japan.

Chef Bobo’s Good Food Cookbook, from Meredith Books, is due in stores in October 2004.

The Calhoun School is a coeducational, independent school on Manhattan's Upper West Side that has been serving New York families since 1896. As a leader in progressive education, the school prides itself on its innovative, academically challenging curriculum, its commitment to diversity and community, and its dedication to nurturing the whole child—intellectually, creatively and ethically. The school is housed in two buildings, one on West 81st Street and a second on West 74th Street, with 670 children from preschool through 12th grade.

For more information, please contact: Beth Krieger, Director of Communications,  beth.krieger@calhoun.org.