Wholesome Tummies provides meals to private schools

After months of volunteering to prepare meals for schoolchildren, Southern Highlands resident Stephanie Springel made it her career.

She is the local franchisee of Wholesome Tummies, which provides meals to eight private schools in the Las Vegas Valley.

Private schools have the autonomy to choose their lunch provider, whereas the Clark County School District has its own food service division that provides meals to its more than 350 schools.

Meals by Wholesome Tummies are prepared each morning at a commercial kitchen near Valley View Boulevard and Sunset Road and delivered to the schools. Parents can order and pay for meals as late as 8 a.m. the same day, though many order for the following week or month. Many school administrators order meals, too.

Stacey Walter, office manager at Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School, 2015 S. Hualapai Way, said she enjoys the convenience of it. Walter and her son, who attends Faith Lutheran, pick out which meals appeal to them for the following month and print a provided calendar with those days and meals listed. Wholesome Tummies also sends an email reminder of what has been ordered before each new week.

Walter said Springel and Wholesome Tummies also provide good customer service if there is ever a problem.

“If your child is sick, they will allow you to call and give you a meal credit,” Walter said. “Most places, once you’ve paid, they don’t care.”

Wholesome Tummies offers at least three different entrees each day, and all come with in-season fruit, vegetables or other snack.

Springel said the meals are all “geared toward kids” and are “nutritionally sound.”

“Most kids won’t eat tofu even though it’s very healthy,” she said. “Our goal is to find kid-friendly foods and make them healthier.”

Hamburgers, she said, are made with lean ground beef and served on a whole wheat bun. She said everything is made from scratch and that there are no preservatives and no high fructose corn syrup in any foods.

“They’re getting the best product we can possibly give them,” she said.

Springel used to be a law firm administrator but wanted to start her own business. She attended a franchise trade show in March 2011 in Miami and discovered Wholesome Tummies, which started in Florida in 2007 and operates in seven states. At the time, Springel had been volunteering at Three Square food bank, preparing dinners for low-income students in the valley.

“When I saw the food (Wholesome Tummies) was making for kids and listening to what my kids were getting from their lunch program ... I thought this is definitely what I should be doing,” she said.

Springel’s son attends Foothill High School, 800 College Drive in Henderson, and her daughter attends Tarkanian Middle School, 5800 W. Pyle Ave. Her daughter has a gluten intolerance, which Springel said also inspired her to make several options for kids with restrictive diets.

The first school she contracted with was Las Vegas Day School, 3275 Red Rock St., in August 2011. Neil Daseler, the school’s director, said he had contracted with several different catering organizations through the years but is happiest with Wholesome Tummies.

“WT Cafe is an organization that solely does school lunches, and that was the selling point for me,” he said. “... It’s a very kid-friendly lunch. Obviously, when you’re dealing with children’s appetites, different tastes change, and (Wholesome Tummies is) more willing to take our suggestions.”

Springel visits each school at least one day each week and asks students what they think of the lunches. She said she will change the menu based on kids’ suggestions.

“They’re brutally honest about it,” she said.

Wholesome Tummies provides about 700 meals per day, and the cost of the meal for students is dictated by the school, Springel said. Some schools may choose to make a profit off the lunch program, for example, while other schools may only charge the base cost. Most students pay between $5 and $6, Springel said, and the cost is higher for older students, as portion sizes are larger. Meals in the school district’s schools are $1.85 at the elementary level and $3.10 at the middle school and high school levels.

Springel said her goal for next school year is to serve about 1,000 meals per day.

“I’m really cautious about how many schools I take on,” Springel said. “I’m looking for more managed growth. Obviously, I can’t miss even one meal or some kid goes without food.”

Eventually, Springel said, she’d “love to serve every child in Las Vegas.”

“It’s going to take some time,” Springel said, “and a lot of work.”

For more information, visit wtcafe.com.

Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 702-224-5524.