Food Service Programs · Private Schools, Pre-K Through 12
Meal Programs for Private Schools in Chicagoland, Pre-K Through 12
School food kids actually want to eat, cooked from scratch, with a separate dietary path for every student who needs one. Built around your school, not a fixed menu. Run by a Frato’s chef.
Parochial, Montessori, therapeutic day schools, preschools and more. No two schools have the same needs, so there is no package to pick from.
Or call: (847) 895-2122
What Matters in a School Meal Program
These come from the schools we serve today. Every one of them shaped how we build.
Healthy from scratch, and still fun
Too healthy and kids stop eating. We balance scratch cooking with kid favorites, brownies on the right days, and plenty of cheese.
Dietary safety, per student
Allergies, gluten-free, soy-free, vegetarian, halal and medical diets are planned per student and labeled per meal, not handled off a substitution list.
Food kids will actually eat
Our order data says format predicts what gets eaten more than cuisine does. Comfort formats lead: tenders and mashed potatoes, pasta bowls, rice bowls.
Your service format
Individually packed, lidded meals delivered hot, or family-style pans kept hot on electric hot plates that your staff portions and serves.
Everyday backups
Cold subs on Turano bread, buttered noodles with chicken bites. A student who passes on the main still eats.
Menus parents can read
Plain-language menus with no prices, whether the school orders or parents order through the school.
Built by Age Group
Portions change with age, so the program is built for each group, not one tray size for the whole building.
Tiny
Pre-K, ages 3 to 4. Small portions, soft textures, familiar foods.
Younger
Kindergarten through 5th grade. Comfort formats lead: tenders and mashed potatoes, pasta bowls, rice bowls.
Older, plus staff
6th grade and up. One menu can balance craveable options for students with healthier options for teachers and staff.
Two ways schools order
The school orders
A set count each day, billed to the school by invoice. Parents never see pricing.
Parents order through the school
Each meal is a family’s choice, so kid appeal drives the volume. What parents pay is the school’s decision.
Schools we serve
School events are a separate order through our catering side: teacher appreciation, PTA fundraisers, back-to-school nights.
How Per-Student Dietary Paths Work
Factory food arrives in fixed boxes, so most programs can only swap items off a list. We cook from scratch, so we change the ingredient and keep the dish. Real situations from schools we serve, names withheld:
Soy-free vegetarian
A school needed a vegetarian protein with no soy. The veggie option they had been offered was soy-based. We built a soy-free vegetarian path for that student.
Nut-free food service area
Food service meals are made in a nut-free area of our Schaumburg kitchen. No peanuts or tree nuts are used in food service meals, so nut allergies are planned for before a menu is even built.
Gluten-free plates
Gluten-free students get their own labeled plate built from the day’s menu, not a different meal set aside.
Vegetarian alongside every meat dish
Every day with a meat main also has a vegetarian build of the same format, so no one eats something that looks like an afterthought.
One halal student
Handled with a halal sub option that day. No need to rebuild the whole menu around one path.
Each meal is labeled with its path. Cold components ride on the side so nothing wilts.
Therapeutic Day Schools
Schools serving students with emotional, behavioral and developmental needs, including autism programs. Food is part of the routine, and we treat it that way.
Consistency and routine
Same delivery window every day. Same quality. Familiar formats students recognize.
Dietary safety, per student
Allergies, gluten-free, soy-free, vegetarian, halal and medical diets planned per student and labeled per meal. The examples above come from these schools.
Menu freedom
Many therapeutic day schools run a private program without federal meal-pattern mandates. If you follow USDA/NSLP, we build to it; if not, the menu is yours.
A student who passes on the main still eats. Every day has a backup.
What a Two-Week Rotation Looks Like
We start with a two-week rotation and add a third week once favorites are proven. Examples from school menus we cook today:
Comfort and kid favorites
Chicken Tenders with Mashed Potatoes · Pizza Pasta Bowl · Spaghetti & Meat Sauce · Mac & Cheese with Chicken Bites · Buttered Noodles with Chicken Bites · Creamy Dreamy Alfredo
Bowls
Taco Rice Bowl · Chicken Burrito Bowl · BBQ Bowl · Gyro Bowl with pita · Korean Bowl · Sesame Chicken with rice
Restaurant favorites
Scratch pizza · Burgers with pasta salad · Chicken Enchiladas
Everyday backups
Cold subs on Turano bread · Chicken or veggie Caesar salad · Buffalo chicken salad (dairy-free path)
Breakfast, riding along with lunch
Oatmeal · Cereal · Whole-grain bread with sunflower seed butter · Fruit · Muffins · Pancakes and waffles · English muffins · Mini bagels
Dessert, on the right days
Grandma Frato’s Triple Chocolate Brownie. We use it to sell specific dishes, not every day.
How Your Program Starts
No package to pick from. We build it with you.
1
A conversation
Headcount, ages, schedule, delivery and eat times, dietary needs, service format, and the budget you have in mind.
2
The build
Two-week rotation, portions by age group, everyday backups, a dietary path for each student who needs one.
3
Agreement, then sampling
A non-binding agreement with a first-week opt-out. Then a complimentary sampling. If it is not right, you can cancel.
4
Launch with your chef
Chef Joe and Chef Alex lead our school programs. Your chef adjusts the rotation as favorites emerge.
The chef who built your menu is the one who answers when something changes.
Every meal is cooked by chefs trained in our culinary apprenticeship, so your lunch program also supports local culinary students. We have worked with local culinary students for years, like the Elk Grove High School students whose pizza made our menu: read about it in the Daily Herald.
Private School Meal Program FAQ
What kinds of schools do you serve?
Private schools from Pre-K through high school: parochial and religious schools, Montessori schools, therapeutic day schools, preschools and early-childhood programs, after-school programs, and PTAs and parent groups. Each one gets its own build.
Do you follow USDA or NSLP meal patterns?
If your school needs them, yes. Many private and therapeutic day schools run their own meal program without federal meal-pattern mandates, which gives the menu more freedom. At the start we ask which structure you follow: USDA/NSLP, your own preferences, your nutritionist’s plan, or leave it to the chef.
How do you handle a student with an allergy or a special diet?
Per student, not off a substitution list. We build a separate path for each student who needs one: allergies, gluten-free, soy-free, vegetarian, halal, and medical diets. Each meal is labeled, and food service meals are made in a nut-free area of our Schaumburg kitchen. Because we cook from scratch, we can change an ingredient instead of dropping the dish.
What if a student won’t eat the main dish?
Every day has backup options, such as cold subs on Turano bread or buttered noodles with chicken bites, so a student who passes on the main still eats a real meal.
Individually packed or family-style?
Your choice. Individually packed, lidded meals delivered hot, or family-style pans kept hot on electric hot plates that your staff portions and serves. Some schools take cold-packed delivery and reheat on site. Field trip days get bagged subs and salads.
How does ordering and billing work?
Two options. The school orders a set count and pays by invoice, with no pricing shown to parents. Or the school has parents order, and what parents pay is the school’s decision. Program pricing is built after we learn your headcount, ages, schedule, service format and the budget you have in mind.
Can we try the food first?
Yes. Once the program is built and a non-binding agreement is in place, we schedule a complimentary sampling. The agreement includes a first-week opt-out.
Who runs our account?
A Frato’s chef. Chef Joe and Chef Alex lead our school programs, and every new dish needs both of their sign-off before it reaches your menu. You call the chef, not a sales rep.
Do you also cater school events?
Yes, through our catering side: teacher appreciation days, PTA meetings and fundraisers, back-to-school nights and end-of-year celebrations. That is a separate order from your meal program.
Where do you serve?
Our kitchen is at 628 S. Roselle Road in Schaumburg and we deliver school programs across Chicagoland, including Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Hoffman Estates, Elk Grove Village, Barrington and Palatine. Call (847) 895-2122 or send the inquiry form and a chef will confirm your location.
Tell a Chef About Your School
Headcount, ages, schedule, dietary needs and the budget you have in mind. A chef builds the program with you from there.
Call: (847) 895-2122 · Catering@FratosKitchen.com
Frato’s Personal Chef Catering & Food Service · 628 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg, IL 60193 · All food service programs · Daycare & early childhood