The Miami-Dade Difference

DRAFTWhat happens when a Food & Nutrition Officer spends 25 years inside one of the largest school districts in America — and refuses to settle for "good enough"? You get Angie Kasselakis, RDN, SHRM-SCP — and a school meal program feeding 156,000 kids a day across 360+ schools in Miami-Dade County.In this episode, Marlon Gordon sits down with Angie Kasselakis, Food & Nutrition Officer at Miami-Dade County Public Schools, to talk about her 25-year journey from part-time food service worker to leading 2,500 staff across one of the most complex school nutrition operations in the country. They dive into how Miami-Dade was removing food dyes, MSG, and HFCS before it was a national conversation, how a 15-student nutrition ambassador program is already reshaping the menu, what a 600-kid food show with 60 vendors actually looks like, why she'd tell aspiring RDs to go into business, and what scratch cooking jambalaya at scale taught her team about leadership.Whether you're a school nutrition director, a food service professional, a K-12 manufacturer, or someone who cares about what kids eat — this episode is packed with real talk on leadership, clean labels, student engagement, and the future of school food.===========================Connect with our guest!===========================LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akasselakis===========================Connect with us!===========================Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nxtgen_network/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nxtgenmarlon/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NxtGenNetworkAgencyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nxtgen-network/===========================================Subscribe and Listen to the Next Up Podcast HERE 📱===========================================➡︎ YT: https://www.youtube.com/@nxtgennetwork/podcasts➡︎ Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/next-up-podcast/id1598968019➡︎ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3ex3Oj7aodeUe48EJGy9Dz⏱️ Timestamps ⏱️00:00 Passion Meets Purpose: The Journey Begins00:30 Introducing Angie Kasselakis & Miami-Dade County Public Schools01:15 The Business Card Story: How They Met at SNA02:48 25 Years in One District: Angie's Career Journey05:12 Miami-Dade by the Numbers: 360 Schools, 156K Meals, 2,500 Staff07:36 Why Angie Loves HR: SHRM-SCP & the 51% Pass Rate09:58 Clean Labels Before It Was Cool: Removing Food Dyes & MSG12:19 Do Students Care About Ingredients? Spoiler: Yes14:39 Building the Student Nutrition Ambassador Program17:06 Educating Ambassadors & Bringing Them to the Food Show19:24 Student Menu Takeover Week: Kids Pick the Entire Menu21:49 Surprise Cafeteria Visits: Going to Schools Unannounced23:59 What Angie Loves Most About Her Job26:14 Teaching Kids and Parents to Cook Real Food27:48 New USDA Dietary Guidelines: Why This RDN Is Excited29:58 Scratch Cooking at Scale: Cooks & Bakers Training32:20 Where Healthy Eating Really Starts: Home vs. School34:42 Students in the Kitchen: Culinary Competitions & Talent36:42 The Jambalaya Story: How a Scratch Recipe Won the District39:09 School Nutrition Conferences vs. HR Conferences41:30 Recruiting Dietetic Interns Into Food Service43:52 Sports Nutrition vs. Food Service: Where the RD Pipeline Goes46:14 Hurricane Days & the $1M Funding Reality48:28 Student Ambassadors Defending the Program on Social Media50:39 Closing: Miami-Dade Is Next Level