Oakland’s The Town Kitchen Achieves REAL Certification

The Town Kitchen, a community-driven food company, delivering chef-crafted meals to corporate clients, has achieved REAL Certification.  They employ and train youth addressing the need in the San Francisco Bay Area for locally-sourced meals, as well as fair-wage jobs and job training programs for local youth.

“At The Town Kitchen, we seek to provide quality, empower individuals, and strengthen communities. The focus and mission of Eat REAL is clearly in alignment with our mission, so it was a no-brainer to move forward with the certification process, “ says Trevor Fleshman, Head of Product at The Town Kitchen,  “We are excited to become part of the Eat REAL partner network and by doing so, continue to spread the word about the primacy of food in determining the success of our communities. Our clients and partners choose to work with us not only for our great food but also for our focus on supporting mission-aligned organizations like Eat REAL.”

Over 500 restaurant and foodservice providers have achieved the highly-coveted REAL certification. Utilizing a points-based audit, third-party registered dieticians evaluate establishments through interviews and menu, supply chain and operations analysis. Those that earn sufficient points in the areas of Responsible (nutrition), Epicurean (preparation), Agricultural (sourcing) and Leadership (environmental stewardship and other best practices) become REAL Certified.

The Town Kitchen continues to raise the bar for corporate catering by consistently utilizing high-quality ingredients, including fresh vegetables in every lunch box and has developed a culturally rich menu that changes with the season. They work hard to support the local food business community by featuring locally made products in their box lunches and on their catering menu.

“I am thrilled to see the Town Kitchen become Eat REAL certified. They are a truly mission-driven business and have built deep relationships in their local community. Their food is high quality, made from scratch, and made with heart.” notes Kristin Zellhart, Eat REAL’s Nutrition, Standards & Certification Manager.

In addition, The Town Kitchen has committed to sourcing all butter and eggs from farms that achieve an animal welfare certification recognized by REAL Certified and the ASPCA® Shop With Your Heart program by 2021.

For more information on The Town Kitchen, visit their website here.

About Eat REAL

Eat REAL® is a 501(c) (3) Public Health nonprofit organization based in Richmond, California. Eat REAL is dedicated to transforming food in K-12 schools, creating a healthier next generation and planet. Launched in 2012, Eat REAL Certified is a nutrition and sustainability best practices certification program working with school district food service leaders to raise the bar and make food in schools more nutritious and sustainable. Eat REAL’s core program currently supports 237 schools, reaching over 116,000 students.