Rachel Petraglia is culinary specialist for the Georgia Department of Education, the fifth largest school nutrition program in the nation. Rachel is committed to fueling Georgia’s future by working alongside districts to create strong, culinary-driven dining experiences for all students. Prior to this position, Rachel spent almost 14 years working for the Gwinnett School Nutrition Program developing recipes and menus for the district’s 182,000 students, in addition to overseeing food safety, packaging, chemicals, smallwares, and other various bids and contracts. Rachel earned her bachelor’s degree in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales in Miami, FL. Her passion for cooking has led to many career highlights including traveling to South Africa, cooking at the James Beard House, being featured on the Today Show, and writing a cookbook. Chef Rachel is a proud member of The Culinary Institute of America’s Healthy Kids Collaborative and serves on the advisory board of Healthy School Recipes. (Suwanee, GA)