Catered meals make great sense!

• No daily decisions, shopping and preparation for parents
• Simple and competitive pricing system that represents quality and value
• Lovingly prepared meals, with attention to portion size and nutritional balance
• Huge choice of menus annually that are pre-screened for quality, benefits and popularity
• Children love eating the same food
• Teachers can easily monitor intake and feedback any necessary observations
• Healthy lunch and snack balance designed by experts to keep children ‘happy’ not 'hyper’

When we first started Kspace we tried every lunch optionavailable. Packed lunches were fun and appear easy but they create problems with storage, re-packaging, variety and contents (risk of ingredients that children are allergic to and other problems) and are not the favourite choice of busy mums either! As the school grew we switched to self-catering.
Although a definite improvement, catering on-site took time, space and organization that turned lunch times into a fiasco! We learned a great deal about the children’s diets and preferences during this period though and this stood us in a good position to move onto the next phase.
Eventually, a task force of enthusiastic mummies and dedicated teachers said “NO MORE”! Our entire school community joined together to look for a system that worked for busy mothers, busy teachers and hungry children - and the fabulous K-Kitchen Meal Scheme was born.
The project took over six months of constant research, trials and taste panels to reach implementation and years to perfect! For over three years we watched the children’s eating habits and kept records of menus that worked! In the beginning, one staff member a day was assigned to watch mealtimes and trends within the age groups. We have an excellent working knowledge of the children’s appetites.

Why Kiwi Kitchens?

Following a massive amount of research we selected a superb company to work with us. Many caterers (Japanese and International) were trialed by our project group. Expatriate parents naturally enjoy communicating food choices and observations directly in English, and our mothers chose a company who would keep the meals as international as the atmosphere inside the school. We were delighted when professional caterers Kiwi Kitchens were selected! As well as being a food connoisseur, Kiwi Kitchens Owner Vanessa Bell is a devoted mother of two, who knows exactly what works best for hungry children of all ages! Vanessa grew up in New Zealand, surrounded by the best selection of delicious and healthy food, and in an environment where great-grub rules! Vanessa and her team provide gourmet meals to discerning clients throughout Tokyo and they have an amazing reputation, but we think Kiwi Kitchens excel because;

• They focus on meals packed with essential nutrients, vitamins and fibre content
• They design tasty dishes with care taken not to use excess garlic, oils, onion and sauces
• Vegetarian and vegan diets catered for
• Sugars/sweeteners, preservatives, MSG, flavouring, colouring, excess salt, margarine and other harmful ingredients are avoided and natural produce is used
• Portion size, food selection and even the way the food is cut/prepared is tailor-made for us dependant upon the children’s age and developmental stage
• They pay great attention to hygiene and ensure that high standards are observed
• Locally sourced ingredients and seasonal and organic produce are used when possible
• Our teams are fully focused on developing healthy menus that avoid empty stodge, but are satisfying
• The Kiwi Kitchens team allow us to trial recipes throughout the school before they are passed
• Vanessa and her business partner Stuart are there for us around the clock and react to feedback instantly

Kiwi Kitchen menus have been carefully chosen by us and are decided in advance term by term. All selections are well tested and work extremely well, and parents receive the monthly menu via mail. We also display the ‘At-A-Glance’ menus in the classrooms, with accompanying photos. Your child will have their snack and lunch menu plus a serving of fruit as supplement at lunch time. The snacks are carefully coordinated with the lunch to give a well-balanced and nutritious energy boost during their busy morning. Kiwi Kitchens ensure that all food groups are covered in the course of the day and that the food is appealing to children, easy to eat and (most importantly) super yummy! Although the food has fancy titles, Kiwi Kitchens and our team keep food fuss-free, as our kiddies eat well when tastes are appealing and simple. Each little diner has their own special food mat too that has been lovingly made!

As well as Kiwi Kitchens and our parents, other professionals who also give us advice on our selection of menus include;

Dr. Irene Broadley, Child Psychologist - advises about the effect of diet on performance, behaviour and development

Mel Bruce, Nutritionist and kindergarten teacher with specialist studies in allergies, organic food and natural diets. Mel has worked hard to ensure the menus are healthy and provide everything that the children need

Daniel Babu, Nutritionist, macrobiotic food expert and Lifestyle Consultant. Daniel is a ‘no-junk’ zone who runs workshops on strengthening the body via diet, amongst other topics.

Eddie Barth, Teacher with a strong interest in organic and healthy food and sound knowledge of catering - plus a vested interest in keeping Kspace children happy!

Kiwi Kitchen menus have been carefully chosen by us and are decided in advance term by term. All selections are well tested and work extremely well, and parents receive the monthly menu via mail. We also display the ‘At-A-Glance’ menus in the classrooms, with accompanying photos. Your child will have their snack and lunch menu plus a serving of fruit as supplement at lunch time. The snacks are carefully coordinated with the lunch to give a well-balanced and nutritious energy boost during their busy morning. Kiwi Kitchens ensure that all food groups are covered in the course of the day and that the food is appealing to children, easy to eat and (most importantly) super yummy! Although the food has fancy titles, Kiwi Kitchens and our team keep food fuss-free, as our kiddies eat well when tastes are appealing and simple. Each little diner has their own special food mat too that has been lovingly made!