Rhode Island Students to Design, Operate Food Trucks through RIDE’s $1.625 Million Menu for Success Student Food Truck Initiative

Published on Thursday, December 22, 2022

Council on Elementary and Secondary Education approves initiative that will equip 13 local education agencies with food trucks, teaching students entrepreneurship, culinary arts, graphic design and more

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Governor Dan McKee, Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) today announced the $1.625 Million Menu for Success Student Food Truck Initiative, which was approved by the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education December 20. Through the grant program, 13 local education agencies (LEAs) will receive a food truck and associated supports that promote entrepreneurship, culinary arts, automotive learning, graphic design and more.   

“Rhode Island is home to some of the best food tourism in our country, from five-star restaurants to beloved diners. We are thrilled RIDE’s Menu for Success initiative uplifts this industry on the move and provides such unique and wide-ranging learning opportunities for students,” said Governor Dan McKee. “We look forward to the creativity and excitement this initiative brings to our school communities across Rhode Island.” 

“The job skills that students will learn through this program, like automotive repair, the culinary arts, and entrepreneurship, are evergreen paths to good-paying jobs,” said Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos. “These food trucks are a major opportunity do more than teach our students. It’s a chance to truly engage them and make them excited about their coursework. Our MBE Incubator program is continuing to deliver for students across the state!” 

Made possible by the School Building Authority Capital Fund, the Menu for Success initiative will benefit communities at large by providing internship and job opportunities, concessions at games and work sites, presence at community events, fundraising and community service opportunities and more.  

“The Council is proud to support this exciting investment into our high school students and their futures,” said Chair of the Council on Elementary and Secondary Education Patti DiCenso. “RIDE’s Menu for Success will open doors our students may not have known existed. We look forward to watching them hit the road!” 

“As Rhode Island rebuilds and reimagines its education system, RIDE is thinking outside of box in order to prepare our students for college and career. Through Menu for Success, we will provide our students with real-life experience in entrepreneurship, management, and accounting, sharpen their culinary skills as they develop and serve specialized dishes, spark their creativity as they design and market their food truck, and so much more,” said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “We are grateful to the Rhode Island school leaders, educators and students who are eager to get wheels spinning and serve up student success.”   

Thirteen LEAs have committed to operating food trucks as part of their Culinary Arts or Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Incubator Programs: 

• Central Falls 
• Chariho 
• Coventry 
• Cranston 
• Davies Technical High School 
• East Providence 
• Lincoln 
• Newport 
• Pawtucket 
• Providence 
• Warwick 
• Westerly 
• Woonsocket 

While Rhode Island’s food sector accounts for tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in sales annually, Rhode Island lags far behind in creating opportunities for people of color to own and operate restaurants. Only 2% of Rhode Island’s 14,000 restaurants are owned by people of color. Through industry exposure, RIDE’s Menu for Success initiative aims to open doors for students of color and increase the number of students who graduate with a defined plan for continued success. 

"The Menu for Success Student Food Truck Initiative provides the opportunity to teach participating students entrepreneurship, business development and management in the real world, in a controlled scenario that will allow them the ability to manage and grow future business endeavors successfully,” said Associate Director of the Division of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Tomás Ávila. 

The food trucks, which will be customized according to specifications from each LEA, are estimated to cost $125,000 each. To create economies of scale and obtain better pricing, the food trucks will be purchased through a joint Request for Proposals. LEAs are expected to maintain the custom-fitted food trucks, which RIDE anticipates arriving throughout the spring. Additionally, RIDE is creating a new annual fall event where all 13 food trucks will come together to celebrate the culinary arts in Rhode Island.  

For further information, visit the RIDE Menu for Success page. 

What They’re Saying: 

"Central Falls Schools is excited for this innovative opportunity to have our students learn entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and of course culinary skills as well. We do not yet have a culinary program and are so grateful for this creative way to develop opportunities for our students that previously couldn't exist. We are thrilled to be a part of this!" 

-Superintendent Dr. Stephanie Downey Toledo, Central Falls School District 

“We want to thank the RIDE team for developing this initiative for the students in Rhode Island. This will bring our CHARIHOtech programs together for a shared learning experience that will benefit the entire community.” 

-Superintendent Gina Picard & CHARIHOtech Director Gerald Auth, Chariho Regional School District  

“Coventry High School's Regional Career and Technical Center has one of the most robust Culinary Arts programs in the state. Students receive training in all aspects of the restaurant industry using the nationally accredited curriculum. Students apply concepts and skills in our full-service restaurant, The Knotty Oak Room, open to the public, and The Oaker Cafe. With the opportunity to add a state-of-the-art Food Truck to our program line-up, we will expose our students to a new, exciting, and growing part of the food service industry. Adding a Food Truck allows Coventry High School to build our presence in off-campus catering and community service events throughout the state of Rhode Island. This Food Truck design and build will be a cross-curricular project, integrating expertise from some of other CTE programs such as: Business/Finance, Advertising/Marketing/Design, Engineering, Automotive, and Welding. We can't wait to get started!” 

-Superintendent Don Cowart, Coventry Public Schools  

"Food trucks are a fantastic small business and culinary learning opportunity, and - at Davies especially- a food truck will provide a great 'all hands-on deck' project for students in our culinary, electrical, automotive, and graphics technical programs. Davies is excited to participate in this initiative, and we’re looking forward to our first collaborative event showcasing the culinary skills of Davies’ students as well as of CTE students from around the state!" 

-Mary Watkins, Director, Davies Career and Technical High School 

“When we, at the East Providence High School Career and Technical Center, learned that we would be one of the beneficiaries of the RIDE Food Truck Program, it was quite literally a dream come true. From time to time over the past couple of years, our chef instructors and director have had conversations about attending several of the food truck events that have become traditions across the state. We shared our experiences becoming regulars at these events and how they epitomized our values in the Townie Culinary Program; great food, friendly service, family and community, and entrepreneurship through hard work and creativity. We dreamed of having a food truck of our own. But with the high cost of these trucks, and our limited budget, we understood that the food truck dream was little more than a pie in the sky. We are elated that RIDE will be providing us with a food truck through this program, and we can't wait to plan out the menu and look of our Townie Food Truck with the help of our students and community!” 

-Robert Hanlon, Director of the East Providence Career and Tech Center  

"This is such a great opportunity for our students that will open the door to collaboration between CTE Pathways across the state. These food trucks will also provide several career opportunities for our students that they normally wouldn't have in the traditional school setting. It's a giant leap to introducing students to entrepreneurship and culinary arts." 

-Ricardo Pimentel, Director of CTE & Unified Arts, Pawtucket Public Schools  

"We are thrilled Pawtucket is part of the Food Truck Initiative. We constantly look to give our students unique educational experiences, and a mobile classroom food truck is a great opportunity for our students and community. It is an exciting time for our Culinary Arts and all our CTE programs. Thank you RIDE and everyone who made this possible for our students." 

-Superintendent Dr. Cheryl McWilliams, Pawtucket Public Schools  

“Newport Public Schools is very excited about this wonderful opportunity. Director Young, Chef Matt and our whole team are looking forward to getting out on the road and sharing their culinary experience with the whole community. This is just the beginning of even bigger and better things to come!” 

-Superintendent Dr. Colleen Jermain, Newport Public Schools   

"The Newport Area Career and Technical Center is excited about the opportunity for multiple programs to participate in this project. Our culinary program is going to use our outdoor tables, chairs and tents with the food truck, our Advertising and Design program is excited to prepare menus, flyers and will wrap the truck with our own design. This will be an inclusive opportunity for the center's programs." 

-Robert Young, Director, Newport Area Career and Technical Center  

"When the idea for a food truck was hatched at our Minority Business Enterprise Incubator Program meeting last Spring, everyone immediately looked at each other and the collective thought was that this could be an amazing educational endeavor for all of our students at Lincoln High School. When you think of the incredible cross-curricular possibilities of a food truck being a mobile classroom, the sky's the limit. As this idea grew and we received support from the Commissioner and RIDE with needed funding, our MBE group has been laser focused on bringing this concept to our students in Lincoln and many other districts around the state. This project has the potential to be a powerful learning tool that will positively impact the educational experience for our students". 

-Superintendent Dr. Larry Filippelli, Lincoln Public Schools  

“PPSD is thrilled to have a food truck to shine a light on PCTA’s Culinary and Pastry programs. We are excited to provide our students with the opportunity to learn new culinary skills and prepare food for our city’s community events. Food trucks are an important component of the state’s culinary scene, and we are excited to be a part of this enterprising opportunity that brings together our programs including culinary, pastry, graphic arts and more.”  

-Superintendent Dr. Javier Montañez, Providence Public Schools  

"We are excited to be selected to participate in RIDE's Food Truck project. This project will provide our students with the opportunity to demonstrate what they know in a real-world environment. We are looking forward to this great opportunity for our students." 

-Superintendent Lynn Dambruch & Asst. Superintendent William McCaffrey, Warwick Public Schools 

“Westerly High School’s Culinary Arts program is fired up to be a part of RIDE’s food truck program! Our Bulldogs can hardly wait to chef up delicious delights and have the ability to take our show on the road to offer our treats all around the state! We’d like to advise anyone who enjoys chowder, you haven’t had chowder until you’ve tasted our CHOWDAH!” 

-Chef Jamie Finkelstein, Culinary Arts/Hospitality/Baking and Pastry Instructor, Westerly High School  

“The impact of a food truck for the Woonsocket Area Career & Technical Center and the surrounding community will be far reaching and comprehensive. Students in multiple programs will be positively impacted with real world learning and Work Based Learning activities. Automotive students will maintain and service the vehicle, Digital media students will use their photography and filming skills by producing menus and advertising spots, Graphic Design students will promote the food truck using their marketing and design skills to produce menus and ads, P-TECH Computer Science will create apps for ordering and promotions and the Biotechnology program will produce healthy home grown produce. Community outreach and involvement, as identified in The Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment, would be addressed in multiple ways such as visiting the High Rises for the elderly and low-income areas to provide opportunities to purchase prepared healthy and nutritious meals at a reasonable cost and in an area commonly referred to as a ‘Food Desert.’”  

-Superintendent Dr. Patrick McGee, Woonsocket Public Schools 

“We are grateful for opportunities to expand our students’ learning, especially through CTE programs. This is an exciting way for our students to gain real-world experience with an innovative business model.”

-Superintendent Jeannine Nota-Masse, Cranston Public Schools

“Whether it's determining and creating our food truck cuisine through our culinary program, designing a marketing plan through our Entrepreneurship program, wrapping the truck in a fun design from our Graphic Communications program, or online advertising through our Interactive Digital Media program, Cranston's students will be in the driver's seat for this innovative venture offered by RIDE. Additionally, we look forward to embracing the spirit of competition in the first Food Truck cookoff that will occur, whereby all 13 of the district food truck recipients will be participating.”

- Ken Hopkins Jr., Director, Cranston Area Career and Technical Center