Spring 2020

Pioneering The Future Of School Catering JPL Catering was the brainchild of two industry professionals, from a second generation catering background, both with a passion for great food and committed to succeeding through strong client relationships. Our CEO and co-founder Junior Lopes had always been dedicated to the art of cooking and has worked alongside Michelin star chefs long before he gained his culinary qualifications. It was his partnership with his wife, Pamela Rea Lopes, an executive in the finance industry that brought the necessary skills and expertise together to create the beginnings of an effective catering business. Pamela became aware of the unique talent that Junior had developed and the need for both quality and nutritional enriched meals within the catering industry - together they formed JPL Catering. Having the opportunity to develop the school food lunch at Hampton Court House, Junior decided to give school food a new taste packed with nutritious ingredients from freshly made meals cooked daily for pupils of all ages. This approach has revolutionized the school food lunch and is bringing much attention nationwide. Junior has become the contributor of School Food Plan published in 2013 by Henry Dimbleby and John Vicent with the support of then Secretary of the Education, Michal Gove after the extraordinary statement from Boris Johnson and discovering that Junior’s school menus have surpassed the government criteria for what they were aiming for. Junior has also received the School Meal Ambassador Certification by LACA and is now inspiring many other schools and food educators to do the same by having highly trained chefs to cook freshly meals daily to pupils thus providing an enjoyable experience during lunchtime. To spread the vision further, Junior launched a cook for schools, to provide schools across the country with advice and their innovative recipes for students different tastes, dietary requirements, food allergies, intolerances and religious beliefs all following the food school plan. The book has been rated 5 stars and has been enjoyed by headteacher, parents, caterers and many more. We develop menus with variety, seasonality and feedback in mind making lunch times fun and something to look forward to everyday. As a company JPL supports CSR and are always looking for better products and ingredients sourcing. As such, JPL’s team visits their suppliers’ farms to see where the ingredients come from and how they are produced ensuring food is always fresh and consistently high quality, which increases the nutritional value intake. Since 2015 we implemented the vegetarian day on most of our sites. This has been successfully taken by our customers, children included. The origin of the idea was creating a pasta blend with 18 types of vegetables and serving pasta arrabiata style, since then we have implemented many other vegetarian dishes encouraging customers to develop their diet and taste buds. We are strong believers that a healthy diet can also have a profound effect on a child's sense of mental and emotional wellbeing. Eating well can support a child's healthy growth and development into adulthood. Due to the success of the school meals provided by JPL Catering for over a decade now, our founder has been invited to become an ambassador for BiteBack 2030, a campaign founded by chef and campaigner Jamie Oliver, philanthropist Nicolai Tangen, and chaired by World Food Prize winner Lawrence Haddad, which aims at reducing child obesity by 2030 and educate the youth with transparent information about the food they consume. JPL’s ultimate goal is to give all schools a healthier lifestyle, with the primary focus on boosting students’ performance and overall quality of their school life and future selves. "When Boris Johnson visited us at Reach Academy he was amazed by the food. He asked a student 'is that what you get everyday' and the student replied, no today is not the best day, that's tomorrow." "This is the best school dinner I've ever had." It's a model of the revolution in school food that Jamie Oliver hoped to start, and that Vincent and Dimbleby hope to encourage. (Boris Johnson - The Guardian 2013)