Lake Havasu Unified School District in Partnership with Taher Inc. is Eat Real Certified District!
Pictured: Executive Chef & Food Service Director Chris Gallaga with fellow Taher Inc. peer, Chef Roshni Gurnani, a James Beard–recognized chef.
History has been made! Lake Havasu Unified School District, in partnership with Taher Inc., is the first district in Arizona to earn Eat Real certification at the Green Tier.
Located right on Arizona’s west border, the district serves approximately 5,478 students — and at the heart of this milestone is Executive Chef & Food Service Director Chris Gallaga and his dedicated team.
Over 50% Minimally Processed
More than half of breakfast and lunch items at Lake Havasu Unified are minimally processed — including 24 weekly scratch-made options in middle and high schools. That kind of culinary output reflects a kitchen team that takes genuine pride in what they serve, and it shows up in how students experience their meals every day.
“I wish I had this kind of food when I was in school — it’s all tasty and beautiful.”
— Henry Chik, Food Service Administrator
Pictured: A hearty scratch-made wild rice and chicken soup with garlic bread.
100% of Schools Offer Salad Bars
All eight schools in the district offer salad bars serving at least two fruits daily. Juice has been removed or limited to once per week, making fresh, whole fruit the easy and obvious choice for students. This district-wide commitment to fresh produce access means every student, regardless of which school they attend, has the opportunity to choose something real every single day.
Pictured: Student-loved salad bar packed with fresh, local fruits and vegetables.
32% Locally Sourced
Providing fresh choices and supporting responsible agriculture, 32% of Lake Havasu’s produce is locally sourced and 8% is organic or regeneratively grown. For a district in the Arizona desert, building local sourcing relationships takes real dedication, and this team has done exactly that. These efforts bring fresher ingredients to student trays while investing directly in the regional food community.
Just the Beginning
Congratulations to Chef Chris Gallaga and his entire team on this historic milestone — the first in Arizona, the first for Taher Inc., and a moment that signals something exciting for the future! What they have built at Lake Havasu Unified is proof that exceptional school food can happen in any state and any district.
Eat Real’s partnership with Taher Inc. is one we are incredibly proud of and deeply excited about. This certification opens the door to a future where more Taher-managed districts follow in Lake Havasu’s footsteps to bring scratch cooking, fresh ingredients, and real food to thousands more students across their network. The ripple effect of what Chef Chris and his team have accomplished here extends far beyond Arizona, and we cannot wait to see where this partnership goes next.
Pictured: Scratch-made tandoori chicken with turmeric rice, mint chutney, and cucumber salad.
