(Hammond, IN, April 2, 2010) — It’s not fiction. It’s no mystery. But a new book by Diane K. Schweitzer, Planning & Designing Innovative and Modern School Kitchens and Dining Rooms, does supply a lot of action, ideas and insightful information about how to bring school foodservice operations to the next level.

Schweitzer, currently the Foodservice Director for the School City of Hammond in Hammond, Indiana, is well equipped to discuss topics spanning specific equipment features to overall facility design.  In addition to being a certified School Food Service Professional and a School Foodservice Management Professional, she is a School Nutrition Specialist, a Registered Nurse and a certified School Risk Manager and has contributed to a variety of industry-related books and articles.

Planning & Designing Innovative and Modern School Kitchens and Dining Rooms provides an end-to-end overview of a school foodservice setup and how it can be optimized for today’s operational necessities and student demands.   Step-by-step details, from an initial needs assessment to a design review process to innovations for each area of a school foodservice facility, also are included to make it easier for readers to learn how to improve their own operations, whether they are making minor updates or planning a complete overhaul. To guide them through the process, Schweitzer shares up-to-date information on realities like OSHA, ergonomics, injuries, and LEED recommendations as well as aesthetic issues like lighting, ambiance and appealing and effective use of space.

Throughout the book, photos and diagrams illustrate the point at hand. A series of appendices allows the reader to use this volume as a workbook, too.

To order a copy of the book, Planning and Designing Innovative and Modern School Kitchens and Dining Rooms, visit the website www.authorhouse.com.

Schweitzer is extending the messages in Planning & Designing Innovative Modern School Kitchens and Dining Rooms with speaking engagements at schools and school foodservice and school nutrition organizations around the country.  To request a guest speaking appearance, school foodservice professionals can contact Schweitzer at diane1224@comcast.net.

For more information or to schedule an interview with the author, Diane K. Schweitzer, contact Diane at 219.933.2400, ext.1056