Good school lunches start with good food. Ours comes from the Maven Meals kitchen in SeaTac, where we cook from scratch and pack each student's lunch into their own labeled stainless steel bento box. The lunches arrive at school warm, ready for the kids to eat, and the boxes come back to us to be washed and used again.
Parents sign up and pay Maven directly. Your school doesn't need a kitchen or refrigerator, and there's no contract or program fee.
We've been cooking for Seattle families since 2011 and have made over 3 million meals along the way. This fall, we brought that experience to school catering, starting with North Seattle French School.
What's for lunch?
The menu changes every month. Parents can choose their student's meals ahead of time, and kids get a say in what they'd like for lunch. Each meal includes a protein, a starch or grain, a vegetable and fruit.
And apparently, we're doing something right. One North Seattle French School parent tells us his daughter has already developed a list of favorite Maven dishes.
"Our daughter is a big fan of the hot lunches, and she has ranked her top 5 favorite foods that Maven Meals makes: lasagna, salad, green beans, mac 'n' cheese, all the meats, and grapes. (That's six great top 5 foods there!) She said she likes the smell, and she often eats all of her lunch because it's super yummy. And she also wanted to include that 'hot lunch is fun.'"
How does school lunch catering work with Maven?
We handle the cooking and delivery, and we do the washing up. Families handle their own orders and payments. Your school's part is surprisingly simple.
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1. Start with a taste
Interested? Fill out the form below, and we'll get in touch about a free sample lunch for you and your staff. After all, the best way to decide whether Maven is right for your school is to taste the food.
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2. Families sign up and choose meals
Once your school is on board, families sign up with us. Each month's menu goes up on the 16th, and families have until the 15th of the following month to make their picks. If a family doesn't make a pick, we send a protein-based meal. Billing runs on the 16th for the next month, follows the school calendar, and skips June and July.
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3. Hot lunch shows up in the morning
Lunches arrive warm, packed in each student's labeled bento box.
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4. The boxes come back to us
Once the kids have scraped them out, the boxes go into a collection bin at school. We pick up the bins when we bring the next day's lunches, then wash and sanitize everything in our kitchen.
What does a school need to provide?
No kitchen and no fridge. Here's what your school needs to provide:
- A drop-off spot for the morning delivery
- A place to keep the collection bins overnight
- Someone to hand out lunches, and to collect the boxes after lunch
Parents enroll and pay us directly, so there's nothing for your front office to bill or chase.
How much does private school lunch catering cost?
Lunches cost $8.50 to $13.75 each depending on size, plus tax, and delivery is included. The school pays nothing.
| Size | Per lunch |
|---|---|
| Petit | $8.50 |
| Grand | $11.25 |
| Big Kid & Adult | $13.75 |
Every size comes three or five days a week. A one-time $55 fee covers each student's stainless steel bento box and cutlery set, and it's added to the first month. Since billing follows the school calendar, a month's total depends on how many school days are in it. For example, at $11.25 per lunch, a Grand lunch every day of a month with 20 school days comes to $225 before tax.
What about food allergies?
Every school lunch is made without nuts or peanuts. Gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free options are marked on each month's menu, and you can look up the ingredients and allergens for any dish on our ingredients page.
One thing families should know: our kitchen also handles tree nuts and peanuts, along with wheat, dairy, eggs, fish and shellfish, for the other food we make. If a student has a serious allergy, please talk to us before signing up.
Hear it from North Seattle French School
As of November 2026, 56 students at North Seattle French School were signed up for Maven lunches, about half the school.
"The new hot lunch program with Maven Meals has been a game changer for North Seattle French School, and for my family personally. As a preschool and elementary school, all of the families we serve have the busy to-do lists that come with young children, and Maven Meals takes one big item off of that list! The opportunity to sit down with classmates for lunch and explore new foods together reinforces the community aspect that is at the heart of our school."
"My daughters love Maven Meals! [One of them] enjoys eating the same lunches as her friends and discovering new foods. Her favourites are the shepherd's pie and the chicken pot pie, and she loves that the hot lunch actually arrives hot and that fruit comes in its own separate bowl. [Her sister] is happy with the menu just as it is. She loves the rice dishes and the fruit, and often goes for the vegetarian option, so we really appreciate having one. Thank you for the great school lunches!
P.S. Parents love that it's healthy and that we don't have to pack lunch boxes!"
Want to hear what it's like to have Maven at your school? Heidi can introduce you to the folks at North Seattle French School so you can ask them directly.
Thinking about bringing hot lunch to your school?
We'd love to hear about it. Tell us a little about your school, and we'll get in touch about a free sample lunch for your team. We offer private school lunch catering in the greater Seattle area and are happy to talk through whether Maven would be a good fit.
Parents: Wish your school offered Maven lunches? Share this page with your head of school or front office. Sometimes a good idea starts with a hungry kid.