Cafeteria Man takes a behind-the-scenes look at Tony Geraci’s sweeping, tenacious efforts to kickstart school lunch reform in Baltimore’s schools, a large urban district that serves 83,000 students, and later in Memphis schools with 200,000 kids. As the newly hired Food and Nutrition Director of Baltimore’s public school district, Geraci hatches an ambitious, multi-faceted plan to feed students healthy, locally sourced meals, teach them nutritional awareness, and offer them training and vocational opportunities in the world of food. His bold vision includes a 33-acre teaching farm, school vegetable gardens, student-designed meals, and meatless Mondays.

Cafeteria Man follows Geraci as he partners with a dedicated group of parents and students to overhaul a long-established, dysfunctional lunch program and battle the entrenched bureaucracy behind it. The film profiles Baltimore’s experience as it becomes recognized as part of a burgeoning national movement. It includes appearances by food author Michael Pollan, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Assistant White House Chef Sam Kass.

"Highly recommended for a wide range of classes in addition to family & consumer science programs. The film could be used to generate discussion about many topics, such as urban schools, healthy eating, childhood obesity, local food movement, economic issues, community involvement, and youth activism." — Educational Media Reviews Online

"Richard Chisolm's elating movie about good-food guru Tony Geraci…celebrates Geraci for his profound grasp of what healthful eating means to public school students.” — Baltimore Sun

"Cafeteria Man provides powerful ammunition in the fight to end the epidemic of childhood obesity." — Jay A. Perman, MD, President, University of Maryland Baltimore