Even as fruits and vegetables have gained an increasing presence on foodservice menus, for suppliers, it’s survival of the innovative. Success belongs to businesses that choose to reinvent, reimage and rethink what they know about whole and fresh-cut produce.

While most Staten Island restaurants are slow to embrace the farm-to-table movement, seeds of this philosophy took root not too far from here more than two decades ago. The bucolic Berkshires in western Massachusetts, about a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Staten Island, is home to Indian Line Farm, one of, if not the first community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm on the continent in which consumers can buy local, seasonal produce directly from the farmer.

These urban oases, carefully tended by teachers, students and volunteers, range from several square feet to several acres of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers, and some schools even grow plants year-round in school greenhouses. But one thing the more than 40 gardens have in common is that none of the produce ever finds its way into CPS lunchrooms. Instead, because of rules set by the district and its meal provider, the food is sold or given away.

Potato growers are fighting back against efforts to ban or limit potatoes in federal child nutrition programs, arguing the tuber is loaded with potassium and vitamin C and shouldn't be considered junk food. Healthy food advocates said they're not anti-potato, but they think children need a greater variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains to fight a tripling of child obesity rates in the past 30 years.

Food has never been more popular, there has never been more food programming on TV, yet Americans are cooking less than ever. That makes it an interesting time to be a chef — or anyone involved in the creative side of the foodservice industry. Consumers in the U.S. have increased their standards when it comes to what they eat, wanting to know more about where it came from and how it was grown.

Winter squash, in season now, is available in many varieties, and is suitable for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Drier squashes such as buttercup, kabocha and red kuri hold their texture in soups, stews and fillings while butternut and delicata become tender when cooked.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced what it called a major new initiative Tuesday, giving $2 million to food behavior scientists to find ways to use psychology to improve kids' use of the federal school lunch program and fight childhood obesity. A fresh approach is clearly needed, those behind the effort say.

The Chefs Move to Schools program, which pairs professional chefs with public schools in order to improve the eating habits of children, is getting started amid obstacles and determination. "This stuff is hard," said Sam Kass, who has adopted an elementary school in Washington, D.C. "It's going to take some real initiative by all of us to make progress."