K-12 Culinary Connection was founded to bridge the gap in food service resources for small and rural school districts. Our founder and President, Chef Justin Mills, spent 15 years working in school nutrition, including time with a food service management company. During that time, he saw firsthand how larger districts had access to more support, while smaller districts often struggled with limited resources and fewer opportunities.

Determined to change that, Chef Justin launched K-12 Culinary Connection in 2014 with a mission: to help rural districts serve high-quality, nutritious meals while maintaining financial stability and keeping their food service teams under district employment.

What started as a vision has grown into a family-owned, customer-focused company that proudly partners with school districts across Arkansas. More than just a service provider, we become part of each district’s local community, working hand-in-hand to create a school nutrition program that is financially sound, student-approved, and truly community-driven.