Danielle Bock had a humble start in the food service industry, bussing tables at a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery when she was just 14.
Today, Bock oversees a staff of more than 260 people as the director of nutrition services for Greeley-Evans School District 6.
“It’s all I’ve ever done,” Bock said.
IFMA The Food Away from Home Association recently named Bock a 2026 Silver Plate Award winner in the elementary and secondary schools category.
Established in 1954, the Silver Plate Award honors outstanding operators in the food service industry who have developed and implemented models of excellence. A panel of trade editors and former winners select the award recipients.
It’s not Bock’s first accolade either. In 2023, Bock was named a woman of distinction by BizWest Publications, a business journal in northern Colorado and the Boulder Valley. A year earlier, the School Nutrition Association named Bock as the southwest regional director of the year.
Throughout her career, Bock has taken on several positions including kitchen manager and executive chef. Bock also worked in a grocery store and the food banking industry before arriving at District 6.
Bock has been with the school district for 11 years, including nine as the director of nutrition services. Bock previously worked as the operations coordinator, overseeing the district’s warehouse and all of the school kitchen operations.
Bock and the District 6 Nutrition Services team prepare about 22,000 meals per day. This includes breakfast, lunch, supper and snacks.
“I have a tremendous staff … working everyday in all of our district schools and our charter schools,” Bock said.
Konnie Weber works to roll breakfast burritos at Greeley-Evans School District’s Central Production Kitchen in Greeley on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
Sue Schnichels, national account executive for the J.M. Smucker Co., nominated Bock for the honor, saying she surpassed every criterion for the Silver Plate Award.
“Her operational mastery, fiscal and HR innovation, community-driven programs, advocacy at the state and federal level, and dedication to ethical leadership make her an outstanding nominee,” Schnichels said in her nomination for Bock. “Her work has created lasting contributions to the foodservice industry and has established Greeley-Evans School District 6 as a model in school nutrition programs.”
Bock is a vocal advocate for food equity and has participated in a group called the Foodservice Leadership Council with IFMA for about five years, representing the K-12 sector.
“We all … come together and strategize about how we can better meet the needs of our clients,” Bock said of the council.
First grader Adrian Gomez eats an orange, one of his favorite foods, while eating lunch at Centennial Elementary in Greeley on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
District 6 tries to utilize as much local and scratch-made food as possible.
“The pandemic pushed us into a more prepared and packaged place, and now we’re coming out of that,” Bock said. “We’re seeing that happen across the country, so that’s super exciting.”
The district purchases its beef from a local rancher and gets as many fresh fruits and vegetables as it possibly can during the growing season.
“The school lunch that I remember was not the school lunch … I helped to craft,” Bock said.
Bock said the work District 6’s Nutrition Services team does every day is a “critical service.”
“We know that District 6 has a large population of students who are living in poverty and living in households experiencing food insecurity,” Bock said.
The Silver Plate Awards will be presented at the Gold & Silver Plate Awards celebration May 16 in Chicago.
Kristin Minihan, senior marketing manager for Nestlé Professional Solution, said Bock represents the very best of the industry and that her leadership, compassion and relentless commitment to nutrition equity transform what is possible for students and communities every day. Nestlé Professional Solutions also nominated Bock for the award.
“Bock’s work is more than foodservice — it’s a blueprint for meaningful, lasting change,” Minihan said.
District 6 Superintendent Deirdre Pilch said Bock is a “true champion” for students and that winning the Silver Plate Award confirmed her status as a national leader in school nutrition.
“In District 6, we know that a student cannot learn if they are hungry,” Pilch said. “Whether it’s through local sourcing or innovative kitchen practices, (Bock) ensures every child in Greeley and Evans has access to the high-quality nutrition they need to thrive both in and out of the classroom.”
Simone Spivey makes ranch dressing packets for school district cafeterias at Greeley-Evans School District’s Central Production Kitchen in Greeley on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (Brice Tucker/Staff Photographer)
