Ruthie Burd, founder of The Lunch Lady, never imagined that one day she would be delivering healthy hot lunches to thousands of children at school.

When Ruthie was young, her wonderful Mom died, leaving Ruthie and her Father to fend for themselves. They did whatever was easiest, so nutrition was often replaced with the convenience of tinned beef stew and other canned delights.

Ruthie grew up avoiding the kitchen. When she had her own children she realized she didn't want them eating from a can so she learned to cook.

The day one of her boys was diagnosed with autism was the day that she started thinking of new ways to contribute to the family income. Ruthie wanted to work but she needed the afternoons free to take her son to therapies.

When she learned that there were no cafeterias in most elementary schools, and that many parents found making school lunches a chore, she thought — "there's an idea!"

That was 1993. The business she started to allow her to balance a career with the needs of her family grew quickly. It was obvious that hot lunch for school kids was a really, really good idea.

Ruthie's Father always said, "money works best when everybody has some." So she decided to share her business idea with other people and started franchising the Lunch Lady concept. Today there are hundreds of schools served by the award winning Lunch Lady through a growing network of community based kitchens across Canada.

Each kitchen is a member of the Lunch Lady Group and operates under the leadership of a strong and dedicated head office. This allows each Lunch Lady to focus all their energy on providing the best possible service to the school community.

Ruthie still loves her business and is always looking for ways to make life better for your children at school.