Quaker Valley School District welcomes a familiar face as its new food services director

A need to understand her own food allergies drove Ava Elliot into the world of nutritional science.

A few years in the Quaker Valley School District as a young student helped form strong study habits that led to two degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and a career as a registered dietitian.

Elliot, 26, of Sewickley, returns to the district to start a new chapter as its food services director on Oct. 13.

She called the opportunity “a dream come true” and is eager to get to work.

“I have a nurturing personality and I love caring for others,” Elliot said. “Knowing that I can learn about all the nutrition and science behind it to help others has always been a passion of mine.”

The board unanimously voted to hire Elliot at a special meeting Sept. 16.

Officials said the special meeting was necessary to provide Elliot with ample time to inform her then-employer, Case Specific Nutrition in Pittsburgh, of her pending departure.

Board President Jonathan Kuzma said Elliot is a welcome addition to Quaker Valley.

“Ava was an impressive candidate in a competitive field,” he said. “Her master’s in nutrition and dietetics and professional experience will serve the district well. Ava has a specialty in individualized nutrition education, which is a great asset for her new role.”

Her starting salary is $84,000.

Elliot’s nutritional journey began with self-discovery. She is allergic to tree nuts, avocado and carrots.

“I find it very intriguing that everyone’s bodies sometimes need something different than general recommendations,” Elliot said. “I do have a lot of different food allergies that I’ve always kind of struggled with navigating. Knowing that registered dietitians are the nutrition professionals who know all the evidence-based information and stay up to date with the latest research to help clients and individuals navigate food allergies is truly what brought me into the field.

“We have our general recommendations of eating our fruits and vegetables, right? But, if someone’s allergic to carrots, then we can’t be putting carrots in the lunch box. It’s very intriguing.”

The nine food allergies in the country are tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans, sesame, milk, eggs, fish and shellfish, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Elliot will be able to review students’ profiles to help district staffers create healthy meals and inform students of their food options.

A team of about 25 food service staffers, including cooks, servers, cashiers, dishwashers, monitors and administrative workers, creates an average of 500 breakfasts and 1,120 lunches daily.

District officials said some students bring food from home and student attendance can fluctuate with activities, illnesses and other factors. District enrollment is about 1,820 students.

Educational and work background

Elliot attended Quaker Valley schools from fourth through seventh grade while living in Sewickley. She recalled those teachers fondly.

“I felt that it was very hard, even at a young age, going through late elementary school and middle school,” Elliot said. “It truly helped shape my studying habits and everything.”

She would later move to Beaver and graduate from Beaver Area High School in 2018.

Elliot went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in nutrition science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2022 and a master’s in nutrition and dietetics in 2023.

Elliott has been recognized for her nutritional leadership. She received the 2023 Pittsburgh Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Leadership Development Award and was named the Outstanding Dietetics Student of the Year by the Pennsylvania Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics in 2023.

She worked at Case Specific Nutrition for about four years, including two years as a counseling dietitian. She was the lead dietitian of the Mt. Lebanon office.

Elliot said she worked a lot with the pediatric population and folks with eating disorders, as well as provided support to women going through menopause and related hormonal life stages.

She interned under former Quaker Valley district food services director Carla Escribano while working toward her master’s, and filled in as interim director from October 2023 to February 2024.

Escribano left the district earlier this year to pursue private sector employment. Her last day was Aug. 22.

“It was such a great experience,” Elliot said. “Everyone is super welcoming there and very knowledgeable about what they do. Being surrounded by a group of professionals is always such a breath of fresh air. It was wonderful working under Carla. She’s an amazing dietitian and I’ve always looked up to her as a mentor.”

Kuzma called Escribano an exceptional employee and a great talent.

“I know many in the district, including me, were sorry to see her leave but certainly wish her well in her next chapter,” Kuzma said. “Her work at Quaker Valley was well regarded and she was recently recognized as Director of the Year (in 2023) by the School Nutrition Association of Pennsylvania for her leadership.

“We are grateful for her years of leadership in this department. Quaker Valley students will continue to benefit from the strong foundation that’s been built in our food service program, and I’m looking forward to seeing where Ava will help lead the district in this area.”

Escribano, a registered dietitian, joined Quaker Valley in 2018 after serving as a clinical dietitian at Villa St. Joseph.

Subscribes to ‘intuitive eating’

Elliot said she has done a lot of research on intuitive eating and would like to implement it in the district.

Intuitive eating has been described as a philosophy of rejecting diets and trusting your gut to choose the foods that work best for one’s needs.

It promotes a healthy attitude toward body image and food, as well as distinguishes between physical and emotional hunger.

“Truly relying on our body to know that it’s going to tell us what we need to eat to sustain us and fill our bodies and make us feel our best,” Elliot said. “It’s truly about balance. That’s where registered dietitians come in to help clients and patients learn what that balance is like and help them find their definition of healthy.”