A former chef at the 'world's best restaurant' created these gourmet school lunches that cost under $4 to make

Brigaid/Instagram

Daniel Giusti, a former chef at Noma - a Copenhagen restaurant consistently deemed the "world's best" - has left the world of fine dining. Now, he's taken on an even more daunting task: redesigning the public school lunch.

In January 2016, Giusti launched Brigaid, a startup that aims to put professional chefs in public school cafeterias to improve their lunches.

Complimentary Tech Event

Transform talent with learning that works

Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

"We're constantly asking ourselves: 'What can be better tomorrow?' Just like you would do at a restaurant ... 'How can we make this better every day for these students?'" he tells Business Insider.

Later in 2016, Giusti got approval to pilot his program in New London High and Bennie Dover Jackson Middle, two schools in Connecticut. After receiving more than 275 applications to work in the schools, he chose April Kindt and Ryan Kennedy, two trained chefs ready to take on the challenge of making the schools' lunches tasty, nutritious, and cheap.

The US Dept of Education mandates that lunches cost under $3.18 to produce, an amount the government reimburses schools for free lunches. That amount (which the Brigaid team has been able to meet) includes the ingredients, transportation, labor, and maintenance costs.

The Obama administration worked to make school lunches healthy, too. The 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, championed by former first lady Michelle Obama, set school lunch maximums for calories, cut sodium and trans fat, and mandated more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. 

On May 1, the Trump administration relaxed some of these rules. In one of his first acts as agriculture secretary, Sonny Perdue signed a proclamation that allows schools to not adhere to the whole grain requirements and delay the sodium reductions beginning in the fall. They will also be able to serve 1% flavored milk rather than nonfat.

Classes started in September 2016 for the two schools where Brigaid is piloting its gourmet, healthy lunches. Here's what the team has come up with so far.