Learning with their taste buds
To introduce new foods to students, Urban’s department chooses one school per month to honor with an over-the-top lunch that ties into the curriculum, if possible. The hog roast was one such meal, borne from third-graders’ study of Carolina cooking. Urban partnered with two Southern chefs to host the barbecue and a low-country boil on school grounds, complete with shrimp and potatoes.
Another avenue for new items is the food truck his department debuted late last summer. While the truck’s primary aim is to provide additional sites for summer feeding, it’s been used throughout the year to deliver excitement, test offerings and reward students for reaching educational goals. “What we’ve found out is that kids will eat anything out of a food truck,” Urban says.
When planning, culinary staff start with their dream menu, then work backward to ensure it complies with regulations, says GCS Culinary Specialist Paula Wambeke. A point of pride for her is the district’s aim to not adulterate menu items or otherwise trick kids into healthy eating. “We really try our best to present food in its natural state, [in a way that’s] recognizable, and give it the proper name,” Wambeke says. “When [the students] are out in the world, they’ll know what they’re eating, and not smiley fries or something like that.”
Adding more seafood to the menu is a current goal. Next year, Urban aims to serve fish such as mahi mahi and Alaskan pollock once a week to elementary students, and about twice weekly to middle and high schoolers. As build-your-own options have been a big hit with the students, a ramen bar, burger bar and burrito bowl bar are also in the works.
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