1. Certified Angus beef and internationally inspired LTOs
At Greenville County Schools in Greenville, S.C., the nutrition team tunes into its students and observes their eating habits when designing new menu items for the fall.
“We listen to our customers very carefully every day to determine which direction our program needs to head to meet their needs,” says Director of Food and Nutrition Services Joe Urban, adding that students are increasingly looking for fresh foods with “big, bold flavors.”
In response to those listening sessions, Greenville became the first K-12 district in the country to be licensed to offer certified Angus beef in its schools. It also continues to source as many minimally processed ingredients as possible for its meals. The team also draws menu inspiration from noncommercial and commercial foodservice alike.
“We receive most of our inspiration from the higher education and commercial foodservice segments,” Urban says. “We have noticed that international items remain some of the most popular items, therefore we continue to develop recipes around these on-trend dishes.”
Dishes showing up on menus this year include certified Angus beef nachos, certified Angus beef Philly cheesesteaks, and certified Angus beef Reuben subs, as well as low country seafood boil, wild-caught Alaskan salmon curry, and low country shrimp and grits.
The district will also continue to offer several LTOs throughout the school year. Students will be able to dine on certified Angus beef short rib tostadas, South American beef empanadas, certified Angus beef Korean BBQ steamed buns, Mexican tamales, Japanese gyoza, and an Italian ravioli bar featuring locally made pasta.
Photograph courtesy of Greenville County Schools