Cape High students put their mark on school lunch menu

To mark National School Lunch Week, Cape High students sampled an array of new food offerings and voted on which items to keep as part of the regular menu.

Supervisor of Child Nutrition Services Stacy Smith said employees embraced this year’s theme, School Lunch Pirates Find Your Treasure, and offered product samples in all cafeterias.

“It’s important for kids to have a say in the foods they’re eating,” Smith said. “You can throw all the healthy food in the world at them, but if they don’t like it, they won’t eat it, no matter how hungry they are.”

The district participates in national school breakfast and lunch programs that follow USDA guidelines and must contain the right portions of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and milk, Smith said. Proper nutrition improves test scores, decreases behaviorial issues and brings down child obesity rates, she said.

Former Dogfish Head chef Matthew Silverman has brought his culinary talents to the Cape kitchen, Smith said, and employees have embraced his passion for recipe creation by making their own menu twists to suit student tastes.

During an Oct. 14 taste test, students tried chicken tinga, onion rings and Nashville spicy chicken sandwiches, all of which were hits with staff and pupils alike. Culinary students and employees who circulated throughout lunches with trays of free samples were at times mobbed by hungry snackers.

School meals are often healthier than those sold at restaurants, said Child Nutrition Specialist Makenzie Beshel, noting onion rings are made with whole grains, and meals must meet certain caloric and sugar levels.

Balancing nutrition requirements with taste can be challenging, Beshel said, and employees are continually evaluating new offerings, such as vegan chicken nuggets that tasted just like the meat-based version.

Cape kitchens rely on back-to-scratch cooking as much as possible, using whole ingredients to create nutritious meals, Smith said. 

“Plus, kids tend to like it more,” she said.

New initiatives this year include meal vending machines and dash and dine, in which students can order lunch on their iPads and pick it up in the rotunda to alleviate lunch lines, Smith said. Sampling opportunities were offered at all district schools.