Corn may be one of the more popular vegetables for kids but Calumet New Tech High School students weren’t buying what the cafeteria was selling.
Dressed up with tomatoes, green onion, celery, black pepper and ranch dressing, the corn concoction – one of several dishes tested during school food supplier Chartwells “School Choice” Week on April 18 –- didn’t catch on. Calumet New Tech Ambassadors serving the samples got to hear all about it.
“Oh, they do not like the corn,” said one Ambassador said. She and another Ambassador passed out samples of loaded potatoes topped with bacon and mushrooms or broccoli and cheese during lunch.
“They definitely like the potatoes better,” one said.
Chartwells Regional Marketing Manager Malaika Jenkins suspected the corn salsa wasn’t a hit because the students already have it in their lunch rotation. But good, bad or indifferent, Jenkins welcomed every word.
One of three schools in three states chosen to participate in the food vendor’s pilot program, Chartwells brought four new food concepts to the cafeteria for the kids to test, including Korean, Thai and Japanese foods; chicken prepared in various ways with dipping sauces such as mango jerk; loaded potatoes; and Made to Melt, which were comfort food staples with “everything cheese.” Each day, students were asked to sample the choices and then vote via computer for their favorites. Votes were then tallied and broadcast the next day.
Those food items students enjoyed the best will be added into the cafeteria rotation next month, Jenkins said. Next year, the school could host a School Choice week at whatever interval it likes to keep its menu up-to-date.
“The kids’ engagement piece of (the pilot) is really strong. They get to eat what they want to eat, and they like giving their opinion on what we’re serving,” Jenkins said. “We’re putting the power in their hands.”
The new choices also help the kitchen staff grow beyond the typical burger a deli bar item, said Lake Ridge Food Service Director Toni Rattray. With the help of Lafayette-based Executive Chef Joseph Peretin, the kitchen workers got to experiment with new cooking techniques, such as with the Asian foods.
“It’s sometimes like we have blinders on (with regard to the way they cook things),” Rattray said. “Now (Peretin and other Chartwells chefs and dieticians are) here showing us, ‘This is what we could be doing.’ Our staff handles it quite well, and they’re proud of what they do.”
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It’s not just the staff who learns about different foods, either, Peretin said. Often, the kids get to expand their palates, even with the staples they’re used to eating.
“Regardless of the region, people appreciate fresh foods. Take tacos: This is what they might get at Taco Bell, but they don’t know why it looks and tastes better,” Peretin said of what the school serves at its taco bar. “Their tastes are their tastes, so we work as much as possible to meet those tastes using fresh ingredients.”
It certainly exposes them to new foods, Jenkins said. During bok choy day, the students got to try out jicama sticks, which are generally flavorless. Dip them in a sauce, though, and you have a crunch, healthy alternative to chips and dip.
“Now, they know what’s out there,” she said.
One freshman girl said her family is into fresh fruits and vegetables, so she was pleased with the choices but she and another friend enjoyed the Korean chicken served April 16.
“It was spicy but moist,” she said. “And I really like the potatoes, especially with the bacon.”
Spartanburg, S.C., and Kalamazoo were the two other districts chosen for the initial pilot program, Jenkins said. Chartwells hopes to expand it to 150 schools in the fall.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.