Mileena Figueroa has been a Food Service worker at Newark High School for five years and she’s not seen the level of enthusiasm about school lunches like she’s seen since school opened in September.
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‘It’s going great,” said Figueroa, who on October 8th was functioning as the cashier in the cafeteria. “The kids are coming in here to get lunches a lot more this year than before. They love the new menu. They love fresh fruit. They love the Bento Boxes and the parfaits. It’s very exciting to see them grab the cups of fresh fruit and vegetables.”
Sharon Raville, a Food Service worker in the Newark Central School District since 2001, agreed.
As she scooped helpings of Chicken Alfredo a new offering that day and this school year on the lunch line said she is also amazed at the heightened enthusiasm among NHS students for school lunch offerings since September.
As she pointed to the area where fresh salads and Bento Boxes containing fresh fruits, cheese, vegetables, parfait makings and more were, she said students particularly “love that stuff over there.”
NHS Food Service worker Kate Bradley, who was serving pizza Oct. 8, echoed the sentiments of Figueroa and Raville.
“The kids love the cups of fresh fruit and vegetables, including celery sticks and peanut butter,” said Bradley who began working at the school in September. “It’s mind blowing. They really love grapes, kiwi and celery. We run out of the cups of fruit and vegetables nearly every day and have to cut up more.”
Minutes later Bradley joined another new Food Service worker at NHS, Tina Adams, in cutting up apple slices and kiwi to meet the demand.
“It’s great to see the kids eating fresh fruit and vegetables,” Adams said with a smile as she sliced kiwi. Christina Marriott, who became the Food Service Supervisor for the Newark Central School District in April, said the growing enthusiasm among students for the new cafeteria offerings district-wide this year is gratifying.
She said other changes bringing rave reviews among students are hot items with breakfast each morning like warmed muffins, bagels, waffles and pancakes.
“In November, we will be adding egg and cheese omelets, and hash browns stuffed with eggs and cheese to our breakfast offerings,’’ Marriott said.
Other new offerings include pre-packaged peanut butter and jelly “Uncrustables” rather than standard peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
“I’d rather have my staff cutting up fresh fruits and vegetables than making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,’’ she said.
Prior to her arrival, fresh fruit offerings only included apples, oranges and bananas.
“Now we are offering fresh pineapple, kiwi, plums, cantaloupe, honeydew and grapes,’’ she said, noting fresh fruit, rather than canned fruits previously offered, is a big hit in all five schools.
Marriott said in November and December the schools will be offering more hot meal selections like chicken quesadillas, shepherd’s pie, meatloaf, chili and homemade soups and stews.
“And for our Thanksgiving dinner November 18th, everyone will be offered a slice of pumpkin pie,” she said.
Marriott said she’s receiving lots of great feedback from supervisors in the other four district schools and the cafeteria at Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES P-Tech in Newark about the new items being offered to students.
“And we are definitely throwing away less food that students aren’t eating,’’ she said.
Superintendent Susan Hasenauer has been hearing great things about the changes in the school food choices. Like this: “I was walking through the Middle School cafeteria when I heard a conversation between two students discuss how much they loved the food this year. When I asked what was different, they talked about the parfaits and different kinds of fresh wraps. Upon walking through the line, I saw fresh fruit and heard how they made homemade pancakes for breakfast. The presentation of the food is also different. Our students deserve healthy choices that are also appealing. You know you’ve hit a home run if Middle schoolers are talking about it!”