Orange chicken in lunch line? You bet
Brighton School District appeals to different palates
There are no mystery meats or spongy apples offered in the cafeteria at Prairie View High School in Henderson. Depending on the day, students can pick orange chicken, pineapple meatballs, baked potatoes or burritos stuffed with healthy fixings, and side dishes — all for about $3.
The dishes give students healthier choices that appeal to different palates than the school lunches of yesteryear, said Tony Jorstad, nutrition services director for the 17,000-student Brighton School District.
Jorstad admits he sounds like a restaurant manager struggling to find a niche among hungry but picky consumers.
“We are really looking to match what places like Qdoba and Chipotle do every day — offer a lot of healthy choices for relatively reasonable prices,” he said.
The district’s push to provide self-service flavor stations, or food bars, recently earned it praise from the nonprofit School Nutrition Association.
The flavor stations allow students to add low- or no-sodium seasonings, spices and sauces to boost flavor while helping schools meet sodium-reduction targets, said Lynn Harvey, the association’s president.
“For Asian fusion entrees to build-your-own street taco bars, creative recipes and service strategies are getting students excited about eating delicious school lunches that meet nutrition standards,” Harvey said. “Despite tight budgets and persistent challenges, school nutrition professionals are making efforts to incorporate clean-label foods and expand menus to encourage children to make healthier choices.”
Health is all well and good. But for pure flavor and flair, Waffle Bar Wednesday is hard to beat, said Prairie View sophomore Madisyn Dones. That’s when students can top a whole wheat waffle with strawberries, blueberries or another fruit, and whipped cream.
The “star-spangled” waffle is Dones’ favorite. “It’s really good,” she said. “And the way it’s set up, they give us a lot more variety and choices we can pick from.
“And the stuff they offer is pretty fresh. It’s good they are offering this up for us.”
Bernadette Cole, a Prairie View food service worker, said students seem more excited about lunch now that they get a choice of dishes. “The kids love it,” Cole said. “It’s healthier and they get a lot more options.”
The district began offering flavor stations at its high schools about five years ago, Jorstad said. The goal was to keep students on campus for
lunch. So, the schools had to provide healthy choices for teens with diverse tastes, he said. Mediocre hamburgers and fries wouldn’t suffice.
There are no canned fruits or vegetables at Prairie View. In addition to the daily main dishes, students can buy sandwiches, fresh fruit, yogurt and salads.
Not everyone is a convert. On a visit last week, students at a couple tables were enjoying a big bag of potato chips. “You can’t please everyone,” Jorstad said.
The district, on a $5 million budget, annually serves about 1.3 million lunches and 300,000 breakfasts.
Nationwide, school districts are making efforts to offer fresher and more diverse meals, said Harvey. More than 60 percent of districts responding to her nutrition association’s survey said they are featuring international flavors and another 26 percent of districts are testing those dishes.
Fresh, local food is also a priority for Chef Ann Cooper, food services director for the Boulder Valley School District. Cooper works with local farmers to source ingredients for the more than 13,000 meals created each day at the district’s 50 schools.
Prairie View sophomore Corvin Forsland, after polishing off a salad, said he appreciates the choices offered on campus. “It gives us a choice, and there is a lot more variety here. It’s good.”