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New school lunch recipes face toughest critics : Anoka-Hennepin ’ s students
Trying to please more than 25,000 palates each day is no easy task .
Noah Atlas , director of Child Nutrition for the Anoka-Hennepin School District , said he and his staff are always on the lookout for new school lunch offerings that will have broad appeal and excite young taste buds .
“ We go to food shows , look at trade magazines , even look at what ’ s being advertised on television ,” he said . “ We look at larger trends and how we can bring them into schools .”
In the past , potential new menu items were tested on a small scale , using groups of 10 to 30 students . But Atlas wondered if that was really a representative sampling of the whole student body .
“ We feed about 25,000 students a day . I thought , wouldn ’ t it be great to just get it straight from them ?” he said .
So for the first time this year , the testing was done on a much larger scale : all students at Andover High School were given the option of trying a new meal , pasta Alfredo , during lunch one day . They were also given forms
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We feed about 25,000 students a day . I thought , ‘ wouldn ’ t it be great to just get ( feedback on recipes ) straight from them ?
on which to share their feedback about the meal .
The results were overwhelmingly positive : 600 students bought the pasta Alfredo ( normally about 500 students buy the lunch ), and of those , 314 filled out surveys , Atlas said . The vast majority rated the ingredients a four or five out of five , and 307 said they would buy it again if it were served .
The meal will be launched at all high schools next year , and potentially elementary and middle schools in the future .
“ It was an exceptional turnout ,” Atlas said . “ They were actually pretty upset to learn it was a onetime meal that wouldn ’ t be on the menu until next year , so we ’ re putting it on the menu for this year just at Andover .”
Andover sophomore Andrew Bann , who buys the school lunch every day , said he really liked the new offering .
“ It was a nice change ,” he said . “ The flavor was great and I think the portion was perfect . I would absolutely eat it again .”
Erik Schwartz , also in 10th grade , agreed , and said the meal really filled him up .
“ It was great . It was probably the number one meal we ’ ve had here at Andover ,” he said . “ I
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- Noah Atlas , Child Nutrition Program director . like that they ’ re letting us have a say , because it gives us that extra recognition that we get to choose what we want instead of the district saying what we get every time .”
Atlas said food nutrition staff is trying to fulfill as many
PREPARING STUDENTS FOR LIFE
Earlier this year , 600 Andover High School students participated in a taste testing of a new pasta Alfredo recipe Anoka-Hennepin ' s Child Nutrition Program developed , and of those , more than 300 students filled out surveys , with more than 90 percent saying they liked the meal .
needs as they can , including looking at alternative meals like bean burgers or vegetarian options . There is more demand for those options at the high schools in particular , he said .
“ We want to try and accommodate as many people as we can and say , ‘ hey , we ’ ve got something for you ,’” he said . “ And that ’ s one of the things we ’ re trying to do with the Alfredo . They can eat it as a vegetarian meal ; they don ’ t have to put chicken on it .”
Two other items , nachos and burritos , which were also tested last month didn ’ t fare as well , but resulted in helpful feedback , Atlas said . Interestingly , students said they really liked the ingredients — southwestern beans , cilantro rice and queso sauce — but not the meals themselves .
“ So we got some great feedback out of it . We know they like the beans , the rice and the sauce , just not in the way they got it that day ,” he said .
Students aren ’ t necessarily pickier than the average diner , Atlas said , but they maybe haven ’ t been as exposed to as much variety . “ They like what they like , and they like what they ’ re used to . They ’ re just not used to something a little different , different than maybe the way their mom makes it , so sometimes that ’ s the hurdle ,” he said . “ But they definitely show a willingness to try new things .”
The goal , Atlas said , is to look at school lunch more like a business or a restaurant ; he even refers to students as “ guests .” Of course , there are far more restrictions put on the business of school lunches than on private businesses .
“ There are so many government regulations on school food , from calories and salt to how many fruits and veggies they need ,” he said .
But by keeping his eye on sales , Atlas can see which items are not as popular and need to be revamped or removed .
“ We ’ ll look at an item that ’ s just not doing well and that students don ’ t really like , and we ’ ll replace it ,” he said .
For instance , the lower-selling egg roll and fried rice were replaced last year with grilled cheese sandwiches , which went on to be a big seller . Hot dogs were hugely popular among all grade levels when they debuted last year , but soon Atlas saw they were falling out of favor with the high school crowd .
“ We found out they were missing having a side with it , like a potato , so we put that back on and sales went up again ,” he said .
The least popular items right now include chicken teriyaki , chicken fajitas and cheese quesadillas . Atlas said they will continue the large-scale testing next year to look at replacing those items .
“ We are so pleased that our guests participated in these taste tests , and that they were willing to give us honest feedback . We are also excited that we have found a new menu item for our guests for next year ,” he said . “ That ’ s why we wanted to do something like this – so we could get real feedback .” ■
Graduate spotlight cont . from page 8
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We can help children see a sense of their own future , and see the best in themselves .”
that point , I was working with kids , including working as a bible camp counselor in the summer .”
So midway through his collegiate career , as many students do , Feine switched majors . “ I decided I wanted to work with kids and got into health education ,” he said .
Getting a chance to work in Anoka-Hennepin was a blessing , he said . “ For me , it was exciting to have the chance to give kids the same great experience I had ,” Feine said . “ I really enjoyed my time in school , and so I was passionate about encouraging students to pursue opportunities outside of the classroom and trying to get them involved .”
And working with the people who just a few years before were teaching him ? “ Sure , I think it was weird having some of your former teachers now as your colleagues , but it was also really great ,” he said . “ Dave Nelson ( former BHS teacher and head football coach ) and Shannon Gerrety ( former BHS head football coach and current activities director ) — working with them as colleagues and as coaches and seeing the way they worked with people and motivated kids ... I think they were a good example of how to do things the right way and having them as colleagues was awesome .”
After spending a number of years in the classroom , Feine earned his master ’ s degree and is now an administrator . He no longer coaches , something he acknowledges he misses , but his new role allows him to be a leader .
“ It was a natural fit for me . I was a team captain and a coach and a department leader , so I ’ ve always gravitated toward being a leader ,” he said . “ I ’ m comfortable helping shape the big picture , and it ’ s exciting and rewarding .”
As for switching his major — Feine said he ’ s pretty happy he did .
“ I have a pretty cool job . As educators , we have the opportunity to positively influence kids , and aside from their parents , others can ’ t say that , and it ’ s a big deal ,” he said . “ We can help children see a sense of their own future , and see the best in themselves , and equip them with the skills to make good decisions . How great is that ?” ■