There are a few new things coming out of the cafeterias in Powell schools. There are new recipes, of course, but also some new, fresh ideas.
Most exciting for students is a chance to make their …
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There are a few new things coming out of the cafeterias in Powell schools. There are new recipes, of course, but also some new, fresh ideas.
Most exciting for students is a chance to make their mark on the menu via the school’s first Panther Chef competition.
The competition is a project out of the Food Services department and Community Wellness Committee. It is designed to teach students about education and the National School Lunch Program, Food Services director Savannah Layland explained during a Jan. 14 school board presentation on the National School Lunch and Breakfast Program.
“Students will have the ability to build a national school lunch compliant recipe. We find recipes to be featured on our menus,” Layland said. “The recipes will be judged on quite a few things, like nutritional value, flavor profile, the ease to prepare on a large scale, cost, creativity, etc.”
Then, three students from each of the elementary, middle and high school levels will go head-to-head to win over a panel of judges, including the PCSD1 school board, to compete for one spot on the menu beginning in May.
And, for those students who want a little extra help as they plan their culinary masterpieces, Layland will be hosting a district wide recipe building workshop at the middle school on Jan. 31 ahead of accepting entries Feb. 21.
“I would say Savannah is a rising star in the district, she’s really taken over and done some really neat things in the food service,” Superintendent Jay Curtis said, adding “I want her to know how much we appreciate it. It doesn’t get said often enough, but we really appreciate the work that you put into our kids, making sure that they’re fed well and that they are fed nutritiously.”
Changing the recipe: Innovation in the district
Outside of encouraging students’ creativity and culinary ability, the Food Services program and Community Wellness Committee have been working to improve school nutrition, which includes cataloging recipes into a “computerized nutrient analysis program,” Mary Jo Lewis said as she opened the presentation on the district’s Community Wellness Committee, which includes district, board and student delegates.
She added that Layland, who was formerly an assistant cook at Westside Elementary School, has been instrumental in the process.
“I just can’t believe how we fell into her moving into this position, some people work in a job because it provides them a paycheck. Savannah works in her job because it’s her passion,” Lewis said.
The Community Wellness Committee is required as part of having free and reduced cost meals, said Adrienne Cronebaugh, the district’s community mental health coordinator and committee member.
The committee’s main focus is nutrition, which includes making recommendations to the board regarding health and wellness policies. This year they have two goals, to meet national nutrition standards (breakfast items like milk, cereal and yogurt should have no more than 10% added sugar), and create more engagement between the Food Services Department and classrooms.
After conversations with student representatives the Food Services Department has opened itself up to input from middle school students, Cronebaugh explained. “‘You should ask a student what we’d like to eat. We have some really good ideas, we have excellent palettes, they tell us.’ And to be honest, they really do have some awesome ideas.”