What's For Lunch?
Last Updated on Saturday, 10 September 2011 23:10 Written by Nancy Bachana
Ms. Brady, Ms. Kate, and Mr. Adrian Williams, PS9 Cafeteria Food Manager fill us in.
- How many readers have been in the cafeteria at PS 9 during lunch time?
- Were you struck by the high-volume chatter?
- Did you see a lot of kids half-sitting in their seats and talking non-stop to their neighbors?
- Did you wonder if any of them were actually eating?
- And what’s on those trays anyway?
We wondered about these things too, and arranged a meeting with Adrian Williams, PS9’s Dietitian and Food Manager. He supervises staff, plans meals, orders ingredients/meals, keeps track of inventory, and does scheduling. He met with us well before lunchtime in the cafeteria and we noticed how oddly calm the space was at that time. Mr. Williams, who has been at PS 9 just over a year, reports to a trained nutritionist at the New York City Department of Education (DOE) and is responsible for PS 9 as well as three other district schools. He works with Oscilina Watson, the head cook, and support staff/servers Norris Anderson and Mariella Jacques. These are the faces your kids see each day.
How many meals are served?
Ninety breakfasts are served daily. Breakfasts are free for all children and available from 8:10am until 8:30 in the cafeteria. Biscuits with sausage and pancakes are the most popular selections. Children come early for breakfast are then led to their classrooms at the start of the school day.
Around two hundred lunches are served daily except for Pizza Fridays, when the number generally reaches around two hundred and fifty.
Where does the food come from?
From a distributor, Terri Nichols, which is contracted by SchoolFood. Everyone would like to see more fresh produce, but budget and preparation constraints (the schools are only given $1.50 per child per lunch to work with) are currently limiting. Here are a few facts we learned about what the kids are eating for lunch:
- Much of the protein – like roasted chicken, beef patties and mozzarella sticks – arrive pre-cooked and are heated to safe 165 degreees. The cook puts her own home spin on foods with individualized accompaniments such as sauces, salsas, etc. Ketchup is available for most meals. The “beef” patties are actually soy. (Shhh! Don't tell the children!)
- At least one vegetable and one fruit is served every day.
- Green salads are cut in the cafeteria, and three dressing choices are served on the side. Once a week, a bean or corn salad is served in place of green salad.
- Pasta and rice are usually cooked at PS 9.
- The cook prepares a monthly ethnic menu. For example, Chinese New Year included egg rolls and fried rice with Oscilina’s special duck sauce.
- PB&J and cheese sandwiches on whole wheat bread are options at every lunch.
- Sometimes the menu will deviate from what is posted on the web. “When an ingredient is not available,” Mr. Williams says, “we’ll still have chicken, but we’re going to do it in a different way.’”
Does the kitchen staff get feedback from the kids?
Yes, they do! Mr. Williams leads Monthly Partnership Meetings in the cafeteria with select kids, usually from grades 4 and 5, to instruct them about nutrition and get their feedback on the offerings in the cafeteria. Healthy eating is also part of the 4th and 5th grade science curriculum.
Vice-Principal Kate Witzke stressed that PS 9 educators want to see children eat a nutritious meal during their lunch break. Lunch-room supervisors including Ms. Kate roam and encourage kids to eat something, even if they don’t like the main menu selection. Ms. Kate and others report on the success of food items to the staff, or encourage the kids to report back themselves. The cook can make adjustments when the kids particularly like a menu item or want to see more (or less) of a menu item. “And we have conversations,” says Ms. Brady, “letting him know what we saw. It’s important that we have those conversations.”
“We have to give [Mr. Williams] credit for trying different things,” agreed Ms. Kate. “He regularly talks to the kids about different vegetable or fruit options. He’ll say, ‘Well, now we’re moving into spring, so we’ve got some new options. We usually give you this, but what do you think about X or Y?’” Ms. Brady had praise for Mr. Williams. “He’s the most interested of any of the dieticians we’ve ever had…You have to respect the culture [of the school], and he gets it.”
What foods do the kids like best?
Among the favorites are pizza, Mac & Cheese (with “grown-up” noodles and non-yellow cheese), burgers, the baked chicken and chicken fingers )“Chicken anything” says Ms. Kate, “they love it.”), cheese sticks, black beans and rice, steamed broccoli with cheese sauce, carrots, black bean salad, and bagel/turkey sandwiches. Ms. Kate reports that, perhaps surprisingly, the recent serving of a BIG salad was a hit, as are sliced apples. The kids really ate the salad and tried to steal one another’s apples.
Why don’t more kids eat school lunch?
With just over 600 students in the school, and only 200 lunches served daily, the lunch-from-home kids far outnumber the cafeteria-lunch eaters. One reason for this may be social. Kids have reported that getting a seat with their friends is preferable to time spent waiting in the lunch line. Other kids simply prefer to eat what mom and dad pack for them.
Mr. Williams expressed his interest in attending a morning PTA meeting to interact with parents directly and answer their questions. He has graciously agreed to come to our next meeting, on Friday, April 29 at 8:45 a.m., so mark your calendars if you want to learn more.
What’s happening on the national level?
The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010: New USDA rules will go into effect in 2012. Among changes, some of which NYC has already implemented, will be:
- A 6-cent increase per lunch, possibly increasing to 18 cents in 2011 budget.
- More fresh fruit and vegetables and only one cup a week of starchy vegetables such as potatoes or corn.
- Whole milk and chocolate milk are disallowed. One percent or fat-free milk only.
- More dark green and orange vegetables. Sweet potato fries are okay, but mashed potatoes, corn and other more popular vegetables, will have to be limited.
- From a cost standpoint as well as a storage standpoint, canned and frozen will be prevalent in most schools over fresh.
- Sodium is to be reduced by half.
Did your kids notice anything different this month about the trays their food is served on?
Green trays have arrived at PS 9. The Green Committee, headed by Tara Maurice and Sonja Synak oversaw the replacement of our old Styrofoam trays, which leach toxins and are not biodegradable, with natural, biodegradable trays. Thanks to all the families who contributed to make this possible! If you would like to see this initiative continue, we are collecting money for next year’s trays in the main office!
LINKS
Find helpful links below, including national programs. Feel free to look into these yourselves. Maybe PS 9 will have a Farm-to-School initiative in 2012!
PS 9 Monthly Menu: ps9.org
DOE Wellness Policy, included rules governing nutritional content: schools.nyc.gov
March 2011 New York Times article on food in schools: nytimes.com
Chefs Move to Schools – partnering a chef with a local school: healthymeals.nal.usda.gov
Part of the White House Let’s Move Intiative, Chefs Move to Schools encourages schools to team up with a local chef.
USDA Farm to School Initiative – pairing schools with local farmers: www.fns.usda.gov