Healy lunch room, kitchen and menu gets a makeover
When Michele Kampa was hired as the new head cook for Healy High School, she stepped into a brand new kitchen and brought with her a new way of looking at the school lunch program. “I’d like to introduce them to some new foods. And listen to what they want. They are our customers, after all.” And so far, she has set out to accomplish those goals.
To better understand her customers, Michele met with the student council to hear about their thoughts on the school lunches. “At first they were really quiet. No one really wanted to say anything. But after a while they started talking about what they really liked and what could be improved. They are really a great group of kids.” And what do they want? More soups. More salads. More fresh options. What didn’t they like? “They said, ‘less burgers.’”
Ask and ye shall receive.
A couple weeks ago, she and the kitchen staff served up jicama and kohlrabi. “They weren’t too sure about either of the veggies, but the more they try them, the more they like them.” Fresh fruits and vegetables are near the top of Kampa’s list. She also added two fresh fruits to the main food line. The result? “They ate through 75 lbs of grapes in one day. It was wonderful!”
Most recently, Michele started a salad service at Healy. Students are able to sign up for a choice of chef salads with ham, turkey or chicken. The kitchen then make these salads fresh to order in containers, with students picking them up during their lunch period. This has been such a high demand item, that the kitchen has decided to bring a full salad bar to each of the three lunch shifts.
Kampa also is excited about adding homemade touches to the menu. “I love making apple crisp. I plan on bringing that to the menu. Also, the kids asked for more soups. The chicken noodle soup will be homemade. I like that.” She also has some creative ideas for the leftover juices from canned fruits. “It makes really good jelly! I hope to be able to make homemade jelly and serve it when we have biscuits or bread on the menu.” Additionally, Michele strives for batch cooking, which ensures each lunch shift has fresh food.
Other items she is hoping to add include fresh fruit and whip cream salad, a chef salad day with tuna noodle casserole, and a caesar salad to go along with pizza days. “
These are such good kids. And I want to hear more from them going forward.”
Michele Kampa was the main cook at Foley Elementary before joining the Pierz School staff this year.
To better understand her customers, Michele met with the student council to hear about their thoughts on the school lunches. “At first they were really quiet. No one really wanted to say anything. But after a while they started talking about what they really liked and what could be improved. They are really a great group of kids.” And what do they want? More soups. More salads. More fresh options. What didn’t they like? “They said, ‘less burgers.’”
Ask and ye shall receive.
A couple weeks ago, she and the kitchen staff served up jicama and kohlrabi. “They weren’t too sure about either of the veggies, but the more they try them, the more they like them.” Fresh fruits and vegetables are near the top of Kampa’s list. She also added two fresh fruits to the main food line. The result? “They ate through 75 lbs of grapes in one day. It was wonderful!”
Most recently, Michele started a salad service at Healy. Students are able to sign up for a choice of chef salads with ham, turkey or chicken. The kitchen then make these salads fresh to order in containers, with students picking them up during their lunch period. This has been such a high demand item, that the kitchen has decided to bring a full salad bar to each of the three lunch shifts.
Kampa also is excited about adding homemade touches to the menu. “I love making apple crisp. I plan on bringing that to the menu. Also, the kids asked for more soups. The chicken noodle soup will be homemade. I like that.” She also has some creative ideas for the leftover juices from canned fruits. “It makes really good jelly! I hope to be able to make homemade jelly and serve it when we have biscuits or bread on the menu.” Additionally, Michele strives for batch cooking, which ensures each lunch shift has fresh food.
Other items she is hoping to add include fresh fruit and whip cream salad, a chef salad day with tuna noodle casserole, and a caesar salad to go along with pizza days. “
These are such good kids. And I want to hear more from them going forward.”
Michele Kampa was the main cook at Foley Elementary before joining the Pierz School staff this year.
