School Nutrition Services held the first of its two school lunch meal taste-testings today to give staff and students an opportunity to weigh in on flavor. From homemade chicken pot pie on a biscuit to beefaroni, broccoli, burritos, corn, and desserts, the department is hoping to make eating school lunch not only nutritional but a joyful experience. Enhanced seasoning and new menu items were showcased, and taste-testers completed a formal evaluation for staff to review and take action.

Jim Keaten, Director of School Nutrition, said child nutrition is really working hard this year to do their part in making school year 2022-2023 Durham Public School’s best year ever. The district’s new Food Systems Planner, Dr. Linden Thayer, will work with community organizations and people who are interested in sustainability and food justice and looking at the cultural relevance of the menus that we serve, he said.

“We know it’s going to take time to get culturally relevant recipes created and tested and make sure that they’re appropriate and meet nutrition standards, so in the meantime, we want to take the recipes we have, bring them forward, and say what can we do to make them even better,” said Keaten.

Thayer’s hiring and the taste-testing are just the beginning, said Keaten.

“This is an ongoing operation. We’ll do this every year. We’re going to do it during the school year as well.”