Hastings High School students have always had questions about the cafeteria food, especially with new additions to the menu. To answer these questions, I interviewed Nodette Mitchell, the Food Service Director, who is in charge of the menu, ordering food for the cafeteria, the lunch service, as well as making sure the workers follow protocol.
“I’m just basically here looking and making sure that everything for you guys is nutritious and healthy and safe,” she said.
Additionally, I conducted a survey to collect feedback on the school cafeteria. Responses came with a mix of praise and critique, but overall, it was positive. When asked to rate the cafeteria food on a scale of 1-10, the average was a 7.5.
“We are fortunate to have so many options, especially when it comes to snacks and drinks,” said Ms. Bromberg, a Spanish teacher.
What food does the cafeteria make?
The sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies and brownies are actually baked by the cafeteria workers. Other treats are bought from the bakery.
“The muffins, the tortellinis and stuff like that — they’re freshly baked every day…It’s actually not stuff that’s sitting on the shelf of a bakery,” said Nodette.
To those who want to know more about what they are eating, Nodette explained that students can check Nutrislice, an online menu system that shows all the calories and nutrition facts of the cafe special food.
Allergy Accommodations
The cafeteria has a special menu for students with food allergies! They require a 504 form from a doctor stating if a student has an allergy or dietary restriction. Once the cafeteria knows about that, they can accommodate it! Students with food allergies can pre-order their lunch. For example, if someone has celiac disease, the cafeteria will buy the right ingredients to make a gluten free meal!
Furthermore, the cafeteria workers ensure there is no cross contamination by designating separate cutting boards, knives, etc. for that student.
Cafeteria Changes
Recently, the cafeteria has received a few upgrades. These include a panini press, ice cream, and new baked goods (black and white cookies, larger cookies, smaller scones, pastries, etc.). A new menu scheduling system was also added:
| Mondays | Tuesdays | Wednesday | Thursdays | Fridays |
| Different types of pasta | Tacos, quesadillas, etc. | Different cuisines – American, Chinese, Caribbean, etc. | “American Road” –
Traditional American dishes like barbeque, burgers, pulled pork, etc. |
The famous burrito Friday! |
In addition, portion sizes were altered in several of the cafeteria foods. The state nutrition services determine the portion sizes for levels of grades (ex: K-5, 6-8, 9-12).
“We use it as a guide, but we do not follow it to the T, simply because, for me personally, I don’t think the portions are enough,” says Nodette. She explained how, for example, the pizza is now cut into sixes, rather than eighths.
Nodette is to thank for these new cafeteria additions! “I came in and I saw where there was opportunity for improvement… I kind of just observed, looked at what [we] had, and tweaked a little bit of things,” she said.
Most participants in the survey expressed satisfaction with the new cafeteria sweets.
“The new cookies are fire… the black and white cookies are divine,” said sophomore Celia Ayuso. Celia also exclaimed how the cookies “don’t taste artificial.”
“I love them. I think they give more options to people who don’t like the normal food,” says senior Emma Schlacter.
Many HHS students agree that the new additions in the cafeteria are delicious. However, some people have some suggestions of ways to improve.
“I think we should be focusing on adding more nutritious and healthy options to the cafe, like grilled chicken for the salad bar and more vegetables at the salad bar than unhealthy additions,” says a sophomore.
“I think that having ice cream bars isn’t the best idea,” said sophomore Liya Fried, highlighting how younger students may indulge without self control.
Cafeteria Nutrition
Survey participants were split on how healthy the cafeteria food is.
A senior stated that the cafeteria food healthiness was “reasonably [healthy], I mean I’ve seen much worse, and you can certainly eat a healthy meal there.”
Multiple students said that the nutritious value of cafeteria meals depends on what one buys.
Celia believes, “The sandwich and salad bar are definitely healthy, but the hot food is not.”
There was also some concern on the cost of healthier options in the cafeteria.
“Healthier options such as the fruit cups are extremely expensive,” says sophomore Maxwell Silva Steeves, pointing to the price of fruit cups, $4.00, compared to the price of a brownie, $1.50.
“Sometimes it’s difficult, especially if you have dietary restrictions, to find a meal that has vegetables, carbs, protein, fat, etc. Some of the hot foods don’t come with vegetables, so you have to buy them separately which can be more expensive,” says Hazel Kuniholm, a sophomore.
“I think that it could definitely add more healthy options. I think that all of the cookies and ice cream can be enticing, especially to younger students, but in my opinion the cafeteria makes it difficult to have a healthy, well balanced meal without having to actively try. For example, getting fruit cups with the meal or multiple things
Where did the avocados go?
They will be back soon! We are looking at sometime after spring break, as avocados are a seasonal food.
Stay tuned for National Hamburger Day in May…
Lastly, Nodette talked about an upcoming plan to have students name and create a special burger that the cafeteria would serve.
