DC Central Kitchen’s Healthy School Foods team hosts a Fresh Feature Friday event on Friday, November 11, 2021 at Maude Aiton Elementary School.
After a long hiatus, this week our Healthy School Foods program finally revived Fresh Feature Fridays. The popular bimonthly events were suspended over a year ago when the COVID-19 crisis first began and schools shut down. Out of an abundance of caution, the taste-tests remained suspended even after DC schools reinstated in-person learning.
But this week that changed! On Thursday November 18th and Friday, November 19th, our Healthy School Foods team debuted three sweet potato recipes for the students at J.C. Nalle Elementary School and Maude Aiton Elementary School to sample. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders sampled all three variations: herb roasted sweet potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, and sweet potato hash. Ultimately, the mashed sweet potatoes seasoned with cinnamon, brown sugar, and ginger were voted as the favorite recipe in a landslide victory.
“They really like the sweetness of the mashed sweet potatoes,” said Chef Anand Shantam, School Foods Program Coordinator at DC Central Kitchen.
The winning recipe will be added to next month’s lunch menu.
“It’s a fun and interactive way for students to try new vegetables,” said Sami Reilly, Manager of Contract Meals and Nutrition here at DCCK.
J.C Nalle and Maude Aiton are just two of the 17 schools we supply healthy school meals to. Our school foods chefs prepare scratch cooked breakfasts, lunches, and dinners using locally sourced ingredients from family farms.
When asked if they wanted seconds, the students gleefully raised their hands and rushed to get in line. Getting children excited about healthy eating; That’s what Fresh Feature Fridays is all about.
