WPCSD Food and Nutrition Services recognized for quality recipes and student engagement

Healthy and filling meals are vital for a student’s academic success, and the White Plains City School District has been recognized for its high-quality food and nutrition services. The district has been selected for a Healthy Meals Incentives Recognition Award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Action for Healthy Kids. 

“The WPCSD Food & Nutrition Department is committed to providing menu options for all students that not only taste great, but are trendy, fun and culturally relevant, all made with clean, high-quality ingredients, and prepared by an amazing school food team with a great deal of care,” said Food Service Director Dawn McGinn.

The Food and Nutrition Department works with Brigaid chefs as well as Noto Nutrition to provide healthy meals that students enjoy. Students are even a part of the sampling and selection process and give input on what they would like to see on their school menus. 

“(The) Food and Nutrition Department has taken huge steps to introduce more scratch made and cleaner food options that reflect the wants and needs of the student body as a whole,” said Chef Patrick Firmender of Brigaid. “As a department, we believe that we play a big role in educating our students on not only what a healthy meal looks like but also to expect more from their food, even in a school setting.”

Recipes including blueberry muffins, crispy NY kale chips, Jamaican jerk chicken with Rasta pasta and pork al pastor tacos were served to students. These recipes, made from scratch with top-notch ingredients, were submitted to Action for Healthy Kids, helping to earn the recognition. 

Throughout the award application process, Ms. McGinn, Brigaid and Noto had the opportunity to look at all aspects of the program and expand student engagement opportunities. They analyzed the foods offered, prioritizing the reduction of added sugars, alternative food items, and student approval.

“We focus on sourcing ingredients and items that are allergen friendly, wholesome, as well as tasty and representative of the many different cultures in our district,” said Chef Firmender.

The student feedback has been positive, with one of the student leaders even saying he was “proud” of the team for supporting their efforts, implementing their menu ideas and creating “great tasting, culturally relevant food with authentic taste.”

The department will be recognized at a nationwide virtual summit this fall, where they will also have the opportunity to connect with other school districts and food service professionals to exchange best practices for supporting children with healthy meals. 

To be eligible for the award, school districts must be a part of the National School Lunch Program, which provides federal funding for nutritious, low-cost, and free meals for students.

Food and Nutrition staff will be scheduling more meetings with the different student groups to continue the process of student feedback and input. They are working on expanding menu offerings for Latin American, Indian, and Jamaican cuisines, as well as scratch breakfast breads.

For the upcoming school year, students can expect the same high-quality, healthy meals that have now earned the district national recognition. For menus during the school year, visit the district website at https://www.whiteplainspublicschools.org/district-offices/food-services/menus.