Board of Education Gets a Sample of a Nationally Recognized School Lunch

It was a fiesta at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, as school board members and those in attendance got to sample a dish that is one of 15 semifinalists nationally in Michelle Obama's Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge.

The Fiesta Wrap, a vegetarian entree that has been a hit with students, was developed as part of a pilot program started by West Hartford parents and well-known area chefs with a connection to the school district. , and all participated in the Chef's Move/Farm to School Pilot Program and involved students in the effort to develop healthy recipes with as many local ingredients as possible.

Trish Molloy, director of nutrition services, told school board members that the Fiesta Wrap — which features black beans, quinoa, grated carrots, red peppers and low-fat cheddar cheese — was tested at the pilot schools in April.

"It really makes a hearty lunch," she said. "The kids have really enjoyed it."

Molloy said some of the attempts at creating fresher options haven't done as well — including a turkey chili with cornbread — but that some of the successes have surprised her staff.

"One of the biggest hits was a citrus broccoli," she said. "We had kids coming back for seconds and thirds."

Molloy said one school went through 20 pounds of broccoli instead of its usual 3 pounds.

The Healthy Kids Challenge contest has two elements. In one, the public votes on the recipes online by visiting this website. The recipe with the most votes will win $1500 for the district, and voting closes on May 31.

The other part of the contest involves judges from the U.S. Department of Agriculture who will visit Charter Oak on Friday to taste the recipe and interview those who helped develop it. The judges will choose three finalists, who will compete in a national cookoff in Texas in July.

West Hartford was the only semifinalist from Connecticut, Molloy said.

More information about the contest and the recipe for the Fiesta Wrap are attached to this article as a PDF.