By: Tina Hastings
The ball has dropped, and the new year has begun! Can you believe we’re already halfway through the school year? If you’re anything like me, you’re ready for a change. We start the school year with so much uncertainty—schedule changes, students moving between buildings, figuring out what flavor palettes this group will enjoy, and making sure Plans A, B, and C are ready to go.
Now that we’ve survived the first part of the year and gotten to know our students, it’s time to put on our aprons and try something new.
Planning Menus with Commodity Products
Anyone who knows me knows I’m always watching my pennies when planning a menu. That’s why I love the variety of commodity products we have to choose from. There’s something for everyone—chicken, beef, vegetarian options—all centered around the main entrée. These are the building blocks I use to prepare my menus.
Transforming Favorites into New Hits
We all know what students love: pizza, chicken, brunch for lunch, and pasta. These staples are popular for a reason, but that doesn’t mean we can’t give them a fresh twist.
Take pizza, for example. We traditionally serve cheese and pepperoni, but I hate wasting food. If I have five servings of refried beans left, I’ll turn them into a taco pizza. One of my biggest hits was a Philly cheesesteak pizza. After serving Philly subs earlier in the week, I had extra meat and peppers that weren’t suitable for the produce bar. I used garlic spray on the crust, added the Philly meat, peppers, onions, and mozzarella cheese, and baked it. It was such a success that the Board office even placed orders for whole pizzas!
Pasta is another versatile favorite. We don’t have to limit ourselves to marinara—try alfredo or buffalo sauce. For example, lasagna rolls up with a buffalo sauce adds something new to your menu while honoring a classic favorite.
Finding Inspiration
I love to read menus from restaurants. I click on restaurants all over the country, always looking for that new trend or new idea to add to our menus. Trending in 2025 are Indian flavors. What a great way to advance your vegetarian menus than to make cauliflower curry, Aloo Curry (potato), or Chana Masala (Indian Chickpea Curry). A perfect way to bring traditional menu items into a new flavor profile.
Engaging Students and Staff
As we move into the second half of the school year, I challenge you to try something new. Ask your students for their thoughts, involve your staff, or even test out a trending TikTok recipe. Who knows—you might find your next signature menu item.
The start of a new year is the perfect time to refresh your menus and bring creativity to the school cafeteria. I challenge you to try something new with your students. You can ask them for thoughts, ask your staff or try a TikTok item. Just try something new and see if you can find your new signature menu item.
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