By Laura McAlister
Journal Editor
They sound like dishes from a five-star restaurant – chicken Florentine, spinach salad with strawberries, Dijon pork – but they’re not. These tempting creations are actually cafeteria food that will be served to students in Mountain Brook and Homewood when they return to school in August.
The two school systems are working with Samford University Chef Chris Vizzina to make school lunches healthier and tastier. As part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Chefs Move to Schools program, Chris is teaching school cafeteria employees how to incorporate fresh, healthy ingredients into school lunch menus.
The program pairs chefs with willing schools so they can create healthy meals that meet schools’ dietary guidelines as well as budgets.
In addition to Homewood and Mountain Brook, the chef, along with Jones Valley Urban Farm, is also working with Jefferson County, Birmingham and Trussville schools.
“I’m trying to introduce them to healthier options,” Chris said. “Alabama is No. 2 in the nation behind Mississippi for diabetes and obesity. We’ve got to help them make healthier decisions and understand moderation is key.”
While providing fresh options might sound difficult when serving up literally hundreds of meals, Chris said it is possible. He should know. As head chef at Samford, he serves more than 1,000 meals a day, seven days a week.
With proper planning and fresh ingredients, Chris said, cafeteria food can be healthy and tasty.
While the typical pizza and chicken nuggets are still on the school menu, the system has incorporated more healthy and gourmet items into the menu thanks to Chris’ training, said Carolyn Keeney, head of the child nutrition program at Homewood City Schools.
This school year, students will be able to choose from dishes like ratatouille, a mixture of fresh sautéed vegetables, and fish tacos. In addition, she said, the system serves fresh and canned fruits daily plus whole wheat bread that’s made from scratch at the schools.
“We’re just always trying to think of things we can do together with Chef Chris to make meals healthier,” Carolyn said. “It’s not just what we cook in the cafeteria, but it’s getting the kids involved, getting them excited so they’ll learn and take the healthy habits home.”
Homewood joined the Chef Moves to Schools program last year. Since then, Chris has hosted two cooking demonstrations for students, one at the high school and one at Shades Cahaba Elementary.
At Homewood High School, he showed students how to make lettuce wraps with grilled chicken in a chili sauce.
“They really loved it,” Carolyn said. At the elementary school, students made their own pizzas using healthy toppings.
“There, we had an ‘Eat the Rainbow’ competition,” Chris said of the demonstration at Shades Cahaba. “We gave the kids a list of proteins, fresh vegetables and sauces, and they picked the colors.”
So far, students have been pretty open to the new dining options. Carolyn said it does take time for students to adjust, so they’ve been consistent and continued to offer the healthier items at all schools in the system.
The employees have also been open to the new dishes. Mountain Brook and Homewood staff members recently met for more training from Chris at Homewood Middle School.
Chris introduced the cooking staffs to new dishes, like pork Dijon, and worked on cooking techniques such as braising.
“It’s really simple things we’re doing that everyone can do,” Chris said. “For instance, instead of flavoring collard greens with ham hock, use a smoked turkey wing.”
When it comes to eating healthy, Chris doesn’t believe in skimping on flavor. Instead, it’s about choices, like choosing baked over fried foods and fresh instead of processed.
“I want to make sure kids understand it’s about moderation,” he said. “It’s like balancing a checkbook. You can’t take in more calories than you burn. My job is to make sure they make the right choices.”
