Therese Vattes

The Florence Sawyer Cafeteria staff is at your service! Please feel free to contact us at any time if we can be of assistance, or if you have suggestions. We provide at least 4 healthy menu choices daily. The price of a lunch is $2.50 per day. If you'd care to purchase tickets in advance, please remit a check made out to "Nashoba Regional School Lunch" for the amount of tickets you wish to purchase. These should be turned into the cafeteria first thing in the morning and tickets will be issued. Milk or 100% fruit juice is included with all meals, and may be purchased ala carte for 35¢.

Nashoba's Foodservice Department Offers a Fresh Start to New School Year

Students in the Nashoba Regional School District will be able to partake of fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables this year. The district is participating in the Farm to School Program offered by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to promote the increased consumption of fresh produce by school age children.

Lanni Orchards, located in Lunenburg, is shipping an assortment of fruit including apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, and melons, and vegetables such as, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash, and eggplant to district kitchens for as long as the weather permits.

Every day the fruit is placed on the serving lines where the students are encouraged to select an item as part of their lunch. The vegetables have been converted by kitchen staff into side dishes, soups, and salads to increase student awareness of the benefits associated with eating a variety of foods.

Recently, students in all the schools had the opportunity to sample ratatouille, the vegetable stew from the Mediterranean . Comprised of local eggplant, onions, squash, peppers, tomatoes, and garlic it was a revelation to most of the students. Along with the samples a sign with pictures of the components was provided to explain the ingredients. Many students put aside their skepticism and gave it try; others choose to deconstruct it in a quest to identify the individual pieces.

The dish pleased some and frightened others, but it did generate a lot of interest. Research indicates that a majority of children will not try a new food item until they are exposed to it at least ten times. The goal of the venture was start that process. In the future the Nashoba Foodservice Department plans to offer more unfamiliar foods that will provide greater nutritional benefits to satisfy the needs of young bodies and curious minds.