Students turn food critics to pick school lunch and breakfast menu options
By Sean Daly
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TAMPA, Florida (WFTS) — Serenity eyes the K-Pop Taco suspiciously.
She smells this curious creation, then leans in, slowly, and takes a bite.
The student at Sligh Middle School in Tampa shakes her head excitedly.
“Oh yeah, it’s good!” she says.
Make that one vote for the K-Pop Taco, which features Korean BBQ chicken in a bao bun — and could very well be on the menu at Hillsborough County schools next year.
Serenity and hundreds of middle- and high-schoolers wielded their power at the Silo Bend Events Center in Tampa this week.
They will decide on new breakfast and lunch menu items for next year. Each item has to adhere to nutritional standards while being tasty, hip, and exciting.
“That’s who we want to have the power, right?” says Shani Hall, general manager of Student Nutrition Services. “If the kids won’t eat it, it’s not worth anything.”
Other items, provided by local food vendors, included Bagelfulls (cream-cheese-stuffed bagels), Morning Swicy Stack (a sweet/spicy chicken sausage on a croissant), Rockin’ Butter Chicken on Queso Fries (a blend of Indian and Mexican flavors), and more.
The kids will vote this week, then the winners (could be as many as four or five) will be announced soon.
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