Taste Tests ID New School Lunches

Brandon Porter, our Recipe Development & Menu Coordinator, recently wrapped up our popular annual spring taste tests and tours at our Eagan commissary. Thirteen groups took advantage of the invitation to see behind the scenes at CKC Good Food and to help shape our future menus. All told, 248 people participated in the sessions, including 4th-12th graders, teachers, staff members and parents.

Recipe development is hard for Brandon, a chef with a fine dining background who is accustomed to rave reviews of his food. He has come to accept that he can't please everyone, especially kids. He aims to please at least 80% of them and help stretch their boundaries by exposing them to a broader range of foods beyond their favorites of chicken tenders/ nuggets, hamburgers, hot dogs, corn dogs and mac & cheese. While his own kids help him home in on spices and textures that will appeal to kids, they tend to more readily accept new foods and foods kids don't generally like, such as beans and legumes. Also unlike many other kids,  his son won't eat any breaded chicken product.

Facility Tour

Each group began their visit with a tour of our central kitchen, warehouse and cold storage areas, where they saw first hand how we prepare nearly 30,000 meals daily. The young people are always engaged as they move among our prep teams and the racks of food being prepped for the following day's meals. They stop at our bank of Rational iCombi Pro ovens, hearing about the precision with which the ovens bake, steam and broil different types of food. The kids always chuckle when one of the ovens completes its job and sounds its alarm, which is programmed to play "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

After the kitchen, they proceeded into the warehouse, where everyone is dwarfed by the 40' high pallet racks. The highlight here is having the privilege of pulling the yellow ropes that open the electric doors to one of the three cold storage units.

Taste Tests

Following the tour, everyone gathered back in our tasting area for a short lesson on USDA nutritional guidelines for school meals and how CKC Good Food develops its lunch recipes and menus to inspire joyful eaters. Then they moved onto the main course!

Each group tasted and provided feedback on four entrees under consideration for our fall menus. The recipes evaluated varied by participants' ages and ethnicities and included:

• Ranchola Drumstick: All-time-favorite ranch-seasoned marinated drumstick.
• Honey BBQ Drumstick: No heat to this delicious BBQ-sauced drumstick - just a load of flavor!
• “Swicy” Honey Glazed Drumstick: Sweet and a touch of heat in this delicious Asian-marinated drumstick.
• Lemon-Chili Drumstick: Bright, citrusy lemon is combined with red curry paste and garlicky Sambal for a bit of a kick.
• Coco-Lime Drumstick: Coconut and lime in perfect balance. Served with seasoned rice.
• Homemade Joe with Cheddar Cheese: A traditional sloppy joe with cheese melted in.
• Cheddar Cheese Chicken Nachos: Cheesy chicken served with tortilla chips.
• Italian Rosy Alfredo Pasta Bake: Creamy baked penne with chicken and cheese.  
• Thai Chili Chicken Pasta: Grilled chicken atop whole-grain spaghetti, lightly tossed in a flavorful, spicy Thai pepper sauce. Finished with cilantro.

All the above recipes tested were well received. Brandon tweaked some recipes based on input from the first groups, which led to more positve reviews from subsequent groups. He enhanced the flavors of the Coco-Lime Drumstick and the Thai Chili Chicken Pasta, specifically.

Each session included fruit and vegetables as well as a cookie. Brandon received many requests to add cookies to the menus!

In their adorable thank you notes, the students from Cornerstone Montessori Elementary School shared this honest feedback:

• "I loved most of the food. The worst was the ranch drumstick mostly because it was spicy and dry, but it was fine. I think the best was the sloppy joe."
• "Although I loved everything, the cheesy sloppy joe really stood out."
• "My favorite food would probably be the honey BBQ chicken leg and the pasta."
• "My favorite food was the ranch chicken."
• "My favorite food was the pasta because I liked all the stuff on top."
• "The food was amazing! My favorite was the BBQ chicken, it was the perfect blend of sweet and spicy."
• "I really liked the sloppy joe. It was sloppy."

The groups also provided feedback on our existing menu items, letting us know which meals were the most favorite (usually pizza!) and their least favorite.

With all this feedback under our belts, our reicpe and menu team will get to work to build tasteful menus that incorporate a variety of delicious meals while meeting the federal child nutrition program requirements.

Watch for the invitation to participate in our taste tests and facility tours again next spring. Thank you to every group that participated!