Katrina Bressani bringing improved quality, variety to Mahar School lunches
Published: 10-09-2024 12:51 PM |
ORANGE – Trying to please a snobby, cynical restaurant critic might seem like a daunting task. But how about 1,200 growing children?
That’s the daily reality for Katrina Bressani, the new food service director for the Ralph C. Mahar Regional and Union 73 school districts, who is receiving rave reviews in her first couple of months on the job. The new hire credits the success to her hardworking staff and some clever ideas generated to get students excited for school lunch.
“We’ve heard a lot of positive stuff,” she said during a lunch period at Mahar this week. “Not only are we hearing positive feedback, but we’re seeing it in the numbers. We’re serving almost 100 kids more per day than they were last year. So the program is attracting more participants.”
Universal free meals began as a national program with federal funding during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Massachusetts continued it on a trial basis. Gov. Maura Healey’s signing of the Fiscal Year 2024 budget over the summer made Massachusetts the eighth state to make universal free school meals permanent. Bressani is leaning into this legislation and using some creativity and the North Quabbin region’s proximity to small farms to bring students fresh and interesting options.
“Just trying new things, exposing them to new flavors,” she said through the familiar hum of young people chatting in the cafeteria.
The menu on Oct. 8 consisted of the typical offerings as well as a Hawaiian poke bowl with Alaskan pollock, edamame, pineapple, cucumbers and sriracha mayo. Bressani is also introducing food themes to try to expand students’ palates. The week from Oct. 14 to Oct. 18, which is also National School Lunch Week, will carry an Oktoberfest theme. While there will obviously be no beer, students can expect German-inspired foods like sausage, cabbage, potato pancakes, whole-grain pretzels with cheese sauce, and slow-roasted pork sandwiches on pretzel buns.
Bressani, who most recently worked for a contract management company, said she had Oktoberfest on the brain after she traveled to Munich, Germany, over the summer to attend a Taylor Swift concert.
“So, I mean, this October I’ve chosen Oktoberfest, but next October I’m going to pick something totally different,” she said.
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She mentioned the lunch program will celebrate Native American Heritage Month in November with food that includes corn, beans and squash, known as “the three sisters.”
“I watch trends in food service and the kids see the trends in food service through social media, so it’s a good way to translate it here,” Bressani said.
She also boasted about the program’s local produce, including apples from New Salem Preserves, carrots from farmer Joe Czajkowski in Hadley, and salad mix from Loudon, New Hampshire.
Mahar consists of four lunch periods each day – two for middle schoolers and two for high schoolers. Mckaylan Dunn and Audrey Elwood are sophomores assigned to the final lunch of the day and get school food nearly every day. Both said they’re happy with the changes they see.
“I think it’s improved a lot, especially this year. Last year the chicken used to be really dry and sometimes rubbery, and this year it’s cooked through,” Dunn said. “I think it’s pretty smart to mix things up. Because we used to have pizza, like, every single Wednesday, and it kind of got tiring.”
Elwood said the food is seasoned well but wishes there was more available by last lunch, something Bressani said the kitchen staff is working on. Elwood said she is a fan of the experimentation with themes.
“I think it’s a good idea and a way to push something different,” she said.
Senior Chance Parsons said he and his peers are pleased with the food this year.
“The cooking quality’s been a lot higher. The meat’s not as dry out as it used to be,” he said after being handed a grilled chicken sandwich by a kitchen worker. “And I think the portions are larger, too.”
Principal Scott Hemlin mentioned at September’s meeting of the Mahar School Committee that he finds himself eating in the cafeteria most days since Bressani took over and started adding her own personal flair. He added that Bressani has brought an abundance of food and a great deal of variety.
“[Students] really like it. You can tell,” he said. “One way you can tell is there aren’t many kids who bring their own lunches anymore. It’s all free. Everybody’s eligible for free lunch. You don’t see many kids bringing their own lunch.”
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.