The average school welcomes hundreds of students a day who are ready to learn, host several athletic practices or games and has a variety of clubs scheduled to meet after school. It’s a whirlwind of activities that all require the right amount of sustenance to keep students and educators fueled to tackle the next mission.
That’s where Choice Partners (CP) comes in. The national purchasing cooperative invited statewide district representatives and students from select school districts “Under the Sea” for its Annual Nutrition and Product Expo on Oct 22. Attendees like Tennia Gilbert networked with more than 160 vendors, sampled their latest products and prepared to take ideas for nutritious meals back to their campuses. The director of menus for Uplift Education, a charter school program serving more than 22,000 PreK-12th grade students in Dallas, has made the drive for the past five years because it’s an opportunity to make meaningful, face-to-face connections with the companies that keep their cafeterias stocked and districts running strong.
“This show makes it easier for us to encourage the kids to eat a well-balanced meal in our cafeterias and branch outside of their normal fast-food options,” Gilbert explained. “Our kids are asking for a variety of cuisines and to see Asian, Mexican and American options at the show that are filled with flavor is exactly what we are looking for.”
Several booths embraced the ocean theme by decorating their stations and dressing up as jelly fish, crabs and other sea creatures. That flair sparked the tastebuds of more than 150 students who traveled from several districts, including Boling, Houston and Galveston independent school districts (ISD) to sample new dishes that could soon be added to their cafeteria menus.
From personal pan pizzas and breakfast sandwiches to smoothies, culturally influenced cuisine and desserts, vendors ensured there was something for every palate to enjoy. Throughout the event, students were asked to provide feedback on the taste, texture and presentation of their samplings to vendors.
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“I’ve never been to anything like this before, and it’s a very eye-opening experience for me,” Ariana Fernandez said, a senior and culinary student at C.E. King High School in Sheldon ISD. “It’s been fun talking to all the vendors, seeing how they prepare the food, trying different options and learning the nutritional value of everything. I’m excited to try and take some of this knowledge back to my school.”
Nutrition directors use the students’ responses to evaluate food and beverage products being considered for their menus, while CP uses the feedback to plan for future food contracts, enabling the co-op to maintain its standard of service. Choice Partners’ food division is one of the biggest in the state in terms of the number of members, vendors and competitively bid contracts. School districts use co-op contracts to purchase food for millions of student lunches annually.
“It’s easy to pick a couple of menu options from a computer screen, but it’s so much better to be able to taste them in person,” Child Nutrition Specialist at Baker Ripley Megan Robertson said. Her team helps select nutritious meals for more than 2,000 Head Start students in the Houston area. “We want to ensure our kids have a variety in their diet, and the Choice Partners Nutrition Expo helps make our job easier.”