Written by Melani Morose Edelstein | 2026 | September | Issue 76
What’s For Lunch? ….. a Whole New Answer.
At 6 a.m., while most Peninsula students are still asleep, the team behind PVPUSD school lunch is already at work washing produce, chopping vegetables and preparing thousands of meals for the school day ahead.
The Recipe for Change
This is not the school lunch many parents remember. Under the direction of Nancy Wikes, PVPUSD’s Director of Food Services, the district is replacing more processed, pre-packaged food with scratch cooking, fresh produce and menus shaped, in part, by the students themselves.
The goal is simple: serve food that is nutritious and worth choosing. Getting there hasn’t been quite so simple.
“It was not something we could do overnight,” Wikes says.
Cooking Up Something New
The first challenge was equipment. Scratch cooking requires commercial ovens, refrigerators, worktables, hot carts and plenty of tools that don’t typically come to mind when you picture a school cafeteria. A grant helped PVPUSD purchase what it needed.
Then came staffing. “Scratch-made meals require more preparation time than individually wrapped, pre-prepared items,” Wikes says.
The district adjusted schedules and invested in training so employees could safely and confidently prepare food from scratch. “We approached the transition in a step-by-step manner, focusing on one challenge at a time and building our program gradually,” she says.
Now the work looks less like opening packages and more like a professional kitchen: chopping, roasting, cooking and preparing food for thousands of students. But there is still one important question: Will they eat it? PVPUSD is putting that question directly to students.
school lunch
A Fresh Take on School Lunch
The district uses student taste tests to find out what kids actually like, but Wikes says the results don’t always translate to the lunch line. “Students often respond positively to vegetarian options during taste testing, but those same options aren’t always selected when they are offered as part of the regular meal service,” she says.
PVPUSD plans to expand taste testing this year, using student feedback to help shape the menu.
From California Farms to Our School Cafeterias
There is another priority behind the new menus: knowing where the food comes from. Much of the produce purchased by the district is grown in California, and the vendor identifies the source of each item and whether it is organically grown.
Wikes wants to bring the farm even closer to the cafeteria. “One of our goals this year is to build relationships with local farmers and explore opportunities to source fresh produce directly from local growers for our program,” she says.
Feeding Thousands Every Day
The scale of the operation is impressive. PVPUSD’s central kitchen, located at Miraleste Intermediate School, serves as the primary preparation site for the district’s 10 elementary schools.
Every day, staff prepare approximately 1,500 breakfasts and 3,000 lunches.
It is a carefully coordinated operation that most students will never see. They just see school lunch. For Wikes, however, the real measure of success isn’t how many meals leave the kitchen each day. It’s what students take with them when they eventually leave school. A school cafeteria can be a classroom, too.
Teaching Through Taste
Students are being introduced to fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, new flavors and meals prepared from scratch. Some will embrace them immediately. Others may need a few tries. Wikes is willing to give them time.
“Even when a student doesn’t choose a particular food the first time it’s offered, repeated exposure can help make healthy foods more familiar over time,” she says.
Expanding Palates, One School Lunch at a Time
That patience may be the secret ingredient. The goal isn’t simply to serve a healthier lunch today, but to broaden what students consider good food and, eventually, what they choose for themselves. “Ultimately, our goal is to help students understand that healthy food can also be fresh, flavorful, and enjoyable,” Wikes says.
For PVPUSD, that makes the school lunch line more than a place to grab a meal. It’s becoming a place to discover something new and perhaps carry that taste for fresh, delicious food well beyond the school bell.
Want to Try a Recipe at Home?
Fresh ingredients, colorful vegetables and kid-friendly flavors are all part of the creativity happening in the PVPUSD Food Services test kitchen. We’ve adapted two of their recipes into family-sized portions to try at home!
Chicken Banh Mi
Crispy chicken, cool cucumber, tangy pickled vegetables and fresh cilantro come together in this easy take on a banh mi. Nashville-style hot chicken gives it a little kick, but your favorite crispy chicken tenders work just as well.
Makes 4 sandwiches
Ingredients
- 12 Nashville-style hot chicken tenders (or your favorite crispy chicken tenders)
- 4 sandwich rolls, steak rolls or small baguettes
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 green onions, finely sliced (for the green onion mayo)
- 1 cup pickled vegetables, such as carrots and daikon
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced lengthwise
- ½ cup fresh cilantro sprigs
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F, or prepare the chicken tenders according to package directions. Cook until hot and crispy and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
While the chicken cooks, make the green onion mayo by stirring the mayonnaise and finely sliced green onions together in a small bowl.
Warm the rolls in the oven for about 3 minutes, until lightly crisp. Split each roll lengthwise without cutting completely through.
Spread the green onion mayonnaise on both sides of each roll. Add three crispy chicken tenders to each sandwich and top with pickled vegetables, cucumber slices and fresh cilantro.
Serve immediately.
Kitchen Tip: Not a fan of heat? Regular crispy chicken tenders are just as delicious in this sandwich.
Edamame & Cucumber Salad with Sesame Dressing
Cool, crunchy cucumber and tender edamame are tossed with fresh cilantro, green onions and a bright sesame dressing. It’s an easy, colorful side dish that’s perfect for lunch, dinner or a casual get-together.
Makes about 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup cucumber, seeded and diced
- 2½ cups shelled edamame, cooked and cooled
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- ¼ cup Asian sesame dressing (use your favorite brand)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Place the cucumber, edamame and green onions in a medium bowl.
In a small bowl, combine the cilantro, Asian sesame dressing and lemon juice. Stir until well blended.
Pour the dressing over the cucumber and edamame mixture and toss gently until everything is evenly coated.
Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and toss once more. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Kitchen Tip: This salad can be made ahead and chilled, making it an easy option for entertaining or meal prep.
Bon Appétit!
