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Orcutt Schools Update
‘Real Food’ from Child Nutrition Department
a Hit with Students

Dr. Holly Edds, Superintendent, OUSD
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         Students around the Orcutt Union School District are delighted with school meals being prepared for them this year.
   “More and more kids are getting food, and they are even running to the lunch line,” says Lakeview Junior High School Principal Kelly Osborne. “The food choices and the range of what is being offered are amazing.”
   “The kids at Orcutt Academy are raving about the food,” adds teacher Michelle Clayton. “One student has come in the last two days to show me his meal and tell me how he feels like he’s eating at a restaurant!”
       Behind the recent improvements in menu selections for students is the district’s Child Nutrition Department, now directed by Christy Wineman. A nine-year school food services veteran, Wineman arrived in Orcutt last summer with a deeply held belief in “real food for real kids” and the link between good eats and student learning.
   “Our job is very simple: feed kids,” says Wineman, who previously worked in the Lucia Mar and Farmersville school districts. “We know that if we get the kids motivated about what they are eating, they will eat. And we also know that if the kids’ bellies are full, their minds are open.”
       The first step in leveling up the district’s menu was what Wineman calls a “pizza takeover of Orcutt” in which the district switched from purchasing product from a large pizza chain to creating its own, scratch-made pizza. Cheese and pepperoni have been the main toppings, but the district’s junior high and high school sites have been rolling out Chicken Alfredo, Hawaiian, and vegetarian pizzas as well. 
       “The pizza we are serving is prepared, topped, and cooked right on site – and it is cut right before kids get in line,” Wineman explains. “The kids are loving it.”
       Meals made from scratch are steadily being added. Charcuterie Bento Boxes, Pozole, and build-your-own bars (for nachos, hot dogs, and hamburgers) are favorites, but the best loved new dish is a concoction called Turkey Pumpkin Chili.
      “We didn’t expect Turkey Pumpkin Chili to be as popular as it is, but it parallels pizza in how much student participation we have,” says Wineman. “It includes ground turkey, chili powder, garlic, and beans, with pumpkin puree as the thickening agent. We serve it with a fresh-made corn muffin from Edna’s Bakery.”
      Wineman also is working to upgrade breakfast, the first meal many students have each school day, and supper, which is served to students who are on campus after school for childcare or other activities. The breakfast menu includes a build-your-own breakfast bowl and hot items such as Chorizo and Eggs and a Croissant Sandwich. Supper selections include Pepperjack Cheese Pretzel bites, “Breakfast for Supper,” and assorted bento boxes.
       While moving to scratch-made meals, the department also is featuring locally sourced foods and even locally inspired preparation of food such as Santa Maria Style Barbecue. Tri-tip and salsa are common ingredients in several selections, and local producers such as Edna’s Bakery and Taco Works are delivering items for meals.
        “We live in an agricultural area that produces some of the world’s best produce and beef,” says Wineman, a fifth-generation California resident who grew up in Nipomo as part of a cattle ranching family. “We should be featuring what we have available here instead of prepackaged foods.”
       All of these efforts are paying off in increased student demand. In the fall, the Child Nutrition Department was serving 5,500 meals a day – 1,900 breakfasts, 3,100 lunches, and 500 suppers – but Wineman reports that the numbers are on the upswing.
         “All credit goes to our Child Nutrition team,” she says. “Our 40-plus employees are taking so much pride and joy in their success. They are bringing in new ideas to keep kids excited. This team is just awesome.”

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