Novel Cuisine for Marshall Simonds

On June 3 the Town of Burlington and renovation of the .  The project is expected to be completed by September 2013 and includes a 33,000 square foot addition as well as a new cafeteria and kitchen.

Currently, the middle school’s cafeteria is split into two large eating areas with the kitchen located between them.  This area is one of the first targeted for renovation

“The current configuration is odd,” says architect Kevin Buckley, president of KBA Architects, Inc.  “The two eating areas create cliques, imbalance and separations."

According to Buckley, the new cafeteria will be one large open space so students can all socialize and eat together. The kitchen will be located off to one side. Buckley explained that the cafeteria will be renovated this summer and will be available for students to enjoy in September 2011. The kitchen will not be ready until the spring or summer of 2012.

The absence of a working kitchen presents challenges, admits George LaCroix, founder of Max Management Diagnostics, food service consultant to the . LaCroix has been working closely with Marshall Simonds’ Cafeteria Manager Karen Smolski to develop a plan to provide healthy meal options for middle school students during the construction.

According to LaCroix, the school will be offering a variety of cold sandwiches, wraps and salads.

“We realize kids are picky eaters and we don’t want to lose them as customers,” said LaCroix. “Karen (Smolski) will be working on our new recipes over the summer, using her husband as a guinea pig."

The menu is not yet complete, but the draft version supplied to Patch includes options such as chicken teriyaki lettuce wraps, California turkey bagels, roast beef sandwiches, tortellini salads, thanksgiving wraps, veggie wraps and more.

“The menu certainly got more sophisticated. I’m not sure if it will be appealing to the kids,” said Burlington mother of two Karen Edwards. “Perhaps they should have some more recognizable options for the kids.”

Mother of three Joanne Kriger agrees. “I'm glad to see that they are being proactive in trying to solve the problem and not waiting until the end of summer to get a new system in place. I'm not sure how these options are going to go over with the children, but at least there are lots of choices and hopefully there will be something for everyone,” said Kriger.

LaCroix acknowledged that many of the new menu items are innovative for a middle school, but he sees the situation as an opportunity.  The staff carefully tracks what lunch options are popular and adjusts the menu accordingly. LaCroix added that the staff will rename many of the items to be more appealing to the younger clientele. The school has also contracted with a local Pizzeria to deliver pizzas daily.

Other parents interviewed expressed satisfaction with the healthy options the new menu provides but worried that salads and sandwiches may not be robust enough to satisfy growing adolescents who are known for their hearty appetites. Parents were concerned that may lead some students to choose pizza more often than is advisable.

When the kitchen comes on line in 2012, the school will reinstate a more traditional menu but LaCroix hopes to keep some of the more popular new lunch options.

 “It’s all about finding what they like,” said LaCroix.”The kids have a very short time to eat. We want to make it a pleasant experience."

Sample Menu items (draft)

bagel stick roll up

bbq chicken salad

BLT tortilla wrap

BLT wrap

California turkey bagel

chicken teriyaki lettuce wrap

chopped cobb turkey salad

crab and pea pod pita

garden turkey wrap

turkey cranberry waldorf salad

turkey ham primavera salad

pasta and crab meat salad

pasta chef's chopped salad

pepped up turkey bagel

pinata wrap

roast beef bravo sandwich

Santa Fe wrap

Meditterean spirals

Tex Mex chicken salad I

Tex Mex chicken salad II

Thanksgiving wrap

tortellini salad

turkey pockets

veggie wrap