With a change of food directors at the high school, Revere has hired a consulting group to aid in creating new, more appealing lunch options for students.

The administration has hired a third-party consulting group, Pisanick, to develop a menu for each school in the district. The new menus feature the same health guidelines with a wider variety of choices and a refocused presentation. In hopes to increase the number of purchased lunches, the cafeteria offers new containers, fruits and a myriad of sauces for individualized meals. Cook Deanna Upp, who has been working in the Revere cafeteria for 16 years, explained the reason behind the new approach.

“We were trying to get our lunch count up basically. When I started, we didn’t have these regulations. They weren’t totally unhealthy; we just had stuff like Twix bars. Now it’s more health conscious, and plans change with every food director,” Upp said.

While the cooks started serving different foods, they do not sacrifice any health benefits. Most of the appeal comes from the updated presentation of the food. Cook Nicki Tessmer, who has been working in the Revere cafeteria for 10 years, described the nutritional yet appetizing approach of the Pisanick-designed lunches.

“[There are] no [nutritional differences], just the presentation has changed. We still have a salad bar, wraps and sandwiches; it’s just presented differently. We have different containers and salads. They are not all made with the same ingredients. Only some things have changed. We still have protein, vegetables and fruit like always,” Tessmer said.

In one half of the lunch line, students can now choose food from a “grill” style line, in which they can pick various sauces, meats, pastas, etc. Tessmer provided her perception on how students have been enjoying the new styles of lunches.

“I would say [students enjoy it], quite a few more kids are coming through the grill side. They have options; they can choose vegetables and sauces,” Tessmer said.

In addition to the changes at school, cooks now refer to a more interactive website, Health-e Pro, which students can access to view the lunch menus. Head cook Ricardo Alaimo, who is in his fourth year at Revere, detailed Pisanick’s features and abilities in designing schools’ lunches through this website, noting the benefits for both the students and staff members.

“[Pisanick is] a program that gives a more hands-on approach for staff and students. We create the basic menu, but now there is a website you can go to, and it is more interactive. You can see how many calories are in foods, show any issues with allergies; they will all show up. On the user end, we can click on food items and, it shows how to prepare it,” Alaimo said.

Alaimo mentioned the new approach’s effect on the typical work days for the cooks.

“It is definitely busier; we re-learn how to do different things. Since there are more choices, we plan the day differently,” Alaimo said.

If students or parents have questions or concerns about the menu, feel free to contact Ricardo Alaimo at [email protected]. To view the health guidelines for school lunches, visit the USDA website.