Food services showcases student-tested menu changes and equipment upgrades

Nancy Wikes, director of food services for Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified, told the school board the department has added scratch-made and student-tested items — including cornbread, spaghetti and meatballs, beef and vegetarian bibimbap, Detroit-style pizza and two new salads — after tasting sessions at multiple campuses.

Wikes said students favored a Southwest black bean-and-corn salad and an edamame-and-cucumber salad, and that the district conducted taste tests at Lunata Bay, Peninsula, Cornerstone, Palos Verdes High and Mira Leste Intermediate. She described efforts to balance student preferences with scratch-cooking targets and staffing constraints, saying the district has been between about 42% and 47% scratch cooking and is aiming for 50%.

Wikes outlined investment in equipment and training: a new walk-in refrigerator and freezer, replaced ovens and additional hot carts intended to support scratch cooking and reduce waste. She said staff attended regional and statewide school nutrition professional-development conferences and described a contract with Brigade that provides a resident chef and recipe resources.

On funding, Wikes said the district spent $972,000 from a Kitchen Infrastructure and Training grant and received an additional $340,000 this year plus nearly $21,000 for retention and recruitment. She explained that Fund 13 (food-service funds) can only be used for food-service purposes and that many expenditures require state approval.

Wikes also reported that the USDA- and California Department of Education–led administrative review closed on June 23 with no findings. On policy advocacy, she said district representatives asked lawmakers in Washington and Sacramento to protect community-eligibility provisions and to consider a $0.40 increase in federal reimbursement, and she urged clarity on any future federal/state definitions of "ultra-processed" foods to avoid inconsistent vendor requirements across states.

Board members praised the food program, asked about rollout at elementary sites and staffing needs, and Wikes introduced colleagues Nousha and Chef Gary Campbell. The board took a photo with the food-services team at the conclusion of the highlight.

The board did not take formal action on any new policy during the presentation; Wikes asked staff to expand outreach to PTAs and continue student engagement.