The Manhattan Times

At Muscota school’s cafeteria, kids ask for seconds

by Daniel P. Bader

A recent menu at one of Inwood’s most exclusive eateries included curried chicken with a fresh salad on the side, vegetarian chili and pulled pork. It’s not a meal you’ll be able to make reservations for. Rather the invitation was only extended to the 287 kindergarten through fifth graders of The Muscota New School on Broadway near Academy Street.

The dining selection at P.S. 314 wasn’t always so discerning.

At the beginning of the 2008 school year, newly elected parent association president Shannon Park visited Muscota during lunch and saw all the kids, including her third grader Zuzu, eating cold cheese sandwiches.

She and the association’s wellness committee chair, Marcela Xavier, a dietitian and owner of the health conscious Bread and Yoga on W. 207th Street, were taken aback.

“We learned our rights as parents. Every student is entitled to a hot meal,” Park said.

Enter Wellness in the Schools, a non-profit group that brings in volunteer chefs to work with the school’s procurement manager to spruce up typically ho-hum cafeteria lunches.

“We needed some changes when it comes to food,” said principal Tomasz Grabski, who also started at Muscota last year. “I’m really proud of my [parent association] this is a Godsend.”

Both moms learned about the group independently at the same time and saw the potential impact Wellness in the Schools could make at Muscota.

Along with volunteer coaches who organize team sports during gym time to maximize students’ physical activity, Wellness in the Schools brings volunteer chefs into the cafeterias once a week to improve school lunches.

“[The DOE] has a book about this thick with all the recipes,” said Grabski, gesturing. “We open our spice and our herbs and the food becomes more vibrant.”

Wellness in the Schools is back again at Muscota this year to help keep the ideas flowing.

On Sep. 16, with a cafeteria full of kids eating behind him, Upper West Side restaurateur and chef Bill Telepan huddled with this year’s volunteer chefs to go over the game plan.

Last year’s team got the salad bar up and running, replacing some shredded lettuce and sad tomatoes with professionally composed, colorful salads that actually look appetizing.

Park said the team still has to work with what the DOE provides so chicken nuggets and burgers haven’t disappeared, but Telepan’s team will whip up a special barbecue sauce for the nuggets or a toppings bar for the burgers.

“In public schools it’s very institutionalized,” said freelance personal chef Minna Suh, who lives in Riverdale, noting that the ingredients the team works with are typically cheap and low quality.

Nevertheless, “we went from cheese sandwiches to homemade meals,” said Park.

The smell of a good meal has stirred the school to think creativity about its dining environment.

Classical music now plays in the lunchroom, and, instead of shouting to be heard over the students, lunch monitors use a flag system to signal transitions.

“We’re basically changing the culture around lunch,” Grabski said. “We talk to our kids about healthy lifestyles.”

One day last year the students invited their parents to lunch to show them all the changes. Curried chicken was on the menu.

“[Parents] actually ate the food,” Park said. “It was delicious.”

Parents and students are even invited to tastings to give their input into lunches. One thing the kids said they wanted back was the chocolate milk that was taken out with the other sugary drinks. They got it.

The big changes couldn’t have happened without the cooperation of Grabski or Kevin Beckles, the procurement manager for the kitchen.

“There are some managers in New York City that will not work with Wellness in the Schools,” Park said, but Beckles came right on board.

With the new focus on the food, Beckles took another look at what the DOE offered. For example, when cantaloupe and other fresh fruits become available he orders it for the school’s free breakfasts.

Actually cooking and focusing on good food is spreading pride in the school’s lunch servers, too, Park added.

There is also an environmental movement beginning at the school. Last year the ubiquitous spork and napkin pack was replaced by individual forks, spoons and knives and a napkin dispenser.

“There was so much waste,” Park said.

This year, they’re targeting the Styrofoam lunch trays. But what will replace the lunch room standard?

“Sugarcane biodegradable trays,” said Grabski.

For more information visit http://www.wellnessintheschools.org/ or contact the Muscota Parents Association at http://www.muscota.org/.