Aliso Niguel High School introduced new seasonal options to its cafeteria menu this October, in addition to the regular daily meals for students. The updated menu, served in the school cafeteria, features limited-time entrées and fresh produce to celebrate fall and National School Lunch Week.
The fall menu began Oct. 7 with the chili Frito walking taco made with house-made beef chili, whole grain Fritos and organic shredded cheddar cheese. The month will end with another seasonal feature on Oct. 28: a grass-fed chili cheese pretzel dog with an uncured beef hot dog, locally baked pretzel bun, house-made chili and organic cheddar cheese.
During the week of Oct. 13–17, the cafeteria recognized National School Lunch Week by offering additional internal specials for students to try.
The fall menu builds on the school’s regular offerings served each week. For breakfast, daily options include a ham and swiss cheese croissant, pizza stick, plain bagel with cream cheese or peanut butter and assorted cereals such as Cinnamon Chex and Honey Cheerios. Greek yogurt with granola is served Monday, Wednesday and Friday, while jalapeño cheddar and everything bagels with cream cheese are offered on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively.
Lunch on the fall menu at Aliso Niguel High School still includes daily options of a Western BBQ chicken salad, spicy chicken sandwich, cheese or pepperoni pizza, loco burrito and kickin’ sandwich. Rotating specials include breaded chicken thigh on Monday, beef bolognese pasta on Tuesday, honey sriracha wings on Wednesday, a Swiss burger with turkey bacon or Korean wings with chow mein on Thursday and an Italian meatball baguette on Friday.
The lunch lady, Vannesa Leon, says, “The district is the one that decides what foods are on the menu and the October menu. A lot of students do notice the new options because we have our menus posted on every window. A lot of kids want to try it because it is something new.”
“The walking taco was one of the most popular options when it was around on Oct. 7. Today, on Oct. 16, our special is a Havana Cuban sandwich, which is a hot turkey sandwich.”
New seasonal fruit and vegetable choices accompany the new fall entrées. Produce options this month include organic pink lady apples, pluots, bananas, kiwis, dragon fruit, Persian cucumbers, baby carrots, grape tomatoes, organic spinach mix, bell peppers and celery.
“The new fall menu has been a nice change from what we normally get. The chili Frito walking taco was actually perfect and different from the usual lunch choices,” says Brandon Perez (12).
“I think having themed foods like this makes lunch more exciting and gives students something to look forward to after a long day in class. It is cool that the school tries new things and I have noticed some more people getting the school food. If the school continues to add seasonal stuff, I would like to see something like a Thanksgiving-style meal next month.”
With new options for both lunch and breakfast, students seem to enjoy the choices and overall there has been a positive reaction to the change.
Sophia Starr (12) states, “I really liked the idea of having fall-themed food. The pretzel dog sounds like something I would actually want to try and it is fun to see the cafeteria mix it up a bit. The seasonal changes definitely make the menu feel less repetitive. I personally think it would be great if they added more options that include chicken, like grilled cheese with chicken.
