Cafeteria Chronicles: Burrillville School District (Harrisville, RI)
New kitchen equipment can inspire big changes for your school lunch.
For the team at Burrillville School District in Harrisville, RI, funds from the Healthy Meals Incentives (HMI) grant allowed them to purchase an electric rotisserie oven, a pasta machine extruder, cold holding service counters and a self-service display case for students. Their goal for the new equipment was to elevate the quality and nutritional value of their school meals with more scratch-made, local, and USDA-sourced ingredients.
With new kitchen equipment available to them, the team at Burrillville dreamed up new recipes for students at lunch, including:
- Rotisserie Orange Chicken: featuring chicken marinated with freshly zested orange and glazed with ginger before roasting in the new electric rotisserie oven, then served with fried brown rice and soy-roasted vegetables.
- Homemade Mac & Cheese: featuring freshly made pasta made from whole wheat flour and cheese, cooked to al dente and then tossed in a creamy scratch-made cheese sauce.
- Rotisserie Pork Tacos: featuring local pork seasoned with a blend of spices, cooked in the rotisserie oven and served with black beans and a whole grain tortilla. The aroma of pork slowly cooking in the rotisserie oven spreads a wonderful aroma throughout the school cafeteria!
See students loving the new scratch-made recipes at Burrillville:
To create a buzz for the new recipes, the district used a mobile tasting cart to offer samples to students during lunch time, offering real time feedback on the dishes like the Homemade Mac & Cheese which quickly became a student favorite. The nutrition team members also appreciated the efficiency gained from the new kitchen equipment available to them. For all of the improvements made to their school lunch, the district earned the Innovation in the Preparation of School Meals HMI Recognition Award.
Hat’s off to the team at Burrillville School District for leading the way in school nutrition!
Stay tuned for more Cafeteria Chronicles stories from school districts nationwide. Check out our Cafeteria Chronicles Blog for more inspiring school nutrition transformations!
Interested in applying for a Recognition Award?
This material is based upon work that is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
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