March 2024 Nutrition Newsletter
March 01st, 2024
MARCH 2024 WAVECREST CAFE
NUTRITION NEWSLETTER
In this issue:
• New Menu Starts March 4th!
• March is National Nutrition Month
• Farm 2 School Spotlight: Dickinson Family Farms
• Staff Spotlight: Tracy Huckobey
• Harvest Of The Month: Kumquat
• Job & career opportunities
New Spring Menu Starts March 4th
We’ve got lots of tasty, nutritious options on our Spring menu. As always our students (and staff) have options galore, including new items and long-time favorites.
Click here to see your school’s menu and we’ll share a few of our featured items:
Mac & Cheese (Regular or Buffalo Chicken): Our Mac & Cheese entrees are a hearty way to fill your belly and power your mind. Secondary students can choose between traditional or a dish topped with tangy, spicy Buffalo Chicken, and then build their perfect plate with a selection of fresh, seasonal fruits & veggies from local California farms.
Southwest Salad (Chicken or Veggie): Middle and High Schoolers are in for a nutrient-packed treat with this entree salad. Fresh, seasonal veggies are topped with a zesty southwest pico de gallo, and you can either add chicken or keep it pure veggies. Try our homemade Hacienda salad dressing and a side of salsa for extra flavor and you’re set for a taste sensation.
Chicken Fried Rice: Recipe Revamp! Our dietitian went to work to improve this scratch-made recipe for the Spring menu! Try this flavorful entree that delivers mouthwatering chicken on top of a bed of delicious brown rice with fresh carrots, diced onion, and protein-packed edamame. It is seasoned with soy sauce, garlic, ginger, black pepper, and green onions. Add your favorite fruits & veggies for a perfect plate, certain to fuel your learning.
Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Rollup: This new item is loaded with flavor as lasagna noodles wrap around ricotta cheese, while the entire dish is topped with tender chicken and a rich alfredo sauce. Combine that with a full selection of fresh, seasonal fruits & veggies for a healthy, satisfying meal.
Be sure to check your school’s menu for the full selection of items and your daily favorites.
*** Menus are subject to change based on ingredient availability and staffing needs.
March Is National Nutrition Month
National Nutrition Month® is an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, we invite everyone to focus on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.
This year’s theme is Beyond The Table. Good health & nutrition go beyond what we eat and apply to every area of life. For a full month of games, activities, and resources to support your nutrition, visit sm.eatright.org/NNM to learn more about the importance of fueling bodies at every age and eating with sustainability in mind.
National School Breakfast Week
Part of National Nutrition Month includes National School Breakfast Week, which happens this year from March 4-8. Studies show that children who regularly eat a school breakfast are able to concentrate more, have fewer absences, and perform better on tests.
To get the week started, try this quiz and see what you know and what you may not know about the most important meal of the day. https://bit.ly/3OfZjlJ
Join us for breakfast each and every day. Click here to see what’s on your menu.
Farm 2 School Spotlight:
Dickinson Family Farms, Fallbrook, CA
We are thrilled to have Dickinson Family Farms from nearby Fallbrook supplying our March Harvest of the Month food: kumquats. Dickinson Family Farms is owned and operated by fourth-generation family farmers who apply organic, sustainable, and regenerative practices to grow their food.
What’s more, food at Dickinson Family Farms is hand-picked and hand-sorted. They do not use machines to sort and grade their fruit, relying instead on the expertise and experience of their team to see the difference between good fruit and marginal fruit.
The current farm was founded in 1989 and has become a hub for other local farmers to collaborate on processing and helping great food find its way to peoples’ plates, including those at WaveCrest Cafe!
We can’t wait for our students to taste the amazing organic foods from Dickinson as part of March’s Harvest of the Month. Learn more about Dickinson Family Farms here.
Meet Our Team: Tracy Huckobey
Tracy Huckobey is an absolute school lunch hero, leading an amazing team at Mission Vista High School and feeding hundreds of meals every day with a fun, welcoming attitude and care for every student.
Get to know a little more about Tracy here:
Favorite Concert: I love live music! Some of my favorite concerts have been, Def Leppard, Motley Crew, P!nk, Metallica, and Dropkick Murphys.
Pancakes or Waffles? Both! Pancakes topped with a thin smear of peanut butter and real maple syrup & waffles topped with fresh berries and whipped cream 😋
If I could play any sport it would be: Pickleball! Actually, I do play. It’s great for hand and eye coordination and keeps me on my toes. 😄
A skill I would like to acquire: I’d like to learn stained glass and cake decorating. Both are works of art and would allow me to release my creativity.
My dream vacation: Traveling all over the globe. I’ve been blessed to see most of the United States. I’ve also been to Mexico, Costa Rica, Iceland, Canada, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. My bucket list is full of many more places to see. The Earth is much too big to stay in one place. The people I’ve met along the way, and all the different cultures have been an incredible learning experience. Not to mention, the food! The food I’ve had abroad is some of the best I’ve ever eaten!
Favorite Candy: I love chocolate!
Favorite WaveCrest Entree: Right now it’s the Tomato Soup and Cheesy Breadsticks, so good!
Favorite thing about working at WaveCrest Cafe? The people I work with, and the customers we serve.
Harvest of the Month: Kumquat
Kumquats are our March Harvest of the Month and we are happy to feature this lesser-known fruit. Kumquats are delicious and packed with nutrients. The kumquat resembles an orange in color, shape, and texture, but is smaller – approximately the size of a large olive.
The kumquat plant is originally from Southeast Asia, and the English name comes from a Cantonese word meaning, “golden orange” or “golden tangerine”. The earliest known reference to a kumquat plant dates to the 12th century CE in China. Hundreds of years later it was being exported around the world and started being grown in California in the 1850s.
Nature’s Sweet-Tart
Kumquats are sometimes referred to as one of nature’s Sweet-Tarts for the combination of tastes they produce. The peel is edible and sweet-tasting, as opposed to an orange’s bitter-tasting peel, while the fruit inside is slightly tart, giving it a bold and unique flavor.
As with most citrus fruits, kumquats are a fantastic source of vitamin C and fiber. They also deliver vitamin A, manganese, several B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, potassium, and zinc. And because kumquats are composed of nearly 80% water they can help you feel fuller than many snacks while delivering those nutrients.
California is the leading kumquat grower in the United States, with San Diego County the top producing area in the state.
Harvest of the Month Resources
Learn more about kumquats and taste them with your class during a Harvest of the Month activity. You can download our Harvest of the Month resources for families here.
Harvest of the Month is available for any classroom that wants to participate. If your child’s teacher wants to sign up for the program, it’s easy. For more information about the program, classroom tasting parties, and more, email Gabi Tinsley.
WE’RE HIRING!
JOIN OUR AMAZING TEAM.
School nutrition is an extremely rewarding job. You can be part of the nation’s largest restaurant group, serving tasty and nutritious meals to our children each and every day. What’s more, you’ll meet amazing people who are skilled, dedicated, and passionate about their roles.
Our team has the unique opportunity to interact with almost every student, every day. Those interactions make a big difference in our kids’ lives and lead to long-lasting and meaningful friendships.
See all of our available positions here: https://wavecrestcafe.com/employment-opportunities/
NO COST FOR SCHOOL MEALS THIS YEAR!
California is one of seven states across the country that has made school meals available at no cost to all students! In addition to providing fresh, healthy, delicious foods to our students, there is no paperwork required.
*** With meals being offered at no charge, we are anticipating more students will be dining with us. This may affect the availability of some entrees as we learn and adapt to greater numbers and meeting the demand.
RESOURCES, GRANTS, AND EVENTS
Request A Master Gardener For Your School
The San Diego County Master Gardener Association provides Master Gardeners to help schools set up and maintain gardens. Master Gardeners act as consultants, mentoring parents and teachers who request help with beginning or improving their school gardens. Request a garden consultant here.
Educational Garden Design Grant – Rolling Dates
The California Native Garden Foundation offers grants for school gardens that feature CA native plants. Types of support include garden design services, in-kind donations of plants and landscape materials, volunteer assistance, and direct financial assistance. Click here to learn more and to apply.
Solana Center Workshops – Rolling Dates
The Solana Center hosts a variety of workshops and lessons across San Diego County, with topics including composting, raising backyard chickens, green living, and water-wise gardening. Check out their events calendar here.
Bonnie’s Plants 3rd Grade Cabbage Program – Rolling Dates
Bonnie’s provides free mega-cabbage plants to 3rd-grade teachers across the US who want to participate. Students grow the cabbages and submit pictures and measurements of their harvest to be considered for a $1,000 scholarship. Find out how to participate here.
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(C) 2024 WaveCrest Cafe / Vista Unified School District
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Esta institución es un proveedor de igualdad de oportunidades.