FUTURE MENUS TOP 8 TRENDS FOR 2024
The nutrition team at Grapevine-Colleyville ISD tries to meet and connect with students through taste tests, cooking classes and more.
day,” says Chef Jason Aronen. “So we have to make sure it’s good: that it tastes good, it looks good, it’s prepared well.” Those are the mantras that Aronen relies on in his capacity as culinary trainer, particularly when educating new team members with little-to-no experience. Pre-COVID, Telesca estimates, about 70% of the team held five-plus years of service; today, 70% has less than a year. “That’s why training is essential, and it doesn’t stop just because we’re in the middle of a four- week menu cycle,” Aronen says. “We’re finding more and more of the workforce doesn’t even cook in their daily lives, so sometimes, training means showing them how to use an oven step- by-step.” This trend has inspired necessary changes to the menu, he adds, with a focus on “quick scratch” items, simpler cooking or assembly-centric prepa- ration suitable for less-experienced culinary work- ers: barbecue cheeseburgers, the Texas-favorite Frito pie, chicken fajitas, and lasagnas. “We do knife skills and culinary lessons, but the biggest thing we push is a sense of pride in our employees,” Aronen says. “Test the food. Season the meal. Our diners are kids: If they have an un- seasoned boiled green bean, they’ll decide they hate green beans. But if we can add some lemon pepper, or a little bit of Mrs. Dash, and keep an
eye on the cooking time that same kid might en- joy it and decide they love green beans. That’s a big thing.” Children are also more likely to try meals when they’re part of it, Aronen knows. That was one of the driving philosophies behind a pilot program last summer: “Chef Jason’s Cooking Class,” held over three days in late June after the district had closed for the year. Students learned how to safe- ly chop strawberries for a refreshing ice cream, to be enjoyed along with chicken egg rolls, dump- lings, dipping sauces, and shortbread cookies that they took home—along with recipe cards. These extra efforts have won Grapevine-Col- leyville recognition. In October, Telesca learned she received the most prestigious honor of the 2024 FAME (Foodservice Achievement Manage- ment Excellence) Awards: the Golden Foodservice Director of the Year. (A member of the FoodSer- vice Director editorial team was part of the selec- tion committee.) Telesca, in the industry for 28 years, says she was “so humbled and excited” to receive the award. “We view ourselves as servers—here to serve others—so you’re never looking for pats on the back,” Telesca says. “But it’s always nice to hear validation that we’re doing what we’re supposed to, and that we’re having a positive impact. That makes it certainly one of the highlights of my ca- reer.”
PHOTOS COURTESY OF GRAPEVINE-COLLEYVILLE ISD
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