Making healthy choices easy

Times Reporter   

 

Tim Drover was hired on as the new cafeteria chef this year at Strathmore High School (SHS). He brought with him Janet Murdoch, and between the two of them, they are cooking up a storm. 

Drover and Murdoch are making 90 per cent of every meal from scratch. 

“They (the school) wanted a change in the menu. The menu before was a little stale, a little older; it relied on deep fried foods and stuff like that,” said Drover. “With my background in cooking, they wanted more fresh foods, and more healthy choices for the students and the staff.” 

Drover said it is cheaper to cook fresh rather than bringing in frozen product; the key is being willing to put in the time in making the meals. 

The school’s menu runs  on a four-week rotating schedule. Each day offers a soup and sandwich meal for $5, a meal for $6 and a pizza special for $3. 

Some examples of a $6 meal includes grilled chicken burger with home fries, chicken souvlaki, rice and Greek salad, or pulled pork with coleslaw and veggies. 

Each day of the four week rotation the pizza changes, which helps keep the menu fresh. Drover said they make their own salad dressing, with the exception of Caesar dressing. They also make their own pizza sauce, soups and gravy. Anything that can be made fresh and from scratch is done so, within reason. 

Another thing Drover wanted to do when he was hired is keep the price reasonable. For example, all salads sell for $4. He noted the salads are one the biggest sellers at the cafeteria and they often sell out.

“My philosophy when I came here was to have the healthier food cheaper than the not so healthy food. So when they come here and they have a choice between chocolate milk at $1.50 and bottled water at 75 cents instead of $2, they’re going to get the water,” said Drover. 

“One thing we’re trying to do now is reach out to the parents. I know sometimes they don’t want to give their kids money because they might go to McDonald’s or other places, so we’re trying to sell coupon books. “Normally our meals are $6; we sell four (meal coupons) for $20, so they save $4 for their lunch. We’re trying to get the parents to buy these coupons to give to their kids so they don’t have to worry about giving them money. They come, they hand in a coupon and get their meal.”

Nothing on the menu is over $6. A bowl of fresh fruit sells for 75 cents, veggie trays for $1.

“Our goal is not to get rich off of this, it’s to feed the kids,” said Drover.

“We were told we would get a lot of rejection because they (the students) don’t have chicken fingers and fries now, and it’s been totally the opposite. It’s been nothing but positive. We’re really, really pleased with the response we’re getting.”

Between Murdoch and Drover, they are working on feeding 700 people at the school. There have already been many days where they sell out, and a number of staff members are eating their lunch in the cafeteria almost daily.

“I’m very passionate about what I am doing right now. My kids are coming to this high school, and you know, we sort of don’t realize what happens in high school. You send your kids off and give them money for lunch and you presume that they are getting something good,” said Drover.

“It’s my goal that the parents at home are comfortable that their kids are getting something healthy at school.”

Having Drover and Murdoch in the cafeteria has been a resounding success so far with staff and students alike 

“The big push we wanted is to go healthier and have lots of options, and he’s done that,” said Associate Principal Doug Raycroft.

“As a high school, we want our students to have choice; but it is nice when they have healthy choices.”

Meal coupons will be available for purchase at the high school on Oct. 22 during parent-teacher interviews.