CRESTVIEW — Molly the Cow is more than just a piece of meat or a U.S.D.A. prime selfie opportunity.
Click here to see photos from the event.
The Nutrition Group, a Pittsburgh-based company that now provides food service to Okaloosa County schools, uses the mascot to spread awareness about its meal program.
Breakfasting Crestview High School students met Molly Wednesday morning, when she sashayed into the cafeteria to promote the importance of a nutritious breakfast.
Following the school board's June approval, The Nutrition Group replaced Sodexo as the Okaloosa County School District’s food service operator. “One of the things we like is we’re a small company,” Tom Yocke, the company's general manager, said. “We operate in 200 school districts, but we’re not so structured that we’re not flexible.”
Transitioning to the new company "went really well," Crestview High food service manager Lynn Rogers said. "Their menu is a little different, but in this day and age, you learn to accept change and you go with the flow.”
One innovation is the Creation Line, on which students create and dress their menu selections. Mondays feature a pasta bar; Tuesdays and Fridays, a nachos bar — “We do it twice a week because everybody loves the nachos bar,” Rogers said; Wednesdays, stir fry fixin’s; and Thursdays offer a cheese steak bar.
“The kids like it,” Rogers said. “All the cooking goes on in the kitchen at the schools. Some parents think it’s cooked off-site and shipped in, but it’s not.”
A new coffee shop features fresh, sugar-free baked goods that meet federal “smart snack” guidelines. Accompanying drinks are less than 60 calories each per 12-ounce serving.
“It’s good food!” junior Sarah Jean said, adding she particularly enjoys breakfasts, “especially when they have pancakes on a stick.”
Her classmate, C.J. Geiger, said he has noticed improvements in the food quality. “It’s better than last year,” he said, adding his favorite lunch selection is the sub sandwich line. "I usually get the chicken subs,” C.J. said, though he had one complaint: “The bread is too small.”
The Nutrition Group seeks a new source for larger whole-grain sub sandwich rolls, Rogers said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Cow mascot promotes nutrition at Crestview High School (PHOTOS)