Cooking up healthier, tastier food

A man whose father started a business with two restaurants and a woman who sold clams at a roadside shack have helped to put tastier, healthier food into the stomachs of Lawrence School District students.

Islandia-based Whitsons Culinary Group has provided the culinary choices in Lawrence’s five schools for the past four months and listening to the middle school students who eat in the cafeteria daily lunch has never been better.

“It’s healthier and there is more flavor, it was bland last year,” said Crystal Torres, who sat with her friends during lunch on Dec. 7 as Whitsons and district officials toured the cafeteria and presented certificates of appreciation to Whitsons food service employees. “It’s much healthier and cooked better,” Rubidia Martinez said. Zaynah Sanders added, “it’s good and better tasting than last year.”

Lawrence Superintendent Gary Schall went from table to table and asked the students what they thought of the Whitsons products. “I can’t believe the responses I got, great responses about the food,” Schall said.

The key to producing healthier, tastier food, said Michael Whitcomb, a vice president in charge of Whitsons delivered meals programs and vending management is the culture of the family-owned business that applies its research to constantly develop better products.

“We develop food for the “Biggest Loser” and QVC and we take that intellectual property for the recipes for the school side,” Whitcomb said. His father, Elmer, and mother, Gina, began with two Garden City restaurants in 1979, the Bon Bon and the Blue Chip, then took over the food service for a large office building.

Culinary choices range from pizza to soft or hard shell tacos, chicken sandwiches, and salads. Whitsons produces low fat, low sodium and low cholesterol entrees, desserts and condiments. Its “Sensible Snack” program consists of fresh fruits, yogurt parfaits, fresh baked pretzels, baked chips, raisins, fruit cups and vegetables with low fat dip.

“I am impressed it’s a low grain, low fat mozzarella,” said Woodmere resident and dietician Leslie Rosen, who also works in the food service industry and has known Whitcomb for several years. “You scored a lot points with me today,” he said, about the healthier pizza cheese.

For Senior Vice President of Operations, Kellyann Friend, the key is to take the type of foods offered at the fast food restaurants the children are familiar with and making them healthier.

“We have to please many, many different palates and compete with the fast food markets,” said Friend, a former kindergarten and first-grade teacher, who worked a clam bar in the Hamptons during her summer breaks, where she acquired an interest in food service. “We do it with a healthier preparation method.”

Whitson provides food service to more than 70 school districts including the Boston, Newark and Albany, along with ones in Pennsylvania. The program for schools includes an educational component that demonstrates the difference between healthy and non-healthy foods.

“This is leaps and bounds beyond what we had before,” said Lawrence Central PTA President Blasia Baum.