Representatives from a company that provides meals to the Malverne School District recently attended a school board meeting to address concerns from parents about the food being served to their children.
Complaints from Malverne parents during previous Board of Education meetings ranged from their children being served expired milk, to food that doesn’t taste good or is burnt, or that they received the incorrect meal, and the menu lacked options.
Representatives of Whitsons Culinary Group, a family-owned food service management company, which was founded in Garden City in 1979, attempted to alleviate those concerns during the Dec. 9 board meeting.
Part of the Whitsons family of companies, the culinary group provides schools with fresh, nutritional meals that focus on local sourcing and meeting dietary needs, the company said.
“Whitsons is willing to listen to the feedback and move forward in improving the options that students are being presented with on a daily basis,” Maria Rianna, the school district’s superintendent, said.
“We’re happy to do whatever we can to improve the dining program and work with the parents and the students,” Rick Cenicola, Whitsons’ district manager, said. “It’s about balance. There’s a lot of mouths to feed, and it’s difficult to satisfy them all, but we’re here to certainly try.”
Whitsons provides meals to more than 1,000 students in the Malverne School District.
In a comprehensive presentation during the board meeting, Cenicola detailed the federally funded Child Nutrition Programs, which sets guidelines Whitsons must follow in feeding the students.
Federal nutrition standards for school meals were established in 2010 following the passage of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. Highlights included the introduction of whole grain foods and the establishment of maximum and minimum calories based on age group. “That was a lot different than anyone had seen before,” Cenicola said. “That lent a lot of structure to the food service dining program. It gave nutritional and dietary guidelines.”
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated these rules, and new mandates were introduced the following year to include limits on sugar in meals, reduced sodium, and increased use of whole-grain rich foods.
Schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs must meet the set standards to receive federal reimbursements for the meals served.
“We’ll hear that things maybe don’t taste the same as what students eat at home or at restaurants, and that’s part of the reason why,” Cenicola explained.
Providing meals that qualify for reimbursement has been vital in funding Malverne’s Community Eligibility Provision. Adopted in November 2023, the CEP allows all district students access to one free breakfast and one free lunch each day.
Funded by the state and federal government, the CEP has led to a continued increase in students who eat the breakfast and lunch provided by the school. “We would certainly love to see more kids participating,” Cenicola said. “But where we stand now, over 50 percent are participating in the school lunch program.”
A second lunch and additional snacks are available for students to purchase at each district school. Whitsons also provides students with daily alternative options that can be substituted for any of the set menu items.
All Malverne schools serve breakfast and lunch, with food prepared on site in each building’s kitchen. Each school’s menu can be found on the district website under the “families” tab by clicking “lunch services” and navigating to the appropriate menu. Parents can also visit FDMealPlanner.com.
FDMealPlanner.com showcases the menu while providing parents the opportunity to learn more about the nutritional information, ingredients and allergens in each menu option. All alternative options available are listed on the website as well.
Vegetarian options are available daily, while gluten-free and halal items are on hand upon request. Assorted Boar’s Head sandwiches are also available daily, as well as assorted pizzas at Malverne’s high school and middle school. Fruits and vegetables are locally sourced and change depending on what’s in season.
Stephanie Haynes, Whitsons’ general manager for the district, is on-site, in Malverne, full-time overseeing the dining program. Haynes determines what meals will be included on the monthly rotating menus based on feedback from parents, students and administration. If anyone has special dietary or allergy requests, Haynes can be reached at hayness@whitsons.com.
In October, Whitsons conducted a fall survey to gather community insights throughout the district on the current nutrition program. Results showed that when asked to rate the program from poor to excellent, parents, students and teachers across the district find meals to be average.
The survey’s results included complaints about spoiled milk, inconsistent food tastes and quality in the different buildings, as well as a lack of vegan options and a desire for friendlier food service.
Cenicola and Haynes shared that their focus is on improving consistency and quality control throughout the district, as well as upgrading service.
“It’s about recognizing where we need to get better at and trying any avenue to get to the students, the parents, to understand what that feedback is from their child,” Cenicola said. “The feedback is truly important to us, and when this survey comes out again in the spring, that we see an improvement from the fall.
“We get some good feedback, we take action and hopefully the kids will see it,” he added.
In November, Whitsons’ corporate chef visited the kitchens of the high school and middle school to retrain staff on food preparation, proper cooking techniques, and station set up.
At Howard T. Herber Middle School, Whitsons has rearranged the line and added a food station to offer grab-and-go hot meals, including burgers and fries, patties and fries, and pizza and fries daily. In addition, nachos will now be served each day.
At the high school, the serving area behind the line has been reorganized to enhance efficiency for students. The hot serving line has been streamlined to accommodate more items as well.
Across the district, Whitsons’ staff will continue working with the schools’ principals to host monthly food service meetings, revise menus to meet students’ needs and wants, and continue to offer training and development opportunities for the company’s team members. The spring survey will be conducted to measure the impact of these efforts and compare the results to prior feedback.
“We’re definitely making changes based on what the kids want,” Haynes said, adding that parents and students are invited to contact her via email with concerns, recommendations or requests. “We’re willing to open up, see what the kids want, and serve what they like.”
