Colonie Central High School Food Service Helper and "Deli Queen" Judy Nicholson (left) and Assistant Head Cook Lisa Quinn, with the new "grab and go" cooler in the West Wing Cafeteria. The CCHS Food Services staff won the cooler for their participation in last February's "Just Say Cheese" contest sponsored by the American Dairy Association & Daily Council, Inc.

Colonie High School West Wing Cafeteria Staff All Smiles After Winning New Cooler in 'Just Say Cheese' Dairy  Contest

Posted october 28, 2010

The Colonie Central High School West Wing Cafeteria is home to a brand new dairy cooler this year thanks to the efforts of the dedicated Food Services staff.

Back in February, the West Wing staff entered the “Just Say Cheese” contest sponsored by the American Dairy Association & Dairy Council, Inc. (ADADC) and captured this prize given free to the district for their creativity in the kitchen.

The open air, merchandise-style “Got Milk” cooler is used as a quick “grab and go” device for speeding up the school lunch line. Students and staff can pick up a quick carton of milk, yogurt, sandwich wrap or salad and be on their way.

The credit goes to cafeteria managers Sharon Newell, Lisa Quinn and their cafeteria staff, who, when they read about the contest said, “We’re in! We can do this!” And so they did …

The two got together and brainstormed how many different ways they could serve cheese in one meal – a meal that would be fun, delicious, nutritious and unique enough to get their student customers excited about cheese and school meals.

Then, they surveyed their student customers asking them when it comes to cheese, “What makes you smile?” The survey inquired about their cheese preferences and tested their knowledge of cheese. 188 students completed the survey and here are the results:

• 25 percent said they do not like cheese plain but would eat cheese if it was incorporated into menu items

• 33 percent said they like cheese but do not want low fat cheeses

• 54 percent said they liked cheese and they do want low fat cheeses

Their top preferred ways to eat cheese were on pizza, in entrees (Mexican foods/macaroni and cheese) and sprinkled on salad.

Armed with this information, the Food Services staff, from both the West Wing and Main cafeterias, put together and prepared a fun-filled, delicious extravaganza complete with door prizes and a grand prize. Their menu was as follows:

Assorted Personal Pizzas

Taco pizza with shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese

Shaved ham pizza with mozzarella cheese

Veggie pizza with fresh red onion, green peppers, sliced tomatoes and black olives

Bianco pizza with garlic, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses

And of course, good ole Pepperoni pizza

Antipasto Salad

Mixed green salad with sliced provolone, Genoa salami, ham and olives

Cheesy Bread

Lightly toasted Italian bread with garlic and mozzarella cheese

Cheese Popcorn

Fresh popped popcorn sprinkled with parmesan cheese

Dessert

Cake with strawberry filling, Valentine’s cherry frozen delight and fresh fruit

Assorted milk

Since it was almost Valentine’s Day, the staff put together a Valentine’s Day theme, decorating the cafeteria from top to bottom with red hearts, streamers and red and white balloons. They also displayed the ADADC’s huge inflatable cow, a giant inflatable milk bottle and a huge Schwann’s Big Daddy cardboard pizza cut-out.

Students also had an opportunity to win prizes that day if they bought from the special cheesy menu. Each time they purchased an item they received a little trinket and an entry for a chance to win a portable DVD player, a $50 Best Buy gift card or one of four Big Daddy pizza parties.

The day was a huge success and the new cafeteria cooler prize was, according to the high school Food Services staff, “The topping on the pizza!”