Lexington schools expand foodservice options

LEXINGTON, Mass. — Alaskan king salmon, corn tortillas with cheese, and ramen noodle bars are just some of the options Lexington students will see in their cafeterias this school year.

Whitsons School Nutrition, the food service provider to Lexington Public Schools, will offer a greater variety of choices for student lunches this year. Some of the ingredients for the meals come from New England.

"With the population here, I'm finding fish is going to be popular," Food Service Director Kevin Silvia said

Silvia said Lexington High School students enjoyed having tilapia crusted fish in the past, and may have the right palate for salmon. Whitsons School Nutrition's vendor is in Juno, Alaska, researching Taku River Red, a fishing business that may provide wild fresh king salmon to Lexington High School students.

Whitsons School Nutrition is part of Whitson's Culinary Group, a 35-year-old company based in Attleboro. The company website states that meals are made with "wholesome, high quality menus, prepared fresh daily from locally sourced ingredients," some of which come from 19 farms in Massachusetts and a farm in Maine.

"Our vendor knows we go local first," said Silvia.

Silvia said many of the fresh fruits and vegetables come from New England – including apples, tomatoes, zucchini and carrots – while others can only come from out of state – such as oranges and bananas – especially during cold weather.