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School Foodservice

School Foodservice Operator of the Month: Marilyn Volden

December 2018

Title: Nutrition Supervisor

District: LaCrosse School District, WI

Students Served: 6,400 lunches a day and 3,000 breakfasts a day

Favorite Potato Hack: Totchos! “Students love all our totcho menus, breakfast and lunch. Also, Totchos To Go scored high in student sampling!”

That’s right, “Breakfast Totchos To-Go” was a favorite among students at Hamilton Early Learning Center. Give this hearty yet simple dish a try and let us know what you think!

PotatoesUSA_School_Foodservice_One-Pager_Breakfast_Totchos_To-Go

Taking the Potato Show on the Road to LaCrosse, Wisconsin

On November 7, the Potatoes USA team met with the School District of LaCrosse, Wisconsin to test our potato recipes and learn firsthand how we can improve our K-12 efforts. The first-of-its-kind test and learn event boasted many key activities:

Recipe Testing: The Hamilton Early Learning Center foodservice staff, part of the School District of LaCrosse, tested five of our recipes, including Breakfast Totchos To-Go, Warm Baked Red Potato Salad, Mashed Potato and Chicken “Samosa” Flatbread, Cuban Mojo Ham and Potato Salad and a Game Day-themed salad bar schematic.

A Student/Parent Focus Group: After students and parents enjoyed a sample of each recipe, they were asked to rate it on a “Yum Scale,” ranging from “Love It” to “It’s Okay” to “No Thanks.” In addition, the team dove deeper into students’ attitudes about potatoes with an open discussion, gaining valuable feedback for future recipe development.

Broadcast Coverage: Potatoes USA and school staffers weren’t the only folks to attend the event; local LaCrosse residents had a chance to catch part of the action via six separate broadcast airings from WKBT-CBS and WXOW-ABC!

The Potatoes USA team is reviewing learnings from its first roadshow stop to better serve you as partners in school foodservice. A special thank you goes out to Marilyn Volden, Lyn Halvorson, Heather Skiles, Shannon Daily and the rest of the amazing School District of LaCrosse staff for being such generous hosts!

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