Big Spring food service director, Michelle Morgan, has introduced new pop up stands at lunches for students to expand their palettes with food choices from many different cultures. These pop up stands differ every time they are offered, with most being a popular dish from other areas of the world, and some being a typical American meal. The purpose of these meals is to expose students to different food experiences and to spice up the cuisine our cafeteria has to offer. It’s a “test drive” for the food service program, as the most popular pop ups end up on the lunch menu rotation. “The Indian pop up was actually one of our most popular.” Morgan said. “We put it on as a regular rotation on our create station.” Morgan said the “create station” is where students get to come up and basically put whatever toppings you want on the food that is being served that day. She looks forward to adding more pop ups to the create station in the future.
With 7 different pop ups occurring this year, Morgan said, “It brings everybody together, and there’s nothing quite like watching the kids race to see what pop up is set up that day.” This is particularly true about the Hawaiian Moco Loco dish. The cultural dish was served with rice and a smash beef patty on the rice. To top it off, there is a sunny-side-up egg smothered in gravy, with some green onions sprinkled on top. It was complimented with traditional Hawaiian vegetables on the side, optional for students to try or to leave out. A classic Moco Loco in Hawaii is made the exact same way. The ingredients are simple, but the Bulldog Cafe staff got the recipe right down to the smallest detail.
Morgan didn’t set this up all by herself, though. She had help from her lead Sarah Bostic and her head chef Melissa Carlson, as well as the rest of the Chartwells staff. Bostic and Carlson spend their day serving the pop up food (on days it’s available). One is responsible for putting together the free samples, while the other serves the actual meal. They don’t just serve the food, they make sure to sample it for themselves as well. “The omelet bar and the Indian food were by far my favorite,” Bostic said in the kitchen. In fact, she said the omelet bar was such a success, they are bringing it back with more toppings and options available for students to customize. Carlson makes and whisks the eggs right in front of the buyer, so freshness is guaranteed when buying from the pop up stand.
Don’t take their word for it, seniors Ben Seiler and Ian Heishman both eat the pop up stands whenever they are available. There is not one pop up they have missed, and they are widely recognized across the kitchen as the “top customers.” Heishman described the pop ups and said, “New and great and exciting and delicious.” Seiler said “They’re so good… I’ve never had anything like it”. Students are open to trying new food items at Big Spring High School, and they are not disappointed with the results. Seiler said, “Other students agree with us, anyone who tries it loves it.” It’s not all perfect though. Heishman and Seiler’s one complaint was that it needed to be offered more often. They like it too much, and they believe that having a two week gap in between each pop up is too long of a wait.
