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Food services served salads for special speaker US Rep. Tim Ryan
AUSTINTOWN
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, helped Austintown Fitch High School food services reintroduce a salad bar for students during their lunch periods.
“One of the things you need to know is that you will be a direct result of what you put into your body,” Ryan said Wednesday afternoon.
Tascin Brooks, the school district’s food-service director, said she was happy to lead the high school into another healthful venue for students to choose from during their lunch hour. Brooks also brought a coffee bar to Fitch, and recently participated in the Frito Throw Down, a program challenging school administrators to make the best-tasting healthful dish to add to the lunch menu.
“It’s exciting – I love my job,” she said. “This is my passion.”
Brooks said the salad bar is one of the most-requested items at the high-school level. She introduced it last year and has since made adjustments in cost and options to put it to the test again.
The salads cost $2.75 with various lettuce, toppings, meat and cheese options.
Senior McKayla Gaus said she thought it was cool that Brooks has brought so many food options to Austintown.
Kathy Mock, school board president, said the reintroduction of the salad bar is a wonderful idea that provides students the choice to be more healthful.
“Healthy choices are the best way for students to stay healthy,” Mock said.
Mock applauded Brooks for constantly trying new things to get students to enjoy the food she serves while maintaining a healthy-food status.
“She’s phenomenal, very creative and gets the job done,” Mock said. “She’s not afraid to take risks, and she does great things.”
Several other food-service workers said Brooks takes her work home with her, never completing her workday at 5 p.m.
“There’s always more to do,” Brooks said.
Ryan said he came not only to support the salad bar, an item that falls within his sponsorship of Salad Bars in Schools Expansion Act, but also the healthy-food initiative Brooks has taken upon herself to enforce.
The Salad Bars in Schools Expansion Act was introduced in June, promoting salad bars and a five-year grant program for more training and technical assistance for schools.
He said the key to success is awareness.
“You’ll notice when you eat good foods, you’ll function at a very high level, be able to pay attention and go a little further,” Ryan said.