Following the year-long break from school lunch, LOHS saw an opportunity to improve upon its food offerings. In the past, school cafeteria food has been met by students with mixed reviews and hasn’t lived up to its expectations nutritionally. However the new Director of Food Services, Cristobal Castro, strives to feed LO students with food of the quality and flavor profile that they deserve.

Castro saw a few main issues in LOHS’s approach to feeding its students. “Our lunch menus were the first thing I saw that we could improve on by adding new recipes that students will enjoy. Another was the way we present our food,” he said.

In response to Castro’s findings, LO expanded its menu and made sure that the food “looks and tastes great.”

The menus, compared to years past, offer many alternative options for students, including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan. For lunch, students can choose from more standard meals such as pizza, burgers, sandwiches, chicken burgers, tenders and pizza. There are also more adventurous options like various salads, bowls and wraps although these entrees often disappear from the warming shelves shortly after lunch begins due to their high popularity.

Students seem to appreciate the higher quality and better tasting meals. Junior Kieran Parreno, shared while eating his chicken burger, “It got exponentially better than it was two years ago. The taste is much better; I can tell it’s food.”

There, as always, are more improvements to be made in the LOHS Nutrition Services. Meals still often lack seasoning, nutritional value and sustenance as many students often have to eat more than one meal in order to feel satisfied. But considering the limited resources that they are allotted, the program is making good progress in feeding students what they deserve. 

There are even more upgrades on the way. Considering Castro’s goal of “ tak[ing] our Nutrition Services department to the next phase of school food and enhanc[ing] it…” there is reason to look forward to the months to come. Stay hungry, Lakers.