“I love avocados. Love them, live them, eat them,” exclaims Amanda Schwengler, a 12th grader. This year, student lunch has taken a dramatic turn in the form of the avocados. Many people including Mr. Loo are “pro-cado,” but not many people even know that they are featured in the lunches. Christine Menge, another 12th grader, shocked at the thought of avocados on the school’s sandwiches and salads exclaims, “There are avocados now the sandwiches!?” The answer is definitively yes and can be traced back to the new district executive chef, Jeff Chounard.

When asked why avocados Mr. Chounard replied, “I just wanted to introduce something different.” Mr. Chounard explained that he is sick of the same 4 or 5 sandwiches per day, “so why not incorporate two new and different ones each day.” Adding avocado to the school’s sandwiches has helped increase the variety at lunch. Students are no longer stuck in a rut when it comes to choosing what they want to eat.

Also, avocados are packed with important nutrients.Mr. Chounard elaborated, “ Well I’m no nutritionist but avocados are loaded with vitamins. They’re good for kids.”   Lunch staff have noticed that salad purchases have tripled this year which can be linked to the avocados. “The salads are awesome this year,” Mr. Loo exclaimed. Rodney Moorehead of Blaine High School food service points out the school makes on average 48 avocado sandwiches a day and they always sell through them. It’s good to see students are learning to make healthier decisions.

Mr. Chounard says he has future plans for the lunch at Blaine, he wants the school’s lunch to continue evolving. Mr.Chounard says look out for spicy popcorn chicken and a new brand of pizza that should be hitting Blaine January and February for taste testing. The goal with the school’s lunch is to provide a well balanced diet. Nutrition is important. Next year Mr. Chournard says he plans to make small changes in small increments so as not to freak anyone out. He wants to switch to a low sodium menu and avocados fit perfectly into this plan. Students also look forward to change. Alex, a 10th grader in Mr. Banse’s class, says he wants to see guacamole added to the menu.

There has been a lot of change this year with the BHS lunch menu, but it’s for the better. The new lunch options are healthier as well as delicious. So go on down to the cafeteria and try out something you haven’t tried yet. You may just find out they’re pretty awesome.