TAMPA, Fla. — Budding food critics from Tomlin Middle School in Plant City are deciding the fate of next year's cafeteria menu.
Stephanie, a student there, is determined to get one delicious new delicacy added to the options:
"Fiesta Tots," she said. "Delicious!"
Fiesta Tots — think tater-tot nachos — are just one of dozens of potential food items that Hillsborough County School students are voting on this week at the annual School Lunch Experience at Tampa's Silo Event Center.
Forty of the school district's chefs prepared mini meals for the students to try, newfangled fare like cherry blossom chicken with yellow rice and Korean BBQ meatballs on lo mein.
The yearly event turns hundreds of local kids into junior food critics, taste-testing and voting on new creations that could be added to school lunch menus next year.
"It's only nutritious if the kids eat it," said Shani Hall, general manager of Student Nutrition Services. "We can only be the best out there if we listen to our customers."
Last year, students picked an overwhelming favorite: orange chicken, an Asian dish.
This year, they were most excited about those Fiesta Tots and healthier versions of "Uncrustables," including one with peanut butter and honey.
“You know, I gave him probably the biggest hug I could ever recall giving him, and he held on tight"
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