Taste or Washington Day came on Sept. 25 to Wenatchee High School during both lunches, significantly smaller than previous years due to a larger focus on the event in elementary and middle schools.

Getzin said this is because they are focusing on bringing the event’s diverse produce from local farmers to the younger schools and the food to the high school. There have been changes made in the entire food program due to new regulations that must be met to ensure healthy, hunger free kids.

The kitchen staff made samples of barbequed turkey and apple jicama salsa; created a baked potato bar; and made pizzas with fresh produce from local farms.  Melons, grapes, pears, jicama, and apples came from American Produce in Omak, and sweet peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, nectarines, plums, and more apples came from Magana Farms in Sunnyside.

The meal had more extensive preparation than a normal lunch according to Valerie Gray, kitchen manager at WHS. Gray was part of a group that helped plan the meal. Kent Getzin, the Director of Food Services of the Wenatchee School District, said that  it was no more expensive than the daily lunches as Washington grown products are brought in daily.

Taste Washington is a statewide program in its fourth year, according to Getzin. “[Taste Washington] is first and foremost focused on bringing produce from farm to school,” said Getzin. “Good, fresh whole foods from local areas are good for kids.”

While the WHS Kitchen prepared the food samples for the high school, some of the middle school kitchens made food for more than one venue and sent out the meals. Gray said that many students participated and were so willing to try the samples that they ran out in the middle of second lunch.  After providing breakfast and snacks for about 350 students and lunch for about 700 kids daily, she was pleased that they trusted the school’s cooking enough to try some mysterious new food.