EAST GARFIELD PARK — The Haitian-spiced chicken, collard greens and pineapple parfait on Friday's Chicago Public Schools lunch menu will look and taste awfully familiar to five students at Marshall Metro High School.
That's because those students are the culinary minds behind the meal.
Their Caribbean-inspired creation took top honors in the Healthy Schools campaign's annual "Cooking Up Change" contest, held in October.
The prize: It will be served Friday to more than 400,000 kids in all CPS elementary and high schools, and the Marshall team will compete in the national finals in Washington, D.C., in June.
"It's cool but nerve-wracking at the same time," said Marshall teammate Stormy Briggs, 17.
Now in its eighth year, the contest is open to high school students in CPS' culinary arts and hospitality program. Twenty schools offer the program.
Teams of students must come up with dishes that meet federal nutrition standards, can be made in six or fewer steps using existing school equipment, and fall within the $1.20-a-plate budget — the same criteria that CPS and its food service provider Aramark adhere to daily.
On the plate, this translates to an entree with protein and whole grains, a vegetable side dish and a fruit side dish. The meal should total 750-800 calories, with specific limits on sodium (added salt is not allowed), fat and sugars, said Sara Porter, senior director of external affairs for the Healthy Schools campaign.
Planning begins shortly after the start of the school year, when students are given a list of available ingredients. Over the next five weeks, they develop, test and refine their dishes. Throughout the process, they must send their recipes to CPS nutritionists for feedback, nutritional analysis and, sometimes, rejection.
"Just when they think they've narrowed it down, we'll put in the nutritional requirements and send it back to them, and they've got to go back and tweak some more," said Leslie Fowler, CPS' executive director of nutrition support services and a contest judge.
The all-female Marshall team decided on Haitian-inspired chicken drumsticks seasoned with cumin, allspice and garlic powder in part because teammate Da'ovan Brown, 17, is part Haitian. But it was strategic, too. Last year's team made an African dish that was well-received, Brown said.
Chicken drumsticks, which Aramark sources from Miller Amish Country Poultry in Indiana, already are a preferred item among CPS' student body, Fowler said. She said she was impressed by the winning recipe's depth of flavor.
"It had added spiciness without being overbearing, and a lot of flavor without missing the salt," she said.
The collards are sauteed with garlic powder, Cajun spices and a splash of soy sauce. There are black beans and diced pineapple in the turmeric-scented rice.
The students are less forthcoming about what goes into their "Pineapple Surprise Parfait."
"You would have to taste it to find out the surprise," said Briggs, a junior.
It is possible the Marshall team's dishes and even those of their competitors might make it into CPS' regular lunch rotation, Fowler said.
That's what happened with last year's winner, Chicago Vocational Career Academy's curry chicken drumsticks and honey-cinnamon bananas.
"A lot of it comes down to student acceptability," said Dan Natterman, Aramark's vice president of operations. Friday "is kind of the litmus test."
If that happens, Briggs and Brown agreed they would be excited, though Brown did admit, "I am so sick of chicken."
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