Northside Students Sample Sweet Potato Bars and Apples
Chef Paul Booth, from Taher Food Services, and Abby Grove, food services coordinator for the school district, served up four different varieties of apples, as well as sweet potato harvest bars, at Northside Elementary School. Photo by Ryan Anderson
By Ryan Anderson
Chef Paul Booth, from Taher Food Service, was in St. James October 8-9 promoting healthy eating among students.
He showcased a Minnesota Harvest Display, complete with sweet potato bars and four varieties of apples, October 9, and he was a guest instructor for a FACS class at the high school, where he taught students how to make pasta from scratch and preached against the evils of preservative-laden foods, October 8.
Minnesota possesses a thriving apple-growing industry, Booth said, and, with it being fall harvest season, apples made for a felicitous choice at lunch October 9. Students could take an entire apple, or a sample cup with slices from all four varieties–Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Gala.
Booth said the Granny Smith apples “are a little more sour” and perfect for caramel apples. “The apple still stands on its own,” even with the sweetness of the caramel.
Though Red Delicious “sells the best,” Booth, personally, thinks they are overrated. He favors the Gala, which are “awesome,” “tart, a little sweeter, (have a) nice crispness, (and are) fresh.”
In addition, Sweet potatoes “scream Minnesota,” not to mention they are a healthy alternative to most bars, he said. “They can be difficult to use in recipes, but this is a way to get a kid to eat sweet potatoes–healthy, made from scratch.”
