BURTON, Mich. — School lunches are getting an update, and Bendle High School students are getting a first taste of a new menu item.
Students recently got a first taste of Korean BBQ beef mini flatbreads with cilantro-lime slaw, one example of new menu options being served in school cafeterias.
“I was excited to try it, but it was really good,” said Ryleigh, an 11th grade student.
Fellow 11th grader Robert says he would order it again. “I tried it with the coleslaw and I think it added like a little extra crunch and it made it better.”
The new dish is part of a bigger change in lunchrooms.
Bendle Public Schools Superintendent Trisha Cherveny contrasted the new menu with a lunch she remembers from her own school days.
“I think my favorite school lunch back then was that rectangular piece of pizza,” Cherveny said. “Today if I were a student, I honestly think I would have a hard time deciding.”
Michigan School Meals provides free breakfast and lunch to public school students across the state.
Dr. Deanne Kelleher, director of the Michigan Department of Education’s Office of Nutrition Services, said access to free meals can improve attendance and help students prepare for the school day.
Bendle is also adding more locally grown food through the Good Food for Michigan project. Flint Fresh connects the district with local farmers.
The state’s 10 Cents a Meal program, run through the Department of Education’s nutrition services office, incentivizes schools to buy local food.
“It’s really nice to be able to bring in the fresh stuff because they get excited about lunch and that’s what we want,” said Dawn Pully, food service director for Bendle Public Schools.
Dr. Tim Boring, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said buying locally supports Michigan agriculture and local economies.
“It builds stronger systems within our local communities,” Boring said. “It’s tying a lot of these pieces together, right? Making sure that our economies are functioning well. We’re supporting Michigan agriculture. We’re feeding kids well.”
Students are noticing the difference, and officials hope more districts will fill those trays with food grown closer to home.
“I think the promise is to make sure they have fresh, healthy food,” Pully said. “We get carrots from up here. They’re going to taste a whole completely different than the ones that you buy what are from states and states away.”
Subscribe to the WNEM TV5 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every day.
Copyright 2026 WNEM. All rights reserved.
