Richardson ISD’s Child Nutrition Department, led by Executive Director of Child Nutrition Alissa Gustof, strives to provide meals that are not only popular with students but also delicious, nutritious, and affordable. Months of work go into each new menu item, planning for the summer, and staying abreast of USDA guidelines. Gustof and her team attend food shows, receive continuous training, and visit other school districts to determine best practices within the industry and ensure that RISD’s meal program is top-notch.

Assessing Menu Items

Eating on campus is affordable, given that students can purchase breakfast or lunch for less than $3.00, along with a la carte items which vary from week to week. Each year the department analyzes which offerings are popular, which aren’t, and what can be added to enhance the menus. Gustof’s stated goal is to replicate students’ preferences and find ways to fit their preferences into USDA guidelines/regulations within cost parameters dictated by the District’s budget.

When assessing new options, new recipes are first sampled in test kitchens and then in the field, with employees preparing the food and getting “buy-in” from employees. Once a menu item passes the “employee test,” the team solicits feedback from students. 1000 surveys were completed for the menu items that will be added for the ‘25-‘26 school year.

Several new and exciting menu options have recently been introduced by Gustof’s team. A spicy chicken sandwich is a crowd favorite, as is the new chicken curry dish. They’ve also added bento boxes, orange chicken, spicy tacos, tamales, jerk chicken, and curry rice and beans.

Summer Meal Resources
In spite of the district’s affordable breakfast and lunch options, 52% of all students qualify for free and reduced lunches, making a summer food program absolutely essential to the welfare of more than half of the District’s students. RISD’s answer to this growing need is its Seamless Summer Option, an extension of the national school lunch program. This summer, six summer school sites will be serving lunch, two of which are home to refugee services as well.

RISD responds to the community’s need for food availability during the summer months through two resources. First, the district offers summer meals from May 29 – Aug. 1 at various locations, all of which can be found on the district’s website. Summer meals must be eaten on campus and cannot be taken to go. However, students are not required to show ID, and any young person who is between the ages of 1 and 18 will be served a meal.

In addition, the Network of Community Ministries mobile food pantry stops at different places around RISD duringthe  summer months. The Network Mobile Market schedule can be found on their website at network.org.

A Focus on Wellness

Gustof shares a message about the importance of both nutrition and overall wellness via the department’s website. She emphasizes the importance of both nutrition AND fitness, and the site provides information on these topics for teachers, parents, and students,s along with a variety of learning tools.