Collage of families and students smiling while eating together at cafeteria tables during a school meal event.Mac and cheese with blue catfish. Halal chicken tikka masala. Jamaican patties. These were just a few of the dishes more than 800 students, families, and community members sampled at C.D. Hylton High School recently for the 35th annual PWCS Food Show. 

The event drew its largest turnout in recent years, with attendees tasting and rating dishes being considered for future school menus. 

“We were thrilled to see more than 800 members of our community join us this year and share such thoughtful and positive feedback,” said Andrea Early, director of food and nutrition. “This event is only possible because of the tremendous work of our food and nutrition staff, and I am so grateful to everyone who helped make the evening a success. Most importantly, we appreciate every student and family who tasted, rated, and shared their thoughts. Their feedback is helping us shape next year’s school menus.” 

With plenty to taste, there was even more to talk about. The menu featured everything from savory entrées and Sweet Heat onion rings to cinnamon spice waffles, along with vegetarian, vegan, halal-certified, and student-recipe options. 

And the opinions were not hard to come by. 

A third-grade student from Bristow Run Elementary School was especially impressed by the Southern Tide Mac ‘n Cheese, a creamy macaroni and cheese made with seasoned wild-caught blue catfish. He said that if it makes its way onto next year’s lunch menu, it would immediately surpass popcorn chicken as his favorite.  

For anyone familiar with the legendary status of popcorn chicken in PWCS cafeterias, that is a big deal. 

A seventh-grade student from Saunders Middle School found something familiar in the halal chicken tikka masala served over basmati rice.  

“It tastes a lot like what my dad makes me at home all the time,” she shared. 

Meanwhile, a pair of parents from Rosa Parks Elementary School gave the Jamaican patty an enthusiastic review. 

“If we had stuff like this growing up in school, we wouldn’t have settled for soggy PB&Js from home,” they joked. 

But the entrées were not the only items getting attention. The sauce bar emerged as one of the evening highlights, inviting attendees to mix, match, and find the perfect pairing. Awesome Sauce lived up to its name alongside the breaded onion rings, which also came in a spicy Sweet Heat version. The Avocado Jalapeño Crema, served with the beef barbacoa, would not have been out of place at a favorite local taco spot. With five sauces to sample, including lemon dill aioli, teriyaki, and barbecue sauce, there were plenty of combinations to try.  

Of course, all that tasting came with an assignment. Feedback collected throughout the evening will help the PWCS Food and Nutrition team determine which items could earn a spot on school menus next year, giving students and families a direct voice in what the division serves.