What is for lunch at Petersburg, Richmond schools?

PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) -- Step inside the lunchroom at Petersburg High School this year and you'll see tacos, wings and pizza, but most importantly, students excited to eat.

Students in multiple Central Virginia school districts will enjoy upgraded lunches for the 2025-26 school year, after districts took their feedback into account.

This hasn't always been the case. A year ago, viral pictures of unappetizing lunches at a Petersburg City Public School (PCPS) led school officials to make a change. For the upcoming academic year, PCPS will continue its partnership with Taher Inc., a food service management company, to provide high-quality lunches.

"Nutrition is absolutely at the primary of our focus," said Rodel Endaluz, the district manager of Taher. "But at the same time, as you can see, we prioritize not just the nutrition, but also the culinary side of it. Making sure that the food is appealing, that it has a great taste profile and presentation."

Some students were able to try out this year's menu offerings at a lunch preview ahead of the first day of school. They chose from Kung Pao chicken wings, Korean pork tacos and nachos, as well as grilled vegetables and fresh-sliced fruit.

"Overall, I feel like it's cooked better," said Micah Scott, a rising 10th grader. "Tastes like more flavor."

"It was definitely better than last year," said Kemonie Peebles, also a rising 10th grader. "It wasn't dry as much. I had an apple too. That was really juicy."

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New options will also make their way to the cafeterias at Richmond Public Schools (RPS).

Earlier this year, the student advisory council allowed students to sample and weigh in on possible menu items. Some students expressed dissatisfaction with meal offerings from RPS in a school survey. School officials helped organize a "food fair" where students tried and voted on their favorite choices for this year's menu.

The school board said all the top 10 student meal choices, including Korean chicken, a fruit bowl with Tajin and jerk turkey street tacos, will be added to schools' menus.

"We listen to our students," said Shannon Ebron, RPS Nutrition Services Director. "We heard them, and we're making it happen."

For nutrition services workers across school districts, the goal is to provide a good lunch that can give extra support to students in need.

"Sometimes their first meal or their lunch might be their only meal," said Tealece Martin, food service administrator at PCPS. "We want to make sure that if that is their only option, that we give them the best option to allow them to continue to fuel."

"We gotta fuel these brains so that they can continue to be amazing children in our community," Martin said.

Martin assured they're hoping to continue the partnership for at least three more years after this year's contract between PCPS and Taher.