Eggcellence in School Menu Innovation 

is a recognition program developed to acknowledge the many creative ways school nutrition professionals serve eggs to students. Through this program, we honor the efforts of school nutrition teams to provide students with appealing, delicious and nutritious meals. We salute their successes and appreciate the passion they bring to school nutrition!

Scroll down to read about the menu creativity from the Class of 2018 Eggcellence Award winners. Here’s what we love about the egg use in these programs:

CHARLESTON COUNTY
SCHOOL DISTRICT, SOUTH CAROLINA

Walter Campbell, executive director nutrition services

 

This district with nearly 50,000 students set out to revamp and redesign its breakfast menu last summer or as they like to put it – ‘flipped the script’ on school breakfast. To accomplish this, the team invested hundreds of hours surveying students, faculty and parents to learn what they wanted for breakfast. Then they took that info and researched, cooked and tested recipes to determine what to serve to deliver on their expectations. In the end, the district director concluded, “CCSD students deserve the best, and eggs on our menu is a way we can assure they receive lasting nutrients to keep them focused and performing at their highest level.”

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Student feedback requested eggs be incorporated into daily breakfast offerings and that “Breakfast for Lunch” was offered monthly.
  • The menu research culminated in the launch of the Lowcountry Breakfast Plate. The new menu paid off in positive results for the program by increasing participation among students and, unexpectedly, faculty.
  • The Lowcountry Breakfast Plate offers a variety of traditional breakfast offerings, like scrambled eggs, house-made buttermilk biscuits and Southern-style grits, and lets diners mix and match among them.

Honorable Mentions

CARMEL CLAY SCHOOLS, INDIANA

Jennifer McFarland, school foodservice director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Elementary school students enjoy pancakes with cheesy eggs and bacon for lunch.
  • At the middle schools, cheesy omelets with a biscuit for breakfast increased participation.
  • High school students like eggs in all the formats served from a homemade Ramen Bowl with a hard-boiled egg to stir-fried rice with fresh scrambled eggs to a salad bar with diced hard-boiled eggs.

CYPRESS FAIRBANKS INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL DISTRICT, TEXAS

Darin Crawford, food service director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • At the Power Up Café on campus, nutrient-rich eggs are part of the monthly menu cycle and are served at both breakfast and lunch.
  • Middle and high school students enjoy different varieties of Breakfast Tacos and Breakfast Sandwiches with eggs, several times per month.
  • House-made entrée salads feature hard-boiled eggs at all of the school cafés.

DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOLS, IOWA

Amanda Miller, food service director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Started a breakfast-in-the-classroom program featuring egg wraps to keep kids from being hungry.
  • Egg-a-Doodle-Do Muffins make breakfast tasty and fun.
  • Breakfast participation is up this year as the school transitions to more ‘scratch’ cooking.

ELK GROVE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, ILLINOIS

Michelle Drake, foodservice director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • The district has its own bakery where eggs are used to create delicious, healthy baked goods.
  • An egg option is available for breakfast every day.
  • Scrambled eggs are easily transformed into kid favorites with the addition of diced ham or bacon and then wrapping them in a tortilla and serving with a side of salsa.

GRAPEVINE COLLEYVILLE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, TEXAS

Julie Telesca, food service director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Omelets, scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, egg sandwiches and more have regular spots on the four-week menu cycle in the district.
  • Cobb salad and other composed salads featuring eggs are popular with kids.
  • A variety of egg options gives students choices as part of a nutritious breakfast.

GREELEY-EVANS SCHOOL DISTRICT 6, COLORADO

Danielle Bock, nutrition services director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Kids got a treat during National School Breakfast Week 2018 with a new Breakfast Skillet, served as a breakfast for lunch item.
  • The district’s Tater Tot Breakfast Bowl – so on trend – tops tots with scrambled eggs and a house-made cheese sauce.
  • Breakfast Burritos (made with local ingredients) are served once a week. This egg-filled item is one of the most popular breakfast entrées in the school district.

LAKESIDE UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA

Sally Spero, child nutrition director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • One concept this creative district finds especially helpful is using muffin tins for egg dishes. The muffin-shaped items are easy to handle and eat even for the youngest students.
  • A student favorite is the Egg and Toast Cup—whole grain bread wrapped around an egg and cheese mixture.
  • Another muffin pan recipe is the Chorizo and Egg Tortilla Bowl, which includes two grain servings. The team has a crustless quiche recipe in the works.

LOUDOUN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, VIRGINIA

Dr. Becky Domokos-Bays, school nutrition services director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Open to new ideas, the district sampled EggPops at one elementary school during National School Breakfast Week 2017.
  • Protein packs, featuring hard-boiled eggs as an option, are a new item in the district this school year. Students can have them ala carte or as a sidekick to a salad base.
  • Vegetable quiches baked in individual bowls are also new this year. On the horizon for next year – sous-vide scrambled eggs for breakfast and brunch for lunch.

MAPLEWOOD-RICHMOND DISTRICT, MISSOURI

Irene Wan, school foodservice director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Students get to learn where their food comes from with the school farm and garden. Consequently, they are encouraged to try new foods grown there.
  • Eggs star in omelets offered for breakfast and in Breakfast for Lunch. Hard-boiled eggs are served diced as part of the salad bar.
  • Chef Robert Rusan often uses eggs as a meat alternate for students and staff, making beautiful vegetable frittatas and omelets enjoyed by vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

MENTOR VILLAGE EXEMPTED SCHOOLS, OHIO

Jeni Lange, supervisor of school nutrition

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Bird’s Nest Eggs – a breakfast item that the kids love – was hatched from a few staples in the kitchen, eggs, bread and shredded cheese.
  • Menu creativity is also displayed in this district’s breakfast nachos and breakfast pizza.
  • Handheld breakfast sandwiches are another item that often appears on the morning menu.

OAKLAND UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA

Jennifer LeBarre, food service director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • The implementation started with adding hard-boiled eggs to the breakfast after the bell grab and go menu. Each egg was served with a packet of Tajin seasoning, so the students could add their own level of flavor.
  • In October 2017, the district added a Cobb Salad, featuring hard-boiled eggs, to its secondary menu.
  • Hard-boiled eggs credit towards the meat/meat alternate requirement.

OYSTER RIVER COOPERATIVE DISTRICT, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Doris Demers, child nutrition director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Increasing breakfast participation has been a challenge but serving fresh eggs has helped.
  • Offering stuffed omelets and omelet bars gives students a chance to customize their eggs to their own taste.
  • A daily Chef Salad with ham, cheese and hard-boiled eggs is offered to elementary students.

SANTA CLARA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA

Karen Luna, director nutrition services

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Scrambled eggs are served daily in both middle and high schools. They’re cooked in small batches with milk to add flavor and keep them looking and tasting great.
  • Student athletes requested hard-boiled eggs, so they were added to the daily morning menu. Protein boxes with hard-boiled eggs – also student requested – are on deck for the summer menu at high school snack bars.
  • Last fall, a student favorite was a personal-sized, spinach and egg quiche. Although there were some sad faces when it rotated off the menu, students are now enjoying house-made, egg-dipped French toast.

SANTA CLARA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA

Karen Luna, director nutrition services

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Scrambled eggs are served daily in both middle and high schools. They’re cooked in small batches with milk to add flavor and keep them looking and tasting great.
  • Student athletes requested hard-boiled eggs, so they were added to the daily morning menu. Protein boxes with hard-boiled eggs – also student requested – are on deck for the summer menu at high school snack bars.
  • Last fall, a student favorite was a personal-sized, spinach and egg quiche. Although there were some sad faces when it rotated off the menu, students are now enjoying house-made, egg-dipped French toast.

TULLAHOMA CITY SCHOOLS, TENNESSEE

Angela Cardwell, director of school nutrition

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • This egg-friendly district serves high schoolers a scrambled egg bar every Tuesday and Thursday. Cold vegetables from the lunch salad bar are part of the options for students to top their eggs. Students are loving this new breakfast bar.
  • Other egg-containing breakfast items on the menu are cheese omelets, egg and cheese toast, hard-boiled eggs, egg & cheese biscuits/croissants, and breakfast pizza.
  • Grab n’ Go Protein Bento Boxes at lunch or on the salad bar, feature hard-boiled eggs, Cheddar cheese, hummus or peanut butter, and a selection of fresh fruit and veggies. They’re quick, easy, healthy and protein-packed.

WALTHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS, MASSACHUSETTS

April Liles, food service director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Eggs feature in a variety of breakfast wraps and sandwiches offered to K-12 students.
  • One way the team created excitement for the breakfast program was with an omelet station. They added to the fun by inviting school faculty to don aprons and cook.
  • Breakfast bowls are booming and push up ADP whenever they’re on the menu. They offer several versions from a Southwestern Egg Bowl with a southwestern/Mexican flavor profile and toppings to a Breakfast Skillet Bowl with tots or potatoes, eggs, and meats and/or vegetables, plus sauces like fresh salsa or guacamole.

WAUKEE COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT, IOWA

Jeannie Allgood, director nutrition services

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Breakfast is a classic time of day to offer eggs. Options include omelets, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches and turkey bacon and egg breakfast pizza.
  • Lunch is another opportunity to menu eggs on sandwiches, breakfast for lunch omelets and on salad bars.
  • During lunch service, the team even tried a build-your-own Protein Kit line, featuring hard-boiled eggs.

WHITESBORO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT, TEXAS

Alicia Tracy, director of food service

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • To keep menus fresh, different breakfast sandwiches are offered every week. Whole grain croissants, English muffins, pretzel buns and biscuits are paired with eggs, cheese and either ham, bacon or sausage.
  • With all those permutations, breakfast sandwiches are an eggcellent breakfast offering and one of their best-selling menu items.
  • At the high school, breakfast sandwiches are made with fresh eggs baked in muffin tins. Students like the ‘round egg’ on their sandwiches.

WINDHAM RAYMOND SCHOOL DISTRICT, MAINE

Jeanne Reilly, director

 

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

  • Middle and high school students are offered breakfast sandwiches with eggs every day as part of the menu. Meanwhile hard-boiled eggs are part of the grab & go breakfast served at the elementary schools. Breakfast pizza and wraps with eggs are also regularly featured on A.M. menus.
  • EggPops add eggcitement to Fun Friday themed breakfasts in the district. The novelty of the EggPops always sparks conversations with the students.
  • Lunch gets egg love too with egg salad sandwiches offered daily and Power Packed Protein Boxes on the menu. Kids love the grab & go boxes.