Meal Project Final Report

Zachary Neveu

Greek Harvest Menu

Nashua School District
Intern Year 2016-2017

Table of Contents
Introduction..2
Signs and Marketing Materials....3
Recipes.6
-Moussaka6
-Red Lentil Dal8
-Greek Salad...9
-Hummus....10
-Tzatziki.11
-Melopita....12
Budget13
Production Sheets and Service diagram.....14
Evaluation Tool and Results..17
Conclusion.18

Introduction

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 For my menu project, I wanted to do food from another culture. The reason I wanted to
do this was lately I have been thinking a lot about food and culture and how a lot of people see
other cultures negatively when compared to their own. In the United States, currently, this is
definitely true for Middle Eastern cultures. I wanted to do Middle Eastern food to demonstrate
how unique it is. I believe food plays a major role in culture and a major role in helping us come
together as people.
While designing the menu I wanted to have most of the recipes be practical recipes that
could be produced by the school district after I am gone with a low cost, low skill requirement
and low labor cost. I also wanted at least 1 or 2 items that I could put a lot of time into and make
a specialty item. I also took into consideration preparation of the meal and made sure that there
was a lot of prep that could be done the day before so the meal wasnt loaded all into one day as I
knew lunch would be served early around 11 am and have to be fully completed. As I started
designing recipes and ideas I ended up on a couple recipes that I wanted to do and worked with
my requirements, moussaka, hummus, tzatziki sauce. These recipes naturally fit a Greek theme,
so I decided to design the rest of my meal around it and adopt a Greek theme.
My main goal for this meal project was to design the food as traditionally and culturally
accurate as possible. This is difficult as a large part of culinary arts is your ingredients and
although I have access to a lot of different ingredients I would not be cooking with a lot of
traditional ingredients from Greece (It was a little far away to make the trip). I did not want to
make a special meal that was easy to make and was comfort food for the students of the school
system, I wanted to make something that would put them a little outside of their comfort zone
and hopefully provide them with new tastes and culinary experiences. We decided on doing it at
Nashua South High School as I had worked there a day or so, the coordinator and chef received
it very positively and there was a large number of students to try the food.
My original menu included Moussaka as a main protein, an option of red lentil dal or
Greek salad as a vegetable, pita bread with hummus or tzatziki sauce as a starch and baklava as a
dessert. I was informed by Amy Cassidy that the school is a nut free facility and then
remembered Baklava is made primarily with nuts. I decided to go with melopita as a dessert
which is a Greek cheesecake made with honey and traditional Greek cheese (I substituted
ricotta). On the following page you will see my menu and other marketing material.

Menu and original advertisement

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Sign posted for Service

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Place Cards for Tables

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 Greek Moussaka

Servings: 100 servings Serving Size: 5.5 ounces Cost Per Serving: $1.06

Ingredients: US Standard
For the meat sauce
Olive oil 1 cup
Bay leaves, dried 30 leaves
Cinnamon, sticks 10 each
Onion, yellow, finely chopped 5 large
Beef, ground 10 pounds
Tomato paste 1 cup
Nutmeg, ground 1 teaspoon
Cloves, ground 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon, ground 2 Tablespoons
Salt and black pepper To taste
Red wine vinegar cup
White sugar 2 Tablespoons
Whole peeled tomatoes, canned 5, 28 ounce can
For the bchamel
Unsalted butter 1 pounds
Flour, all-purpose 2 cup
Nutmeg, ground 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon, ground 1 teaspoon
Milk, whole 5 quarts
Eggs, large 20 eggs
Gruyere, cheese, grated 20 ounces
For the eggplant
Eggplants, large, peeled and sliced thinly crosswise 15 eggplants
Cinnamon, ground As needed
Olive oil As needed

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Method of Preparation:
1. Gather all equipment and ingredients.
2. For the meat sauce Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add
the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, and onion. Cook until the onion is soft and translucent
(about 5 minutes)
3. Add the beef and then cook until all the liquid evaporates and the meat is well browned.
Once the mixture is dry and the beef is browned add the tomato paste, cinnamon, nutmeg
and cloves. Cook for about 2 minutes.
4. Add the vinegar, sugar, tomatoes and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a
simmer. Simmer while partially covered until almost all the liquid is evaporated and you
have a thick meat sauce (about 1 hours). Remove from heat and discard the cinnamon
and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
5. For the bchamel heat the butter in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add
the flour and mix and cook until smooth. Once the butter/flour mixture is starting to whiten
in color add the nutmeg, cinnamon and milk while whisking vigorously. Bring the mixture to
a slow boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Add in the cheese. The mixture should be
thickened, if it is not continue to cook until it has reduced and is thick. Whisk the eggs
together and then slowly add in the hot bchamel while whisking to temper the eggs, once
the egg mixture is hot slowly add it back to the bchamel while stirring.
6. For the eggplant Heat olive oil in a skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Dust the
eggplant with the cinnamon. In batches fry the eggplant in the oil until golden brown, about
10 minutes per batch.
7. For the moussaka Spread 1 cup of bchamel on the bottom of a large baking dish. Top
with half of the eggplants, add the meat sauce on the eggplants then another layer of
eggplants, then the remainder of the meat sauce and top the whole casserole with the
remainder of the bchamel. Bake in an oven at 350F for 1 hour or until the top of the
casserole is golden brown.

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 Red Lentil Dal

Number of Servings: 48 Serving Size: cup Cost Per Serving: $0.25

Ingredients: US Standard
Vegetable oil 6 Tablespoons
White onion, finely chopped 3 cups (1 medium onion)
Sweet potato, finely diced 7 cups (3 medium potatoes)
Ginger, fresh, minced 3 Tablespoon
Garlic, fresh, cloves, minced 6 cloves
Thai chili, medium, finely diced 4 each
Red lentils, dry 3 cups
Coriander, ground 3 Tablespoons
Cumin, ground 3 Tablespoons
Turmeric, ground 3 Tablespoons
Tomatoes, canned, chopped 3 cups
Salt, iodized 3 Tablespoons

Method of Preparation:

1. Gather all equipment and ingredients.

2. In a large saucepan heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saut until
soft and translucent. Add the sweet potato and saut for about 5 minutes or until edges
begin to soften. Add the ginger and garlic and saut until aromatic (about 3 minutes).
3. Reduce the heat to low. Add the chili and add the seeds if more heat is desired. Add the
lentils, coriander, cumin, turmeric and salt.
4. Stir the mixture until the lentils are well coated with oil. Add 3 quarts of water and the
tomatoes.
5. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil and then slowly lower heat until the
mixture is at a fast simmer (low to medium heat). Cook uncovered for 25 minutes or until
the lentils and potatoes are very soft. Occasionally stir the mixture gently.
6. Adjust seasoning if necessary and continue to simmer until the mixture has thickened to
desired thickness (About 30 minutes). The dal should not be s

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 Traditional Greek Salad
Obtained from http://www.mygreekdish.com/recipe/greek-feta-salad/

Yield: 56 salads Serving Size: cup Cost Per Serving: $0.51

Ingredients: US Standard
Plum tomatoes, cored, cut into wedges 21 tomatoes
Red onion, medium, sliced into rings 7 onion
Cucumber, English, sliced into half circles 7 cucumber
Green pepper, seeded, sliced 7 pepper
Black olives 6 cups olives
Feta cheese, cubed 3 pounds
Red wine vinegar cup
Olive oil, extra virgin 1 cup
Oregano dried 2 Tablespoons
Sea salt or kosher salt As needed

Method of Preparation:

1. Gather all equipment and ingredients.

2. Rinse and wash all the vegetables. Prepare the vegetables as stated and add the vegetables
and black olives to a bowl.
3. Add the salt, oregano, olive oil and vinegar, toss everything together.
4. Garnish with cubes of feta cheese, drizzle of olive oil and some dried oregano.

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 Hummus

Yield: 48 servings Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons Cost Per Serving: $0.08

Ingredients: US Standard
Chickpeas, canned, drained 19-20 ounce can
Tahini cup
Lemon juice, fresh cup
Chickpea canning liquid cup
Olive oil 1 Tablespoon
Cumin, ground 1 Tablespoon
Salt 1 teaspoon
Garlic cloves 6 cloves

Method of Preparation:

1. Gather all equipment and ingredients.

2. Make sure to drain the chickpeas well, reserve the canning liquid. Add the ingredients to a
food processor starting with the wet ingredients and adding the beans on top. Pulse the
mixture until it is starting to get smooth but is a little bit chunky. There shouldnt be any
whole chickpeas left.
3. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and refrigerate until service.

Chefs Notes: This hummus made fresh can be saved for around 3 to 5 days in refrigeration. It
will not freeze and thaw well so it should not be frozen.

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 Tzatziki Sauce

Yield: 66 servings Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons Cost Per Serving: $0.11

Ingredients: US Standard
Cucumber, English, peeled, finely grated 2 cucumbers
Greek yogurt, whole fat 4 cups
Garlic cloves, minced 12 cloves
Olive oil, extra virgin 6 Tablespoons
Vinegar, white 3 Tablespoon
Lemon juice, fresh 1 teaspoon
Salt, ground 1 teaspoon
Black pepper, ground teaspoon
Dill, fresh, minced 3 Tablespoon

Method of Preparation:
1. Gather all equipment and ingredients.
2. Grate the cucumber in a fine grater. Use a fine mesh strainer to strain out as much of the
liquid as possible.
3. Combine the yogurt, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, dill and cucumber in a bowl. Mix well
to combine.
4. Cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with
fresh dill or fresh mint.

Chefs Notes: This will last around 3-5 days in the fridge. If it starts to separate or break apart
then it has gone bad. You should not freeze the tzatziki sauce as it will separate.

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 Melopita (Greek Cheesecake)

Yield: 100 slices Serving Size: 3.5 oz. Cost Per Serving: $0.55

Ingredients: US Standard
White sugar 3 3/8 cup
Eggs, large 24 eggs
All-purpose flour 1 cup
Honey 6 cups
Lemon juice, fresh cup
Apple juice cup
Ricotta cheese 13 pounds
Cinnamon, ground 3 Tablespoons
White sugar cup

Method of Preparation:
1. Gather all equipment and ingredients. Preheat an oven to 350F. If using a convection oven
preheat it to 325F and keep the fan on low.
2. In a large bowl, beat together 3 3/8 cups of sugar and the eggs until creamy.
3. Mix in the flour and then add the honey, add the lemon and apple juice and then mix well
until fully combined.
4. Add the cheese to the mixture and beat until fully blended (about 2 minutes).
5. Butter or oil 2 full hotel pans and one half hotel pan. Divide the batter between these three
pans.
6. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or just until golden and firm in the middle. You should be able
to insert a toothpick into the middle and pull it out clean.
7. Sprinkle the warm cake with a mixture of cup of sugar and the 3 Tablespoons of
cinnamon, just until covered.
8. Allow the cake to cool down in the refrigerator. Cut each full hotel pan into 40 pieces (5 x
8). Cut the half hotel pan into 20 pieces (5 x 4).
9. Serve cold.

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 Budget and Financial Information
Lunches sell for $2.90 per student at Nashua High School South if they are not free or
reduced. Amy Cassidy informed me the average cost of producing a lunch is $2.75. I completed
a cost card for every menu which told me the total cost to product it as well as the cost per
serving. The cost per serving is included in each recipe.
Added up all of the costs together to get the cost of the meal the meal cost $2.63 or a little
below the average cost per meal for this school. A majority of the cost came from the moussaka
which cost the most to produce at $1.06 per portion. Comparatively the hummus cost $0.08 and
the tzatziki cost $0.11 per serving.
This meal took roughly 4 hours to produce in total for 3 people. At the average cost of
$11.58 per hour for food service employees at this establishment that is $138.96 to produce in
labor. It also required 2 people to serve for 2 hours at the same pay which amounts to $46.32.
The total labor for this meal was around $185.28. Nashua School district normally doesnt do
labor per meal or day as they have yearly contracts.
We sold 33 portions of the meal for $2.90 each. This comes out to $95.70, we made
around 100 portions of the meal though. Obviously this meal was not made to profit as a normal
meal could be chicken tenders put in an oven which takes minutes of labor to produce and
everything was made from scratch. There were a lot of leftovers which were sold. The moussaka
was kept for staff meal and eaten. The hummus, tzatziki and Greek salad were served on the
salad bar and were a huge success there. The melopita was served a couple days later as a
dessert.
Overall the hummus and tzatziki were very cost effective to make with labor and food
cost and they were universally enjoyed. The moussaka was far less cost effective and required a
lot of labor as well as being a lot harder to sell as it is rather adventurous. The dal was $0.25 per
portion which is a good price for a vegetable for this establishment but the Greek salad was
around $0.51 per serving which is higher and might not be as effective as a vegetable (but could
cut down on costs significantly by losing the feta and olive oil. The dessert was cost effective at
$0.55 per serving with little labor.

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Production Sheets

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 Service Diagram
Steam Table

Vegetarian Moussaka

Red Lentil Dal Meat Moussaka

Countertop

Olive oil Pita Bread

Dried Oregano

Cold Storage

Melopita (Ice chilled)

Greek Salad

Hummus Black Olive Salad Bar

(Not meal)

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Tzatziki Feta Salad Bar
(Not meal)

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 Evaluation Tool and Results

Greek Food Evaluation

1. How was the taste of the food on a scale from 1 to 5?

1 2 3 4 5
Tasted bad Tasted okay Tasted great

2. How was the appearance of the food on a scale of 1 to 5?

1 2 3 4 5
Looked bad Looked okay Looked great

3. Would you want to see this food in the cafeteria again?

Yes No

4. Please leave any additional comments in the space below.

Results
The results of the surveys were overwhelmingly positive. We had 15 surveys filled out.
All 15 surveys marked 5 for taste, there was one 3, two 4s and eleven 5s for appearance (one
didnt fill it out) and only two nos for wanting to see the food again (Both food service

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employees who noted It was a lot of work and Kids are fuzzy which meant she didnt think
the kids would go for it.)
The best result I got was from a teacher who happens to be Greek and consumes a lot of
Greek food as well as has been to Greece many times. She told me the food was great and the
tzatziki/hummus were really good. I was excited to see someone who was used to this food and
identified it by looking at it rather than reading the sign enjoyed it and thought it was culturally
appropriate. I asked her and she told me it tasted like real Greek food and that made me very
proud of the meal.

Conclusion
Overall, I believe the meal project was a success. It was not a financial success but it
would be hard for it to be with the theme and the labor cost of making it. I was not surprised that
not many students decided to purchase it however a lot of them did take free samples of it and

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enjoyed it. The adults really took to it which makes sense. This meal is a lot more targeted at
adults and not a school lunch. I am glad I chose to do this meal rather than an easier and more
accessible meal. I am confident I could design a meal that would fit a school lunch but this was a
lot more work for me.
I will keep working on the recipes used in this project to get them to where I want them
to be. The hummus and tzatziki were spot on mainly due to my awesome help while working on
this project. The moussaka could have come out better and is still a recipe I am working on. The
other recipes could use some improvement as well. I was assisted by two very talented
employees who helped me produce the meal. Mary, the cook, helped adjust the hummus and
tzatziki and I would not have been able to make them as good myself. Kendra made her first
bchamel sauce for the moussaka and helped me a lot with cutting and cooking it. She also
helped a lot with the dal. Lisa and Amy were both welcoming and understanding of the project.
Lisa helped me order the food and set up service and Amy not only helped me throughout my
whole rotation and was very attentive to my needs she actually cut out the place cards the day of.
I was a little nervous about designing the decorations as that is not my strong suit
however when I started shopping for decorations it came very naturally. I did a very lowkey
decoration as it is a school cafeteria. I decorated the line I was serving from and place a place
card at each table. Pictures of the decorations are available in the picture section next.
My time at Nashua School district was amazing mostly due to the people I worked with.
They were all willing to help me learn in any way I could. They were fun and easy to work with.
Although I do not believe I will ultimately pursue a position in school food service I have
learned a lot about it and I would much prefer working in a school as a manager than at a
restaurant.

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