Oodles of noodles: New school lunch is a big hit in Portland Public Schools

 

Big congratulations to our very own, Ayla Ercin, for having a positive impact on our community and getting featured on KATU News! Check out her product, and how it all came about! [Link to video interview at the bottom]

PORTLAND, Ore. — A locally developed and sourced yakisoba noodle is getting a big thumbs up from children in Portland Public Schools, and it's garnered a national award.

"The secret to this yakisoba noodle is it contains 50% whole grains, and that’s not the norm in yakisoba noodles, but we did a lot of research and development in order to create a good noodle," said Ayla Ercin, co-founder of Umi Organic.

That good noodle eventually made its way into school lunches at the Japanese Immersion program at Richmond Elementary School. It was a big hit.

"They love noodles. I’ve got two kids at PPS and they are so excited about noodle day," said Ercin. "It happens now every six weeks and they’re, like, “noodle day! Here we come!'”

After meeting with school nutrition services managers at the school, Umi Organic of Portland had to meet certain requirements: The noodles had to be 50% whole grains and had to be prepared in an oven.

"Once you meet the federal and the state requirements, it’s really easy to slot into schools. It’s a great opportunity to really bring these local, organic foods to market," Ercin said.

After some trial and error, Umi Organic developed a noodle made of durum and Edison wheat -- sourced from Camas Country Mill in Junction City.

"It was kind of a fun challenge. It took a little while, but we did it," Ercin said.

Earlier this month, Food Management, a new service that covers non-commercial food service, named the yakisoba noodle lunch as the top school lunch in the nation -- in the pasta category.

"This school year it’s on the menu every six weeks. Yeah, so it’s fabulous," Ercin said.

The yakisoba noodle lunch, which comes with lots of veggies and a chicken option, will now be served in school lunchrooms districtwide.

Reynolds School District and Eugene School District say they'll also be adding the noodles to their lunch menus.

 
Samantha Gee