Umatilla School District Increases Lunch Participation with Student-Driven Menu Featuring Traditional Pozole

When students asked for pozole on their school lunch menu, Umatilla School District listened, and the results transformed their cafeteria program. This student-driven approach to menu development showcases how incorporating traditional foods and centering student voices can dramatically improve school meal participation and cultural connection.

Students Lead Menu Innovation

In the winter of 2023, FoodCorps Members Rosa Medina and Lourdes Yparraguirre heard directly from students at Umatilla School District in Oregon that they wanted to see pozole—a traditional hearty Mexican stew—added to their cafeteria menu. Rather than dismissing this request, the team took action to make it happen.
Rosa found a pozole recipe and adjusted it to comply with school nutrition standards while maintaining its authentic flavors. Understanding the importance of building support throughout the school community, she implemented a comprehensive taste test.

Building Community Buy-In Through Taste Tests

The pozole introduction followed a thoughtful, systematic approach. Rosa first conducted taste tests with staff to build their buy-in and support. She then expanded testing to high school and middle school students, before finally bringing the taste test to McNary Heights Elementary.
After completing all four taste tests, Rosa encouraged her students to share their reviews of the pozole with their families and school nutrition staff. The results were overwhelmingly positive—91% of students approved the recipe. This strong student endorsement ultimately led to the decision to add pozole to the official cafeteria menu.

Local Sourcing Drives Success

The pozole recipe incorporates many locally sourced ingredients, connecting students to different cultures—including their own—but also to their local food system. Since adding this traditional dish to the menu, lunch participation has notably increased, demonstrating the power of culturally relevant, locally-sourced school meals.

Building Sustainable Capacity

One of the district’s primary partnership goals with FoodCorps was to build capacity for permanent staffing in food education and school nutrition programming. This strategic investment in long-term sustainability paid off significantly.
After five years of successful partnership, Child Nutrition Director Rikkilynn Starliper pitched a full-time position to the district administration. The district approved the request and hired FoodCorps Food Education Member Lourdes as their new Child Nutrition Coordinator, creating a permanent role dedicated to this work.

The impact of this systematic approach to menu development and permanent staffing has been substantial. In the 2024-2025 school year, Umatilla School District successfully served approximately 20 scratch-cooked recipes—a testament to the power of creating systems and staff roles that center student feedback in driving ongoing menu change.
This success story demonstrates how listening to students, incorporating traditional foods, and investing in dedicated staff can transform school meal programs while increasing participation and cultural connection.

The Pork Pozole Recipe for schools is provided below in English and Spanish.

For more information about programs like this, visit FoodCorps.

Article written by Aaron Poplack, Oregon Policy & Program Lead for Foodcorps.