As soon as tutorial ends every other Tuesday, scores of students flood the cafeteria. They’re there for one reason: free and delicious smoothies.
The smoothies, which are made in batches of approximately 150, come in the flavors of mango, strawberry, berry and blueberry.
While these smoothies were introduced during this school year, it is not the first time that the cafeteria has offered cold drinks.
According to cafeteria lead Orfa Escalante, the cafeteria offered chocolate, vanilla and strawberry milkshakes in 2019. At the time, the smoothies cost around $5 and were offered until a change in government policy required a reduced sugar intake for school food.
Now that cold drinks have been brought back, they are served at no cost to students, along with the rest of the school lunch and snacks, due to the California Universal Meals Program, which has been in place since 2022. The smoothies are also much healthier than before, consisting of frozen fruit, vanilla yogurt and milk with no added sugar.
Despite being healthier, they are a hit because of their fruity taste. Freshman Isadora Rupert is one of the fans of the drinks.
“I really like the combination between texture and flavor since the ice cools down my throat and complements the fruits in the smoothie,” Rupert said. “Other school lunches are offered way more frequently, but the smoothies feel like a reward and offer a change in my palate.”
Making the smoothies starts around 8:30 a.m. and is done by Escalante and cafeteria staffer Amalia Martinez. They take approximately an hour to an hour and a half to finish. They are blended in three large blenders, which ensures the quality of each individual smoothie.
While the drinks normally don’t totally run out even with their popularity, Escalante hopes to increase both the quantity and frequency at which the smoothies are offered.
“We thought it was too cold to offer the smoothies a couple times a month, but to our surprise, everyone likes them,” Escalante said. “I am trying to put a request in to offer the smoothies every other Tuesday and make around 200 smoothies, because they are so popular.”
With the hot weather starting to show up, the fruity and refreshing drinks may soon become a weekly snack for students to enjoy.
