DJEats: Davis High food truck

By Molly Burke and Mariana Carvajal,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

Davis High recently bought a food truck (“DJEats”) to create an improved dining experience for students.

Dominic Machi, the director of student nutrition services at the school district, explained that the truck is a way to build community and create a positive lunch experience for students.

“We didn’t give our students any type of dining experience,” Machi said about past school years’ lunch services.

Machi believes it’s important that the truck play music so that students can “finish out the day with the positive experience from the food truck.”

Another important aspect of the implementation of the food truck was fresher food made from scratch. Machi said that food is now fresh made inside the truck.

Sophomore Tomás Fong is a fan of the food truck.

“It’s masterfully designed and its eloquent design makes it wonderful,” Fong said, as he ate his chicken tacos.

Fong appreciates the quality of the food and says it’s “pretty healthy.” Although he likes all the meals, Fong likes the Blue Devil burger the best.

Sophomore Suebin Park also eats from the truck and believes that the food truck is much better than the food provided in the past by the school district.

“It obviously isn’t like a five star restaurant, but it does the job,” Park said.

People with all different diet restrictions can eat at the truck.

Junior Joyce Wu is allergic to seafood. She can always find something to eat at the food truck.

“You have options,” Wu said. “Different food is served on different days, but they don’t serve seafood, so I’m usually okay.”

Junior Sophy Fort is a vegan, which means she does not eat any food derived from animals. Fort has a harder time than Wu getting lunch at the food truck, so she packs her lunch at home.

“I don’t really care, I like bringing my own food to school,” Fort said. “But it would be convenient if the had, like, granola bars or something. That would be nice.”

Of course, timing is always an issue.

“If you go really late you don’t have a choice because they run out,” Wu said. “So as long as you’re there early, you won’t have a problem.”

All food allergy information can be found on the school district’s website. Students with diet restrictions should check this information before buying their lunches.

Machi said that the food exceeds United States Department of Agriculture standards. He explained that the guidelines rarely change because health standards have to be approved by Congress, so he has taken the initiative to make DJUSD lunches healthier and fresher than the law requires.

Local farming makes this possible.

“Davis is very fortunate that they get such fresh food because of their close resources,” said Jill Olson, a registered dietician and nutritionist who works for a proactive care program in Roseville.

She explained that the federal funding provided to schools goes farther in getting fresh food in Davis. This is because the proximity to agriculture makes fresh food more accessible and affordable.

According to Olson, many other schools have to resort to processed foods to stay within their budget.

Olson said that vegetables are the most “forgotten” food group. In addition, iron, zinc, calcium and vitamin D are often neglected. Schools have to provide one third of daily nutrients and calories, which includes one serving of fruit, two serving of grains, one serving of vegetables, one serving of dairy and one serving of meat or protein, according to Olson.