TAMPA, Fla. — “We love sushi!”
With tiny hands, the fifth-graders at Tampa’s Mabry Elementary School reach for trays of California rolls in the lunch line.
A few months ago, this school was one of a few in the Tampa Bay area to begin testing sushi as a lunch option for grade-schoolers.
It’s been a smash hit ever since.
“The first day we go it, we sold about 24 trays in about 15 minutes,” says Mabry Elementary cafeteria worker Tracy Riopelle.
The sushi goes for $5 a tray.
HILLSBOROUGH NEWS | The latest headlines from Hillsborough County
The California rolls arrive frozen via a Seattle-based seafood company called Trident. The sushi is then thawed at the schools and put on the lunch line — where it goes fast.
Grade-school cafeterias now offer kids a wider selection than ever before. There are vegetarian, gluten-free and healthy options. And now, sushi.
But the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The Mabry Elementary kitchen recently introduced curious students to a “classic" sandwich: Sloppy Joes.
