September 26, 2025
Gilbert Schools prides itself on the fact that it prioritizes the student voice in decisions that are made across the district.
Recently, Gilbert Food Service Director Tace Clarke and her team utilized the voices of our students in multiple buildings to come up with a new menu item that has become a hit.
Introducing the ramen noodle bar.
Let’s back up for a minute. Mrs. Clarke says the request for a ramen noodle bar goes all the way back to when she first came to our district in January of 2024, and she didn’t forget the wants of the students.
“When I first started, we had requests for steak, lobster, and ramen,” Mrs. Clarke said with a smile on her face. “I couldn’t do the steak or lobster, but the ramen has been in my head ever since then.”
As a member of the AEA purchasing committee, Mrs. Clarke advocated for the whole grain ramen that was needed to make it a viable option for a school meal.
“I’m certainly not the only person that wanted them, but I was among the group of people pushing for them,” she said.
It all came to fruition recently when our food service team unveiled the ramen noodle bar at the high school. But like some recipes, the first attempt was a bit of a miss. However, the team would not be deterred.
“The first time we tried it at the high school a few weeks ago, we used vegetarian broth, and we heard very quickly that it needed a lot more flavor,” Mrs. Clarke said. “What those students told us had an immediate impact, and we (tweaked) the recipe.”
And that brings us to earlier this week when our Gilbert Intermediate students were treated to the ramen noodle bar that featured Shoyu broth, which is a soy sauce-based broth known for its deep flavor. There was also sriracha available for students to use.
Like at the high school, the feedback was quick, and it came in the form of smiles on the faces of the students.
“After we made those adjustments and rolled it out, people were talking about it,” Mrs. Clarke said. “The reaction was tremendous.”
Also this month, our food service department rolled out another student request with a macaroni and cheese bar, and they also unveiled pupusa (for lack of a better description, think a taco hot pocket) — both of which received positive reactions.
These new menu items might not have come about had it not been for students voicing their opinions, and our food service team members not only listening, but acting on those requests.
Working hand-in-hand — staff and students. It’s important each and every day.
