JagWire Newspaper: Volume 21, Issue 2

JW

JAGWIRE

Mill Valley High School | Shawnee, Kansas Volume 21, Issue 2 | Dec. 14, 2020

THE FACETS OF FOOD Exploring the role of food in the community

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Inside Cover Cover by Tatum Elliott

December 14, 2020

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Hey Mill Valley!

Welcome to the second issue of the JagWire! As you may have noticed, you aren’t reading this issue on paper. Due to the switch to remote learning, we have decided to proceed with only publishing the paper digitally since we wouldn’t be able to hand out physical papers to you in person. Despite the change in format, content meaningful.

While we weren’t able to provide you with a physical copy of the JagWire, we are excited to share with you what we have learned about the impacts of food in our community. This is the last issue for the semester, but we can’t wait to come back next semester with more content to share. Have a great winter break, Jags!

Your Editors,

The Kansas Student Publications Act guarantees the same rights for student journalists as are guaranteed for professional journalists. These rights include, but are not limited to, all First Amendment rights, including the rights of freedom of speech and the press, insofar as published items may not contain libelous, slanderous or obscene statements, may not incite or promote illegal conduct and may not cause a substantial disruption to normal school activity. This law also prevents censorship of any kind by the adviser, building or district administration.

jagwire.hannahchern@gmail.com

Tatum Elliott

jagwire.tatumelliott@gmail.com

Tanner Smith

jagwire.tannersmith@gmail.com

Online Editors in Chief Steven Curto

jagwire.annaowsley@gmail.com

Ben Wieland

jagwire.benwieland@gmail.com

Photo Editor Evan Sherman

jagwire.evansherman@gmail.com

PUBLICATION INFORMATION

Censorship Policy

Hannah Chern

Anna Owsley

pandemic has caused vast changes in the food industry, from how we get food to how restaurants are adapting to the change.

5900 Monticello Road Shawnee, KS 66226 Phone: (913) 422-4351 Fax: (913) 422-4039 Email: jagwirenewspaper@gmail.com Adviser: Kathy Habiger khabiger@usd232.org JagWire, a monthly publication of Mill Valley High .

Editors in Chief

jagwire.stevencurto@gmail.com

in our school and community. Food has always been an essential part of our daily lives, whether it is making a decision of what to eat or choosing where to eat.

JagWire Office

STAFF

Professional Associations

Assistant Editors Aiden Burke

jagwire.aidenburke@gmail.com

Quinn Franken

jagwire.quinnfranken@gmail.com

Kansas Scholastic Press Association National Scholastic Press Association Journalism Education Association Journalism Educators of Metropolitan Kansas City The 2019 JagWire earned an All-American rating from

Reporters & Photographers

member of the NSPA All-American Hall of Fame.

Gabby Delpleash

Editorial Policy

jagwire.gabbydepleash@gmail.com

Avery Gathright

jagwire.averygathright@gmail.com

or a letter to the editor to the JagWire, you can do so by

Jordan Prestia

journalism room (C101). Additionally, you may email any

Hayden Resch

jagwire.jordanprestia@gmail.com jagwire.haydenresch@gmail.com

@millvalleynews. Anonymous content will not be accepted. Please understand that we have the right to edit all copy that runs in this publication.

Madelyn Welch

jagwire.madelynwelch@gmail.com

FIND US ONLINE Mill Valley News - mvnews.org @millvalleynews

@millvalleynews1

Mill Valley News

JagWire

Design & Illustration by Tatum Elliott

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Staff Editorial

STEPPING UP FOR SMALL BUSINESS Tanner Smith Editor in Chief

Madelyn Welch

A

Writer/Photographer

s a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses, especially small restaurants, have had to adapt to a changing landscape of restrictions and closures that has wreaked havoc on business operations. In fact, according to a survey by the US Chamber of Commerce, 70% of small businesses are worried about financial hardship due to the prolonged closures and 58% worry about having to permanently close.

Despite the same survey reporting that 86% of businesses have either fully or partially opened, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown massive uncertainty toward the future of many of these businesses. Even now, as numbers continue to skyrocket, many restaurants have to deal with the potential for further interruptions. That is why it is vital to support small, locally-owned restaurants, during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, making sure that these businesses continue to have the customers they need to succeed.

While helping small businesses is always important, the effects go well beyond a single business. In fact, it is hard to overstate the effect of small business on the broader economy. According to an article by the Harvard Business Review, 48% of jobs and 43.5% of the total GDP is directly tied to small business. Even though they make up such a large part of the economy, the same article observes that small businesses are “often financially fragile, with little cash on hand or resources to buffer even a minor financial shock” so a major disruption like COVID-19, makes it difficult for a business to survive.

In addition to the impact on the

economy as a whole, businesses here in Shawnee are feeling the impact of COVID-19. Businesses such as McLain’s Bakery, Old Shawnee Pizza, Hayward’s BBQ , and so many others have had to adapt to all of the new changes that COVID-19 has brought.

Even restaurants like Blue Koi, which is owned by the family of sophomore Sophia Chang, have had to modify their practices. With changes such as

requiring masks, updating sanitisation procedures, or even having to switch to carryout only, the struggle for many of these businesses has been great.

Whether it is ordering from local businesses on platforms such as DoorDash, buying gift cards for later use or going back to these restaurants in a safe and responsible way, making an effort to support local businesses is vital.

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December 14, 2020

LET’S TALK ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS (with food) Tanner Smith Editor in Chief

An overview of healthy, unhealthy, and restricted eating habits

Enforcing Healthy Eating Habits Characteristics of a healthy relationship with food

Source: National Eating Disorders Association

1.

2.

3.

4.

I’m hungry

Balance Remember to eat in moderation.

No single food is the enemy, and each food serves a purpose.

It must be time w eat!

Flexibility Avoid rigid eating habits. Only eating certain foods will leave you feeling stuck.

Intuition Allow yourself to eat when you are hungry, and stop eating when you are full.

Grace Do not judge or punish yourself for eating more or less than you would usually.

Student Voices:

“Do you feel you have a healthy relationship with food?”

64%

of students responded with “Yes”

Survey of 28 students

36%

of students responded with “No”

Identifying Disordered Eating Recognizing eating disorders and their associated behaviors

Source: National Institute of Mental Health

I’m not really hungry.

I probably ate too much.

Bulimia Anorexia - Recurring episodes of - Avoiding food eating large quantities - Severely restricting food of food - Eating very small Episodes followed by portions of food fasting and/or purging

I just can’t stop myself.

The Big Picture

National statistics on eating disorders

28.8

million people in the United States will have an eating disorder in their lifetime

10,200

deaths each year are the result of an eating disorder

Binge Eating - Eating unusually large amounts of food in a specific time-frame - Eating when full or not hungry

26%

of people with eating disorders attempts suicide Source: National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders

JagWire

Design by Tatum Elliott & Quinn Franken

Different Diets

Popular diets and their varying benefits Source: Healthline

A low-carb, high-fat diet consisting of 70% fat, 20% protein & 10% carbs

Keto

What Is A Healthy Diet?

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The food groups that make up a healthy diet Source: ChooseMyPlate

Fats & Sweets

10% of calories

Protein

15% of calories

Eating food that could be obtained through hunting and gathering like nuts & fruit Not eating food derived from animals or using animal products

Not eating meat or fish for moral, religious or health reasons

Paleo

Fruits

20% of calories

Vegetables 25% of calories

Grains

30% of calories

Vegan

Student Experiences

Anonymous students share their first-hand experience with being on a restricted diet

Vegetarian

“At first it was hard to stay on track, but after a week it became easier.”

“It did not last very long, and I ended up binging on food after.”

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December 14, 2020

LUNCH LOGISTICS

District implements changes to lunch in order to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines

Students were given lunch cards to limit the spread of COVID-19. During lunch, freshman Nate Carter’s card is scanned Monday, Nov. 16. | Steven Curto

Aiden Burke

Assistant Editor

Anna Owsley Online Editor in Chief

C

ombating the financial hardships of the COVID-19 pandemic, the district, taking its cues from the US. Department of Agriculture, joined a nation-wide free lunch program implemented for the rest of the school year.

According to Director of Student Nutrition Jolyn Baldner, the district “wanted to ensure that all children continue to receive the nutritious breakfasts and lunches they count on during the school year wherever they are, and however they are learning.”

Many students like senior David

Cunningham appreciate the district stepping up to support families during COVID-19.

“We wanted to ensure all children continue to receive the breakfasts and lunches they count on...”

USD 232 Director of Student Nutrition Jolyn Baldner

“I think it’s great because people have unfortunately lost their jobs due to the lockdowns,” Cunningham said.

“And it ensures kids will have at least one meal a day.”

The district is keeping students fed, but many changes within the cafeteria has made in-person lunch a very different experience this year. According to Baldner, COVID-19 has made it difficult for the district to source some of students’ favorite snacks due to staffing shortages at food manufacturing plants.

“This has forced us to look for a different product to use or just not use the product at all if there isn’t a sufficient substitute,” Baldner said. “For example, Frito Lay has stopped producing a lot of the chip flavors that we offer at a la carte. Unfortunately, there is not a different product we can use as we have

JagWire

Design by Avery Gathright & Jordan Prestia

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STUDENTS WEIGH IN

Feedback from students about the new changes to lunch this year What do you think about the distanced lunch room?

“Hate it.”

“As good as it could be but still not necessarily safe.”

This year for lunch, salads are premade and sealed as a part of newly implemented safety measures.

During lunch, junior Lauren Butler places a salad onto her tray Monday, Nov. 16. | Steven Curto

“It isn’t ideal, especially for seniors, but it’s a sacrifice we had to make.”

How often do you forget your lunch card?

Never

Sometimes

63%

20%

Seated at desks distanced six feet apart, seniors Quinn Colborn and Prathik Gadiraju eat lunch in the senior cafe which is now open to juniors and seniors Monday, Nov. 16. | Steven Curto

specific nutrition guidelines that must be followed for a la carte.”

The school has also made efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the lunchroom by spacing apart one-person tables and desks to reduce student-to-student contact. The lunch lines have also been restructured in the cafeteria to reduce lunch line congestion and allow for space between students.

“When students go through the lunch line to grab their food, all lines lead to the same options,” Baldner said. “This allows for students to be spaced out appropriately – on Mexican bar days [last year], that line was always a lot longer than the daily dish line – as well as allow enough time for students to eat.”

To the disappointment of many students, the Snack Shack – which gave students the opportunity to purchase

snacks and drinks throughout the duration of lunch – is no longer in use to eliminate daily contact between students and the cafeteria worker who mans it, Pam King. This was a blow to many students, including Cunningham, who have always enjoyed chatting with her.

“I miss how [the Snack Shack] was convenient, and you didn’t have to buy everything at the beginning of lunch,” Cunningham said. “I also miss talking to Pam because she’s the best.”

The cafeteria workers are also having to put in extra work this year to adhere to sanitation guidelines as well as prepare lunches for remote students.

“Our kitchen team is juggling preparing and serving in-person learning meals, as well as preparing and serving meals for remote learning,” Baldner said.

Always

17% Have you taken advantage of the free school lunch this year?

No

47%

Yes

53% Survey of 30 students

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December 14, 2020

SETTING NEW STANDARDS

Local restaurants adapt to new service modifications amid the COVID-19 pandemic Madelyn Welch

Writer/Photographer

Gabby Delpleash

T

Writer/Photographer

he restaurant industry has seen some of the most notable changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; the National Restaurant Association predicts a loss of a staggering $240 billion from

restaurants nationwide by the end of 2020. From online orders to curbside pickups, local food joints have been forced to take on a new set of safety measures that go beyond basic sanitation guidelines.

As the constant threat of spreading viral germs looms over the heads of business owners on a daily basis, Sharks Bar & Grill management supervisor Jeff Johnson has made building cleanliness a new top priority for his personnel.

“All of our staff have face masks; we’re required to wear face masks the entire time. Our menus are wiped down after every use and our hand washing and sanitation has just increased [immensely] with the way we clean our tables,” Johnson said. “Everybody’s complied with [our new guidelines] really well.”

Junior Ella Tow, who works as a server at Lenexa’s new Chick-Fil-A, feels that health concerns regarding in-person dining at local restaurants has given way to the rising business seen in take-out services.

“Chick-Fil-A has gained more business since the start of the whole pandemic. The drive-thrus are definitely the busiest. Our drive-thru has three rounds of busyness: a morning rush, a lunch rush, and dinner rush,” Tow said. “We also do mobile orders, so you can park in a parking spot and we’ll run the order out, but I still think that the drive through is very popular and very busy.”

With resuming operations in the kitchen, the CDC has offered a plethora of considerations for ways in which restaurant operators can protect their employees, customers, and communities to slow the spread of COVID-19.

For Johnson, collaborating with state and local health officials to implement these necessary sanitation adjustments was a fairly straightforward process.

Due to COVID-19, restaurants have increased sanitation. Sharks Bar and Grill employee Emily Smith puts together a condiment caddy after disinfecting it Monday, Nov. 11. | Steven Curto

CHANGES IN THE NUMBERS National statistics provide insight on the food industry amid COVID-19 pandemic

$240 Source: National Restaurant Association

billion is the predicted

loss for restaurants

by the end of 2020

JagWire

Design by Anna Owsley

9

To keep their customers and employees safe, restaurants have adopted sanitization stations that enable employees to clean more frequently. | Steven Curto

“For any of our employers who come down ill, it’s an instant stayat-home. You’re required to have a COVID test, and it’s required that the test is a negative test before you can return to work,” Johnson said. “We instantly send anyone home that has a temperature or is feeling ill or calls in and says they’re ill; even if it’s not a COVID-related sickness or how they’re feeling sick isn’t related to the main symptoms of COVID.” Restaurant workers like senior Sophie Hannam have been privileged enough to experience only a couple of minor setbacks to her job as a server at Sutera’s Italian Restaurant.

“A normal shift for me is walking into the restaurant, making sure I’m wearing a mask, then going to the kitchen and washing my hands in order for me to set up the salad bar,” Hannam said. “...After everyone has left we make sure to clean up. I clean

51% Source: Bluedot.com

the nozzles on the soda machine, clean silverware, clean the tea bin, etc.”

When restaurants opened back up in May, many people were uneasy

“They’ve put protocols in place that allowed us to be able to be successful and stay open.”

Sharks Bar & Grill management supervisor Jeff Johnson

about going out to eat. Sophomore Lane Burson and his family were very cautious at first but that soon wore off.

“When we first eating out again

of consumers

have downloaded at least one new

food delivery app since the

start of COVID-19

I was a little nervous,” Burson said.

“Now I don’t really think about it.”

Though the spread of COVID-19 has brought about unpleasant circumstances to small businesses and restaurants around the Johnson County area, Johnson feels that Sharks has been rather fortunate.

“We’re a different kind of animal, because of our size we weren’t impacted as much in terms of [restaurant occupancy],” Johnson said. “We’re large enough that it didn’t really [hurt] our numbers from the previous years. Other places are small and there wasn’t much six foot distancing happening in those bars. Overall, this hasn’t been as financially devastating to us as it’s been to a lot of other places in this industry. We’ve been fortunate; it comes from our owners, our general managers, they’ve put protocols in place that allowed us to be able to be successful and stay open.”

41% Source: Datassential.com

of restaurant

owners see the “slow return of customers” as the largest challenge in reopening

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December 14, 2020

FOOD AT OUR

F NGERT PS Apps like DoorDash change the industry of food delivery due to their convience

Food delivery apps such as DoorDash and Postmates allow users to have access to nearly any restaurant imaginable - all at their fingertips. | Evan Sherman

Avery Gathright

w

Writer/Photographer

hen restaurants across Kansas closed their doors to dine-in customers in early spring, students looking for a temporary part-time job during lockdown and families looking for safe ways to eat turned to food delivery apps like Postmates, DoorDash and UberEats.

Even six months after the state’s first lockdown, the appeal of these apps persists.

One student who took advantage of the initial surge in delivery app orders in the spring was then-senior Nico

Ben Wieland Online Editor in Chief

Gatapia. Now a freshman at the University of Kansas, Gatapia spent his final months at Mill Valley working as a Postmates delivery driver — the job’s flexibility stood out to Gatapia as he attended school remotely and counted down the days until graduation.

“I needed easy money, and Postmates allowed drivers to pick their own hours,” Gatapia said. “I didn’t want to commit to having an actual job, because I was leaving for college soon.”

Throughout March and April, Gatapia routinely worked with his naviga-

tor, then-junior Molly Smith, to make evening deliveries.

The pair would meet up and drive to hotspots in Lenexa and Olathe.

“It’s also really, really nice just to not have to go out and get food.”

Senior Emily Hertel

JagWire

Design by Quinn Franken

11

During the dinner rush, they’d usually make two or three deliveries in an hour. The pay was inconsistent — $10 an hour on a slow day, but typically closer to $20 — and Gatapia described his income as, like so many other service jobs, “at the mercy of how generous my tips were.”

While the pair never considered delivering for Postmates as anything more than a part-time gig, they agreed that delivering a refreshing way to get out of the house and safely break up the monotony of lockdown.

“Delivery was a really fun way to find new places I’ve never been before.”

The option to have food delivered to your door, contact-free, has been available for years, but it has recently garnered popularity and become a marketing ploy due to COVID-19. | Evan Sherman

Senior Molly Smith

“Delivering was a really fun way to find new places that I’ve never been before that were within a 30-minute drive of my house,” Smith said. “It was also a good way to get out of the house, because COVID-19 kept my family at home and it was nice to get out.”

Delivery apps also provide a vital service to some families like senior Emily Hertel’s who want the convenience and variety of restaurant food, but are wary of the risks of eating out in the midst of Kansas’s spike in COVID-19 cases.

Hertel’s family, which includes parents who work in healthcare, never or-

dered through delivery apps before the pandemic. Now, they order dinner via DoorDash and UberEats at least once each week.

To Hertel, the reduced risk is the main selling point for mobile orders.

“I think the apps are good to keep people from going inside restaurants and eating there, because that is obviously a risky thing during a pandemic,” Hertel said. “If you have the extra money, it’s worth it. It allows us to have a nice family meal and not worry about going out and being in contact with other people.”

Even beyond the pandemic, Hertel believes there are other benefits to be reaped from having family meals delivered straight to her door.

“It’s also really, really nice just to not have to go out and get food,” Hertel said. “My family loves to just eat our meals together and watch TV. We watch our favorite TV shows together during mealtimes. Being able to do that together, it just brings us closer.

That’s been nice.”

Ironically, though, neither Smith nor Gatapia orders from the delivery services they drove for during the spring. Smith believes it’s “just easier to get food for myself,” while Gatapia finds the delivery fee too expensive — in fact, the only time he ever opened the Postmates app was to check if any special discounts were offered that day, because reduced prices meant more opportunities for him to drive.

PRICE MAY VARY

Reciepts from popular food delivery services showing an order from Chipotle delivered to Mill Valley

Grub Hub

DoorDash

Postmates

Uber Eats

$8.10

Subtotal

$8.10

Subtotal

$8.10

Subtotal

$8.10

Delivery

$1.99

Delivery

FREE

Delivery

$2.99

Delivery

$3.49

Fees & Tax

$4.31

Fees & Tax

$4.33

Fees & Tax

$4.90

Fees & Tax

$2.78

Tip

$2.00

Tip

$2.00

Tip

$2.00

Service Fee

$2.00

TOTAL

$16.40

$14.43

TOTAL

$17.99

TOTAL

$16.37

Subtotal

Estimated Time of Arrival

35-45 minutes

TOTAL

Estimated Time of Arrival

16-26 minutes

Estimated Time of Arrival

75-90 minutes

Estimated Time of Arrival

15-25 minutes

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A FA

December 14, 2020

ILY AFFAIR

For sophomores Sophia Chang and Andrea Rios Rico, food brings their family together

W

ith the holiday season approaching right around the corner, the Rios Rico family prepares their home for their favorite annual Christmas time tradition: making authentic Mexican tamales. The food-laced tradition serves a stronger purpose beyond the usual bonding opportunities that families normally partake in over the holidays.

“If the person eating the tamales doesn’t feel a warm sense of comfort then we haven’t done them right.”

Sophomore Andrea Rios Rico

During Christmas time, the kitchen of the Rios Rico’s home is filled with the smells of fresh tamales being cooked to just the right temperature.

Sophomore Andrea Rios Rico feels that tamale making has become an important activity that brings her family together near the holidays.

“When my great-grandmother was around my age, her mom, my greatgreat grandmother, made tamales one Christmas,” Rios Rico said. “After that, her family kept on with making

ANDREA RIOS RICO & ROSALINA RICO RIVERA

During their annual Christmas family tradition of making tamales for family and friends, sophomore Andrea Rios Rico stands beside her mother Rosalia Rico Rivera Saturday, Nov. 10. | Hayden Resch

them and that’s why my family is still making them today.”

For Rios Rico’s family, making tamales is a tradition that adds a pinch of spice to the holiday season.

“We are a traditional family that follows the recipes passed down,” Rios Rico said. “It started as a Christmas tradition to make tamales and we started selling the tamales because my father’s, friend’s mother was from Mexico and she wanted to remember the taste of authentic Mexican tamales.”

TAMALES: STEP BY STEP Step by step instructions on how to make tamales

1. Prepare the filling for the tamales the night before 2. Make the dough, making sure it is salty enough 3. Boil the corn husks to make them soft 4. Spread a thin layer of dough onto a corn husk 5. Put filling onto the dough 6. Wrap the husk, fold and tie with a strip from a husk 7. Cook tamales

Unlike the tamales that regular Mexican and Hispanic restaurants serve, Rosalia Rico Rivera, Rios Rico’s mother, adds special family ingredients to each batch made.

“They’re not made in the same way,” Rico Rivera said. “Our family makes the tamales with love and special thought of the people that will enjoy them.”

Rico Rivera brings back the tradition every holiday season in hopes that her own children will carry it on.

“Christmas time is a family holiday that brings our family together and so it kind of just makes sense to make tamales,” Rico Rivera said. “When we’re all in the kitchen filling the tamales, I have the memories of making them with my family.”

Beyond preserving the family’s Hispanic culture, Rios Rico and Rico Rivera have since made new goal that they hope to achieve with every new batch of tamales made.

“I hope that everyone who has tried our tamales likes them,” Rios Rico says. “I hope that the tamales touch each person who tries them. If the person eating the tamales doesn’t feel a warm sense of comfort then we haven’t done them right.”

JagWire

Gabby Delpleash

I

Writer/Photographer

Design by Jordan Prestia

SOPHIA & SCOTT CHANG

13

n sophomore Sophia Chang’s home, the kitchen is part of the gathering place, a pinch of experimental laboratory that has a dash of creativity and a large dose of inspiration. Chang’s father Scott, along with his three sisters, own the Asian restaurant Blue Koi on 39th Street in Kansas City and its outpost at the swanky Mission Farms development in Leawood.

The Chang family-owned restaurant Blue Koi Noodles and Dumplings’ primary goal of sharing the Chang family kitchen with the Kansas City metro area allowed the joint to receive recognition that reaches a national level.

“I’m very appreciative of my family. Inside and ouside of the kitchen, they work hard.”

Sophomore Sophia Chang

Blue Koi’s original location officially opened for business in January 2002. Not long after Sophia was born in 2004, she too had quickly become accustomed to how her family engaged with the world of food.

“Whether my family is cooking in the kitchen or going out to eat, everyone can talk about business comfortably. Everyone knows what’s going on and we can relate; food is a familiar topic for us to discuss,” Sophia says.

“We have owned the original Blue Koi store [for almost] 19 years, and the second one, which is in Leawood, we’ve owned for 13 years.”

Sophia’s father Scott Chang describes Blue Koi’s menu as a “card” that showcases “a selection of dumplings and a selection of noodle dishes” as well as several different rice dishes to make up a very diverse menu that contributes to the overall appeal of the restaurant.

“That’s what we’re known for: noodles and dumplings, but we also have a lot of good, well-made appetizers,” Scott said. “When we had the opportunity to open this restaurant, our siblings and our parents got together and

With his arm around his daughter, Scott Chang, owner of Blue Koi, stands beside sophomore Sophia Chang outside the restaurant’s newer location in Leawood, KS Tuesday, Nov. 10. | Jordan Prestia

thought about what we really wanted to feature in this restaurant because in your typical Chinese restaurants everything is overdone. So we thought ‘hey, why don’t we feature and share with Kansas City what we eat at home?’”

Outside of serving delectable food, Scott makes sure that Blue Koi takes great pride in their ability to achieve customer satisfaction on more than just a business level to ensure that customers fully enjoy the time spent at the restaurant.

“What I want [my customers] to feel the most is that we care. We care to provide them with an experience that they cannot wait to come back and experience again,” Scott said.

“Everyone has their own way of doing business, the way our family does business is that we want them to feel like they are cared for and that they’re in an environment in which they would want to feel comfortable in.”

For both Scott and Sophia, the most rewarding aspect of running the kin-owned eatery is “feeling the love in the restaurant” from surrounding family, staff, friends, visitors and other guests.

“I’m very appreciative of my family,” Sophia said. “Inside and outside of the kitchen, they work hard continuously and have dedicated a lot of time and effort into creating quality food, creating relationships with customers and just doing their best in general.”

Q&A WITH BLUE KOI’S OWNER

JagWire: What is the best part about owning your own business?

Scott Chang: Seeing your vision and everything you worked so hard for come to life in your business.

JW: How often does Sophia work at Blue Koi? SC: She doesn’t work here yet. She was supposed to start helping in the summer, but then the pandemic happened.

JW: What is the hardest part of owning a restaurant during a pandemic?

SC: Communicating to your employees and customers that this is real and should be taken seriously.

It is hard because some people that don’t want to wear masks can get my business shut down and then my employees can’t work.

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December 14, 2020

LOOKING TO THE LOCALS

The stories behind food places in the Shawnee area

Working at McLain’s during the pandemic, senior Kenzie Harris bags food for a customer that she just prepared along with her coworkers. | Evan Sherman

MCLAIN’S MARKET Aiden Burke Assistant Editor

Steven Curto Online Editor in Chief

Tanner Smith

D

Editor in Chief

espite the challenges of COVID-19, McLain’s Market, located in Shawnee., has risen to the challenge, continuing 75 years in the restaurant business with this new location.

Owner Molly Lothman saw the new location as an opportunity to continue the business’s success.

“We had three locations including our original location in Waldo. It’s been there for 75 years, and we have

our Overland Park location and our Lauren’s location,” Lothman said.

“We knew we wanted to continue to expand, and we usually look for areas in the city in which we feel like could use another place like us: a coffee shop/bakery/restaurant.”

Lothman was very excited about the expansion into the Shawnee area after acquiring OK Garage, an auto repair service shop in the heart of downtown Shawnee.

“We just loved the opportunity to renovate an old building and make it into something new,” Lothman said.

“We feel like [downtown Shawnee] is really getting revitalized. There’s a lot of really awesome concepts of businesses that have been happening for decades, that are still doing great. We

just wanted to come in and join that and help continue to revitalize the area.”

While Lothman has enjoyed the process, they have encountered several challenges over the course of the past several months. Since opening on June 15, right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lothman identifies that the biggest challenge is “definitely COVID.” For Lothman, the answer to these challenges was a drive-thru.

“Thankfully, we had from the very beginning designed the building with a drive-thru in place. That has been imperative with COVID allowing us to have the ability to serve people outside the building,” Lothman said. “[This] gives those who are more nervous about coming in or can’t come in for medical reasons the ability to still access us through the drive thru.”

JagWire

Design by Tatum Elliott

15

THE MENU CUPCOOKIE

A mini pecan sandie topped with either chocolate or white buttercream frosting

STAFF RATING: A neon light sign hangs above the McLain’s Market shelf, offering items, such as mugs, for customers to show their loyalty. | Evan Sherman

McLain’s bakery offers a wide variety of delectable cookies and pastries. | Evan Sherman

Despite offsetting the costs with the drive-thru, Lothman has seen the economic impact of COVID-19 firsthand.

changed so much, but the ability to still be able to come and get coffee and get their kid a cookie, and have some routine to their day or their week really made a difference to them,” Lothman said.

One thing that Lothman feels sets McLain’s apart is the diversity of its customers.

“It’s really fun that when you come into any of our stores you often see people in their 80s or 90s, who’ve literally gone for 75 years, down to high school kids studying to families having breakfast together,’ Lothman said.

“Literally every generation is represented and it is really fun for us to see and be able to participate.”

For Lothman, the most popular items are the cupcookies, which are mini Pecan Sandie cookies with either chocolate or white chocolate frosting that “people order by the multi dozen.”

Even if cupcookies aren’t your style, Lothman feels the McLain’s has something for everyone.

“We have such a variety of items that we really have something for everyone,” Lothman said. “Whether you like coffee or you like breakfast food, you like sweets, you like savory items, we have something. We have great snacks … and they’re at really good price points. We’ve got a great patio.

We’ve got yard games like a massive life sized Scrabble board, so lots of fun stuff.”

“We thought it was really important for the community to stay open as much as we could.”

McLain’s Market Owner Molly Lothman

“Within the first couple of weeks in March, our sales went down overnight about 70%. It seemed a little scary,” Lothman said. “But they actually popped back up pretty quickly.

After the initial scare as we became more comfortable as a company and learned what was necessary for safety precautions and what made us all feel safe. We thought it was really important for the community to continue to stay open as much as we could.”

Lothman felt the business helped give people a return to normalcy during the uncertain times of the pandemic.

“I had people tell me that life had

LOADED FRIES

A fully-loaded plate of fries, cheese, chives and bacon

STAFF RATING:

CHEESEBURGER SLIDER

A beef slider with cheese, bacon, coffee BBQ and a pickle

STAFF RATING:

16 Guests are able to seat themselves near the original Hayward’s Pit Bar-B-Que sign that was created in the 1920’s. |Evan Sherman

The Royal is a specialty dish that consists of burnt ends, onion rings and a slice of cheese on a burger bun. This dish comes with two sides.| Evan Sherman

Hayward’s Pit Bar-B-Que offers plenty of diverse seating options that are among some unique decor. | Evan Sherman

Taco Tuesday Pulled Pork Tacos are three soft shells filled with smoked pork and topped with cheese, tomatoes and onions.| Evan Sherman

December 14, 2020

HAYWARD’S

PIT BAR-B-QUE

w

ith the ever-changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hayward’s Pit Bar-BQue, located in Shawnee, has continued to provide residents with a staple of Kansas City food: barbecue.

According to General Manager Riley Sweeny, COVID-19 has posed a great challenge for the restaurant.

“To look at what we were doing last year, compared to this year, it’s just a complete 180,” Sweeny said. “We’ve had to limit capacity, and in March, we were shut down for carryout only.”

The additional sanitation has been what Sweeny sees as the most challenging aspect of COVID-19.

“The most difficult thing is following all of the provisions and all precautions necessary,” Sweeny said.

“I’ve definitely taken the extra step to make sure that everything is sanitary.”

To combat the limited capacity, Sweeny felt it was important to join food delivery services, though they had their drawbacks.

“It’s helped a little bit but obviously there’s added cost in there,” Sweeny said. “[Those services] take 8 to 20% out and that’s where a lot of restaurants make their money.”

In addition to the fees those services take, Sweeny feels that delivery has brought a higher materials cost.

“When you do a carry out, there’s a box, a lid, a cup that goes into that – the bun, the sauce, the extra utensils. It all costs money,” Sweeny said.

To encourage more people to come in person, Sweeny implemented dinein only specials.

“For a while there, we were one of the only barbecue restaurants in the area that had full dine in hours throughout the entire week…so we tried to let everybody know that ‘hey, we’re still open,’” Sweeny said. “For dine in, we created … a new menu a couple weeks ago that features daily specials…and a lot of these daily specials are available for dine-in only.”

For anyone considering trying the restaurant, Sweeny recommends “The Royal,” which includes burnt ends, brisket, cheese and onion rings all in a sandwich.

JagWire

Design by Tatum Elliott

17

The crab rangoon pizza at Old Shawnee Pizza is a house specialty that offers a unique combination of two wildly different dishes.| Evan Sherman

OLD SHAWNEE PIZZA

T

o combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Old Shawnee Pizza, located directly in the center of downtown Shawnee, has shifted from in-person dining to mainly takeout orders, all while starting to reopen in the safest way possible.

The biggest change for general manager Paul Andealikiewicz has been the influx of carryout orders.

Although there has been a steady decrease in takeout order as people have started to return to in-person dining, the initial rapid switch during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was a struggle for the restaurant.

“We used to be about 50/50 dinein versus takeout, but now it’s more like 80/20,” Andealikiewicz said.

“Most people haven’t come back to the restaurants yet and if they do they usually just send one person who gets the food.”

Outside of the change in the way members of the community ordered food, Andealikiewicz has implemented new cleaning procedures as well as mask mandates to help customers feel safer. “[We’ve] implemented the mask mandate and we’ve also amped up cleaning,” Andealikiewicz said. “We have extra people come in on the

weekends to clean. They do a deep clean, using this spray machine, they go throughout the restaurant.”

One of the biggest implications of the COVID-19 pandemic is the effect on staffing; Andealikiewicz was forced to reduce the number of employees when the restaurant switched to carryout orders only.

“For half of it, we had to go carside to go only and didn’t allow people in, which hurt our servers mostly,” Andealikiewicz said. “We weren’t able to keep everyone during the pandemic. We had to go to a limited staff and everything. But now we’re back open.

It did hurt business, but we made it through and now business is back to almost probably 90% of what it used to be.”

For anyone trying the restaurant, Andealikiewicz feels the restaurant’s most infamous and signature dish has become the Crab Rangoon Pizza, made crab rangoon filling, green onions, Italian cheese blend, sweet chili sauce, and topped with fried wontons.

“The last few years we’ve been known for our Crab Rangoon Pizza,” Andealikiewicz said. “We’re the only ones in town to do anything like it...so that’s been our staple for the last two or three years now.”

THE MENU “MAC” DADDY PIZZA

Pizza with garlic olive oil, macoroni and cheese, smoked bacon and green onions

STAFF RATING:

CRAB RANGOON PIZZA Pizza with housemade crab rangoon filling and topped with fried wontons

STAFF RATING:

18

Design by Hannah Chern

December 14, 2020

OPEN TO NEW TASTES

While it may seem daunting to try new cuisines, the new experiences and flavor profiles are worth it Tanner Smith

I

Editor in Chief

have always been a picky eater.

Whether it is disliking most vegetables, liking my food a certain way, and picking my restaurants very carefully, I often fought against trying new restaurants. Despite the possibility that I might like something new, I was more afraid of trying something that I wouldn’t. I’ve since learned that all of the new things I’ve tried have been good, the experience of trying new restaurants is a rewarding one.

After more than a decade of carefully picking my next meal, I got an about a Persian restaurant’? I was taken aback. Not only is that a restaurant I had never tried, it was a whole new type of food I had never been exposed to. Despite wanting to plead with my friend to reconsider, something in my head held me back. Maybe I should try it and see? Boy am I glad I did. While there were parts of the meal that were not my favorite — with some of the sauces being a little tough to swal-

low (no pun intended) — I still found This started my food awakening.

Whether it was trying new types of food, such as Persian, Chinese, or Japanese, or expanding my palate with new spices and seasoning, I found a

“Whether it was trying new types of food, such as Persian, Chinese or Japanese, or expanding my palate with new spices and seasoning, I found a lot I enjoyed.”

Senior Tanner Smith

lot I enjoyed. I really like kabobs from KC Grill and Kabob. I love spicy chicken and noodles from Blue Koi. I also learned what I didn’t like. I really don’t like Guatemalan breakfast food, but that’s ok. Although I didn’t enjoy the meal I still enjoyed the experience.

CULTURAL CUISINES PERSIAN

INDIAN

CHINESE (SICHUAN)

11168 Antioch Rd Overland Park, KS 66210

7206 W 119th St Overland Park, KS 66213

Ruchi Indian Cuisine

Beef & chicken koobideh

Chicken tikka masala

Seasoned ground meat (beef/chicken) charbroiled on an open fire

Chicken tandoori

Yogurt and spice marinated chicken legs and thighs roasted in clay oven

picky than I was, given the option he would eat buttered noodles for every meal for the rest of this life. While there is nothing wrong with buttered noodles — especially if you add a little alfredo sauce — I do my best to expose him to a wide variety of new tastes. Although I believe it is important to have favorites, it is also important to be constantly looking for new experiences.

While it might seem hard, especially with the pandemic shutting down many restaurants, it is vital to continue trying new things. Even if it is ordering a new dish from a restaurant you love, or making it a priority to try a new restaurant every couple of months, expanding your pal-

Notable dishes to try at local cultural restaurants

KC Grill ‘N Kabob 8611 Hauser Ct Lenexa, KS 66215

Food is a gateway to culture and customs and limiting my food, also limited my experiences. Even if I don’t like a restaurant, the experience of going, meeting the people, learning new types of food and culture, and so many other things make it well worth it.

As I continue to expand the list of restaurants I have tried, I have tried to impart the same lessons onto my little

A mild curry cooked with chicken in a tomato and butter sauce

Rasam

Mild spiciness soup featuring thin-cut vegetable and spices

Sichuan Dynasty Ma Po tofu

Dish featuring soft tofu in chili and sichuan pepper corn sauce

Sautéed green beans

Sichuan style dish featuring finely chopped green beans with ground pork

JagWire

Design by Hannah Chern

FREE MEALS FOR ALL

19

Even after the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress should renew free meal funding for public school students

Ben Wieland

T

Online Editor in Chief

he USDA’s decision to offer free meals to all public school students who request them has been perhaps the most successful and well-intentioned decision to come from the federal government’s COVID-19 response. The program, unprecedented at a federal level, continues to provide countless children and families across America with much-needed food security.

Once the pandemic subsides, Congress will have to decide whether or not they want to renew funding for the meal program. This decision should be a no-brainer for any congressperson who cares about the well-being of their constituents. A COVID-19 vaccine will not inoculate Americans against food insecurity — and, according to NPR, the school meal program is a much-needed form of assistance for the 39 million Americans who don’t know where their next meal will come from.

Yes, it’s true that there are already programs in place to provide food assistance through schools for families in need — here in USD 232, parents are invited each year to apply for Child Nutrition Program Benefits, which provides students with food at reduced costs.

However, these programs are sometimes difficult to access and people in need can easily be tripped up by the bureaucratic challenges behind filing an application. Making free meal programs universally accessible and easier to apply for would allow more families in need to receive the aid they need.

The benefits of continuing to provide universal free meal programs in schools cannot be understated.

Chris Burkhardt, a nutrition director in Cleveland, succinctly summarizes the difference between univer-

sal, easy-to-access meal programs and their overregulated, restrictive alternatives: switching to a universally accessible program will, in his words, “ensure every hungry child… has access to healthy school meals, while eliminating the burdensome, time consuming process of verifying and documenting enrollment.”

Making meals available to all students at no cost is also the morally correct decision. Every student deserves an opportunity to succeed, and if a

“Making free meal programs universally accessible and easier to apply for would allow more families in need to receive aid.”

Senior Ben Wieland

child has to spend their energy worrying about what their next meal will be, it will only inhibit their ability to focus on schoolwork and learn. The students whose lives would be forever improved by a permanent universal meal program far outweigh any additional financial costs the program would incur; if the federal government can spend billions of dollars each year on military funding, they can certainly spare a few million to feed hungry children in America.

The trial run of universally available free meals through schools during the pandemic has been an unequivocal success, and it is obvious that the benefits of the program far outweigh any downsides. The decision by Congress to renew funding for the program should be one of the easiest choices for our legislators in recent memory.

THEY NEED OUR HELP

A breakdown of child hunger in America

15

million children lived in poverty in 2018

11

million children live in food insecure homes

1

in 4 children could face hunger due to COVID-19

Source: No Kid Hungry

20

“

December 14, 2020

MAILLARD REACTION

Donald: It works when you have a food with amino acids and reducing sugars that have roots on the side that allow them to interact with the amino acid so this aldehyde protein and ketone increase on the side of our reducing sugars. So when they interact with heat they form flavor and color. When you cook a steak, you get a nice crust on your steak that starts to brown and has a lot of flavor, something you wouldn’t get if you boiled your steak.

It’s a reaction that has

about 18 different compounds that form along the way. It will compound seven or eight strands to give you the brown color.

As the reaction continues on that color can become more enhanced but you need some protein and some specific amino acids.

Those serve as a building block of the proteins and of certain types of sugars so some sugars will get brown and others may not, because they don’t have that aldehyde group that Emily mentioned.

We also see the Maillard reaction in breads, cakes and cookies.

”

Heat causes sugars to react with amino acids from proteins during a process called the Maillard reaction.

This creates a complex mixture of the new flavor compounds, for example the brown crust that forms on toast.

PICKLING

“

Pickles are made by adding cucumbers, vinegar, seasoning and salt into an airtight container and leaving it for multiple months to ferment.

Schmidt: Pickling is just the process where you put, usually a vegetable, with some vinegar or some acid system. Then you just kind of let it sit and it starts to break down the tissues in the vegetables and they get softer and a little more acidic. We can also do some pickling with fermentation, like kimchi is probably the most famous one and sauerkraut is another one. There are some with the bacteria that can start to produce some of the acids that the vinegar would supply and then can release some of the water from the cabbage, in the case of sauer-

FO

SCIE

Professor Karen Schm master’s students Janae Brown answe scientific processes

Hannah Chern Editor in Chief

kraut, that will then start to lead to that preservation mechanism. A lot of times they’re putting in salts with it to then help prevent that so it softens the tissues, changes the flavor and texture.

Brown: There’s another interesting thing about that, that we learned in like our food micro class.

When you’re fermented things like yogurt or other like traditional fermented products you have to add in your culture of bacteria or whatever you’re using to ferment it, but with vegetables you usually don’t add a starter culture. It already has all of the necessary microbiomes to ferment.

”

JagWire

Design by Quinn Franken

CARAMELIZATION

midt and Kansas State s Emily Donald and er questions about the s that happen in food Tanner Smith Editor in Chief

“

cal reaction which is the sugars breaking it down into sweet tasting sugars and then you also have a physical reaction which is the color change.

Schmidt: Onions are about 9% carbohydrate, which a good part of that is actually sugar so we call them a low molecular weight sugars so they’re more simple. But sometimes I do believe that there are some people that start with a teaspoon of sugar or something just to cause the reaction

BAKING

Brown: One of the first things you learn is that the air bubbles that you get in like cakes, or cookies or bread is that you can’t make those with leavening. Whether that leavening is yeast, or chemical leavening, you have to add the air bubbles in with mixing, so like mechanical mixing in your mixer, and that creates really tiny air bubbles.

Then those air bubbles are expanded by a gas and gas is either released by the yeast in the bread or released by chemical reactions through co2 mainly. Another thing

I thought was really interesting is the chemical editing, such as the difference between baking soda and baking powder.

People always wonder what’s the difference.

Well a baking powder is a complete leavening system, so it has an acid and a base and they react together with water to make co2 and baking soda is just the base part, so you have to add your own acid. If you’re using baking soda in a recipe you could add lemon juice or vinegar. In the industry they also make special custom baking powders.

“

ENCE

Different colored carmel is a result of the reaction of the sugars and amino acids being heated.

Donald: So, essentially with onions there’s two types of browning reactions: enzymatic and non-enzymatic. And with Carmelite onions, we’re noticing the non-enzymatic. So when you put them into a hot pan, and the water evaporates and the onions start breaking down, and the cell walls which are made up of sugars and polysaccharides break down sugars that you can taste which are sweet. As that happens, you have a chemi-

“

“

OOD

n

21

22

Design by Tatum Elliott

December 14, 2020

FUELING UP

Aiden Burke

Assistant Editor

What student athletes eat to stay in shape throughout the their sport’s season

A

long-distance runner in cross country and track, junior Vinny Bruno’s diet changes fruits and vegetables/ like grains over vegetables and fruits,” -

J

VINNY BRUNO CROSS COUNTRY

-

long-distance runner, has had

hind on her eating schedule, but it also

to eat to gain back the calories that

KATIE SCHWARTZKOPF

have to eat healthy as long as you’re

CROSS COUNTRY

O

-

-

Why? Wrestlers like Hughart often out losing strength that is necessary

and Dairy Queen to things like grilled Hughart only focuses on changing his

the season other than that I still have

EDDIE HUGHART WRESTLING

JagWire

EATING ON J

uniors Vania Arora and Bridget Roy both decided to join in on the trend and promote healthy eating among members of the community by sharing their meal plans.

During quarantine in March, after seeing her fellow teammates and food bloggers’ healthy eating accounts, Roy was inspired to create her own account, “eatingwithbridget.”

“I had seen food bloggers in the past and some of my teammates also have running and food accounts, and they inspired me,” Roy said.

Much like Roy’s decision to start her account, Arora created her food Instagram “vanianotlasagna,” after seeing that many of her friends had one.

When it comes to what she posts, Arora normally just decides to make food based on whatever ingredients she has available.

“It depends on what ingredients I have at the time. If I have the ingredients to make something, I just decide based on what I feel like making,” Arora said.

Though Roy stopped posting to her account during a busy school year, at the height of her activity she would post daily, use hashtags, and post at Roy focused her posts on her goal of inspiring good eating habits among her followers.

Arora’s main goal when creating the account was to encourage people to eat healthy, and she thinks she succeeded: she’s heard from several people who made some of the recipes featured on her account and received a lot of positive feedback from others in the community.

“I wanted to inspire other people to make and try new foods,” Arora said.

“I know a few people...have told me that they have found new recipes and tried them from my account.”

Design by Tatum Elliott

Aiden Burke Assistant Editor

23

Steven Curto Online Editor in Chief

Juniors Vania Arora and Bridget Roy post their meals on Instagram

In a balanced lunch, junior Vania Arora shares her plate consisting of a nutella bagel, grapes, and carrots with hummus Tuesday, Nov. 17. | Submitted by Vania Arora

Above: For an easy, healthy breakfast option,

junior Bridget Roy shares her creation of baked egg cups on her food Instagram @eatingwithbridget Monday, Aug 3. She prepares these cups in advance and includes the recipe in the caption. | Submitted by Bridget Roy

Bottom Left:

classes, junior Vania Arora shares a quick and easy breakfast of avocado toast topped with cherry tomatoes on her food Instagram @ vanianotlasagna Monday, Dec 7. | Submitted

by Vania Arora

WHERE TO FIND THEM

What Arora and Roy’s Instagram profiles look like

24

December 14, 2020

FAMILY FAVORITES

Three students share recipes that have been passed down through their families Tanner Smith

Madelyn Welch

Editor in Chief

Writer/Photographer

English Muffin Bread

Junior Noah Reed talks about his family’s special recipe for a unique bread

JagWire: What is your family recipe?

Noah Reed:

[The recipe is] English Muffin bread. If you’ve ever had those Thompson muffins it’s like that but a loaf of bread. It’s been passed down for quite a long time but my great grandfather is the one who made it the most.

JW: Who created it?

NR:

We most definitely aren’t the founders of it, but we have been making it for a very, very long time. All I know is my grandpa learned it from my grandma’s father, who taught him [how to make] it while they were dating.

JW: Why is this recipe important to your family?

NR:

It’s something I grew up eating for breakfast a lot as a kid and something that’s been in our family for a very long time. Around Christmas, we make it quite often.

Madison Cakes

Sophomore Madison Koester talks about her family’s special recipe for dinner rolls

JagWire: What is your family recipe?

Madison Koester: It’s a recipe for rolls, and it’s actually called Madison Cakes.

JW: How long has it been in the family?

MK: My grandma started making it, ... then my mom makes them and I make them too.

JW: Did your grandma create the recipe?

MK: She actually found it in a presidential cookbook, I think.

JW: How long does it take to make?

MK: I’d say it probably takes a few hours because you have to let it rise.

JagWire

Design by Avery Gathright

Heath Bar Cake

Admiring the cake, junior Ryan Pasley cuts out a small piece through the Heath bars. | Evan

Junior Ryan Pasley shares his great grandmother’s recipe

F

ood has always been a great link to family. Whether it is working with family to create a masterful dish or using a recipe that has been passed down for generations, food has been a great connector. For junior Ryan Pasley, the Heath bar cake has been a link to his great grandma.

The recipe, which includes the basic ingredients for making a cake along with buttermilk and Heath bars, was the invention of Pasley’s great grandma.

“It was originally made by my great grandma,” Pasley said “My great grandma really loved to cook and when she passed, my parents got a hold of her old recipe book and this was one of the recipes in there.”

Even though Pasley never met his great grandma, he feels the recipe helps him to connect with her.

“I would say it’s important because it’s one of the things that sticks around because my grandparents were very important to the family,” Pasley said.

“I didn’t ever get to really meet them, but they were important to the family, and this recipe is sort of their legacy and what we remember them by.”

To keep the recipe alive, Pasley’s grandma makes the cake every Christmas. Although Pasley feels it may be difficult this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, he still feels it is an important tradition to uphold.

“My grandmother makes it every single Christmas,” Pasley said. “I don’t think she’ll make it this year, but she does make it every single Christmas

25

Sherman

A unique Heath Bar Cake is a popular recipe among junior Ryan Pasley and his family.

It is a moist chocolate cake with whipped topping and is sprinkled with Heath bars. | Evan

Sherman

and people really do like it.”

For Pasley, the combination of flavors sets it apart from other cakes.

“I would say it’s unique,” Pasley said. “I’ve never heard of a Heath bar on a cake before, and I feel like a Hershey’s bar or Twix bar would be less interesting.”

Making a Heath Bar Cake

For anyone interested in trying the recipe for themself, Pasley feels the cake will live up to the hype.

“I think the cake will do the talking for itself,” Pasley said. “It’s unique, so if people want to try a unique thing, then I assure them they can go ahead.”

Junior Ryan Pasley’s family recipe on how to make Heath Bar Cake

Ingredients: 1/4 lb butter, 2 C flour, 1 C white sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 egg,

1/2 C buttermilk, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 C fine-crushed Heath bar, 1 tsp vanilla

1

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and pour into a pan once mixed.

2

Bake the cake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Then, top with crushed Heath bars.

26

December 14, 2020

Recreating food from popular movies Madelyn Welch Writer/Photographer

Ben Wieland Online Editor in Chief

KUNG FU PANDA:

t the climax of “Kung Fu Panda,” an animated classic and one of my favorite feel-good movies of all time, the titular panda Po’s father, Mr. Ping, finally reveals the secret ingredient to the family’s noodle recipe.

“The secret ingredient is… nothing!” Ping tells a baffled Po. “To make something special you just have to believe it’s special.”

In the film, this moment conveys the core message of Po’s story: anyone can succeed if they have confidence in themselves. In the kitchen, Mr. Ping’s wisdom offers us a simple and delectable way to recreate his signature noodle recipe.

This particular blend of noodles, broth, and flavor is quite filling. It certainly could benefit from a more diverse array of vegetables — adding carrots or celery would add another flavor to the dish without detracting from the other tastes. Frankly, any additions to spice this soup up would be a good choice; its basic yet filling ingredients create an excellent base

Simmering on the countertop, a fresh bowl of Secret Ingredient Soup from “Kung Fu Panda” is ready to be served. | Ben Wieland

“In the kitchen, Mr. Ping’s wisdom offers us a simple ... way to recreate his signature noodle recipe.”

Senior Ben Wieland

for experimentation with bolder, more aggressive flavors.

The garlic and soy sauce give the dish its Oriental flavor. I certainly

wouldn’t skimp on those two seasonings, and might in fact add a little bit extra; without them, the dish would simply be a bland chicken-less chicken noodle soup. A little bit of additional flavoring goes a long way.

As a full dish, though, I wouldn’t recommend this soup. The lack of solid protein is really limiting. If you’re in a pinch and want to make this soup one of your three daily meals, I’d recommend adding some chicken or beef to the broth once you’ve prepared your pot. If you have a bit more time on your hands, I’d advise trying another iconic food from the Kung Fu Panda series — chicken dumplings.

A look at some of the most iconic meals in major-motion pictures

MOVIE: RATATOUILLE

MOVIE: THE LION KING

MOVIE: ELF

JagWire

PRINCESS AND THE FROG: n the iconic Disney movie “The Princess and the Frog,” beignets are the dessert that Tiana serves to her friend Lottie and her father at the beginning of the movie.

Tiana is an amazing cook and she communicates that if you set your mind to something and work hard, it will happen While these fried pastries take a while to cook, they are delicious once they are done. They are a little unflavorful until you add powdered sugar and/or honey. The cooking process took quite a long time because you have to make the dough and then let it rise for 2 hours, so if you don’t have a lot of time this recipe is not a good choice.

The dough for these pastries is super soft and light so they are not very filling. The recipe that I tried made about 30 so the dough goes a long way. One other great thing that you

HARRY POTTER: ne of the movie and book franchises that many people know and love is Harry Potter. Butterbeer is a staple in the lives of both Hogwarts students and teachers. In Harry Potter, Butterbeer is commonly grabbed with friends and is nice for large gatherings.

This recipe is super easy to make and doesn’t take much time at all. All you need for the actual drink is cream soda and butterscotch syrup. The other ingredients are used to make homemade whipped cream to top off the drink. When I was making this recipe I couldn’t find butterscotch syrup anywhere so I substituted it for caramel syrup and it was still delicious.

If you need something quick and easy this is the recipe for you. If you don’t make the whipped cream the whole process probably takes less than

Design by Tatum Elliott

can do with the dough is separate it in half because it makes so many and then make some of them later, which is what I recommend doing unless you are having a large gathering.

When frying the beignets it only takes 1-2 minutes on each side, but it depends on how big you cut them.

I cut mine to about 2-inch squares.

Once fried, I would recommend letting the beignets cool a little before adding the powdered sugar because if they are too hot the powdered sugar will melt into the pastry and you won’t be able to see it anymore.

Overall this was a good recipe and I like that you can make them however sweet you want and that they are super light. If I make this recipe again, I would half it so I don’t have as much dough left over.

5 minutes. If you do want to garnish your Butterbeer with homemade whipped cream though, that process takes a bit longer because you have to whisk the ingredients together for about 3-5 minutes.

While this is a good drink to have on a hot day, if you would like to have it in the winter months there are plenty of recipes online to try.

Although this was a quick and easy recipe, I would prefer to drink regular soda because the caramel/butterscotch syrup made it thicker. I would also recommend waiting until you have put your drink in the refrigerator for a while before trying it because it is so much better when it is cold.

27

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast 1 ½ C warm water ½ C granulated sugar 1 tsp salt 2 eggs 1 C evaporated milk 6 ½ C bread flour ¼ C shortening 1 quart vegetable oil Powdered sugar

4 cans cream soda ¼ C butterscotch syrup 1 C heavy cream 2 tbsp sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract ¼ C melted butter

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December 14, 2020

TRENDING ON

Editors Hannah Chern and Anna Owsley try to make popular TikTok dishes

WHIPPED COFFEE REVIEW

Topped off with soft tips, JagWire editor in chief Hannah Chern shows off her recreation of the trending TikTok dish, Dalgona Coffee, better know as Whipped Coffee. |Hannah Chern

WHO’S COOKIN’?

Chefs that have taken TikTok by storm with their cooking skills

Cooking with Shereen @cookingwithshereen

Former professional recipe developer for national magazines who uses her platform to share original recipes and kitchen skills to her followers

Jeremy Scheck @jeremyscheck

College student with a baking series called “bipsy” where he covers one baking and drink recipe in each of his videos

Hannah Chern

A

Editor in Chief

t the beginning of quarantine, my Tik Tok page was flooded with recipes to make a cup of coffee, but not just any cup of coffee.

Instead, it was a cup of milk topped off with a frothy coffee foam top. There are many ways that coffee can be incorporated into drinks, whether it is a cup of iced coffee, a latte, or just a plain old cup of hot coffee, so when I saw “whipped” coffee on my For You page, I knew I had to try it.

The recipe is simple: equal parts of sugar, hot water, and instant coffee.

The main event of the recipe is mixing the instant coffee into a frothy foam that sits on top of a cup of iced milk.

After reading into the recipe more, I learned that using a hand mixer would give the best results, so I used one to mix the sugar, coffee, and water. After about five minutes, I started seeing the coffee mixture form into a beige whipped cream consistency. It did not take long for the soft peaks of the whipped coffee to form when using the hand mixer. Once I had gotten the whipped coffee made, I scooped it on top of a cup of iced milk, sprinkling some cinnamon for taste.

I have to admit that I am not an avid coffee drinker. I don’t dislike it, but I do not love it. However, I thoroughly enjoyed making and drinking whipped coffee. Not only was the recipe very simple and straightforward, but it was fun watching the instant coffee turn into a foam consistency.

The drink had a perfect consistency and wasn’t too sweet or bitter. I was really surprised how much I found myself enjoying the cup of coffee. I will definitely be making more cups of whipped coffee in the future.

JagWire

Design by Gabby Delpleash

PANCAKE CEREAL REVIEW Anna Owsley Online Editor in Chief

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ideos of dime-sized pancakes – often served with milk, butter and syrup, or fruit – flooded TikTok feeds throughout the spring stay-at-home orders and became the app’s largest food trend of 2020, #pancakecereal amassing over 1.6 billion views. As an adventurous eater and avid pancake-lover, I’ve wanted to try the recipe since I first saw these adorably tiny pancakes on TikTok. My first takeaway from the experience is that mini pancakes are far more difficult to cook than I had anticipated.

After mixing together a standard pancake mix, I piped large batter droplets into my pan with a plastic bag – squeezing batter out of a hole cut into the bag’s corner. I gave up on making them completely uniform a dozen tries in, and finding the perfect heat level to cook the pancakes at was a total guessing game.

Despite my struggles, they came looking far better than I expected.

After coming up with a satisfactory pile of pancakes, I decided against pouring the milk. Despite it being known as pancake “cereal,” I couldn’t stomach the idea of soggy pancakes in a pool of oily milk. Instead, I dusted them with powdered sugar and chocolate chips.

Beyond appearances, I was far from impressed by the final product. Their crispy, buttery exterior kept me snacking on them throughout the cooking process, but after reheating a bowl-full (they get cold seconds off the pan) they already tasted stale. Miniature pancakes just can’t match the flavor of traditional hot cakes since they’re too thin to have a fluffy, cake-like inside, and the little oil needed to keep them from sticking to the pan left them coated in grease.

Despite loving all things sugar, I would never make these pancakes again – traditional will always be superior. I have to admit, though, there is something thrilling about eating pancakes in mini-for, so I certainly understand how the trend garnered so much attention.

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Cooked to perfection, online editor in chief Anna Owsley features her freshly baked pancake cereal. |Anna Owsley

After baking, online editor in chief Anna Owsley prepares her pancake cereal by covering it in chocolate chips and powdered sugar.| Anna

Owsley

ANOTHER TOP ‘TOK DISH

Cloud bread is another rising star for Tik Tok foodies

Cloud Bread Recipe 3 egg whites 30 g white sugar 10 g corn starch Optional: food coloring

What to Use it For Toast Sandwich bread Pizza Breadsticks

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December 14, 2020

AN UNEXPECTED TREAT

With changes brought on by COVID-19, The Bridge adapts to a new method to make and sell their dog treats

Avery Gathright Writer/Photographer

Anna Owsley Online Editor in Chief

Scooping out a cup of quick oats, student Nick Pettigrew is helped by a para as he prepares the dog treat mix Friday, Dec. 4. | Submitted by Tyler Draper

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he Bridge program has continued its annual tradition of selling all-natural dog treats across the district despite COVID-19.

The Bridge is a transitional program that provides young adults who graduated from a USD 232 high school with special education services and helps them develop independent life skills. Baking and selling the treats throughout the district is one way the program allows students to practice work-based skills, while the proceeds help fund their day-to-day activities.

Selling dog treats has always been an important tradition for the Bridge, and this year the Bridge has added another all-natural treat to their menu.

Customers can now purchase Apple Cinnamon Oat Paws in addition to their staple Peanut Butter Bones.

After hand-mixing ingredients, molding the dough and baking the treats, Bridge student Nick Pettigrew brings fresh treats home for his own

“Our biggest change is how we’ve delivered [the treats] … We can’t actually go into some of the schools.”

Paraprofessional Ashley Kostus

fluffy companions. They must have provided their stamp of approval, as Pettigrew made significant contributions to the Bridge this year by selling “a lot” of treats to his friends and family.

While Pettigrew enjoys working in the kitchen – playing an active role in The Bridge’s baking endeavors and cooking at home occasionally – creating the dog treats isn’t his favorite part of the project. What Pettigrew, along with Bridge student Matt Santaularia, really looks forward to is traveling around the district to deliver the treats.

“My favorite part about the dog treats [project] is going to the schools,” Santaularia said.

For Pettigrew, making deliveries is the best part because they “get to go out” instead of being stuck indoors.

Fortunately, COVID-19 hasn’t im-

JagWire

pacted students’ ability to make or sell the treats, according to special education teacher Ashley Kostus. However, safety procedures have put a damper on Pettigrew and Santaularia’s favorite part of the project.

“Our biggest change is how we’ve delivered them… We can’t actually go into some of the schools,” Kostus said.“Some of the schools we’re allowed to go into the office, some [we] cannot, and we have to limit the amount of people per [delivery] van.”

The form to buy dog treats is currently closed for the semester. However, when the form becomes available again in the Spring, community members who purchase treats will be supporting the Bridge. According to Kostus, the money earned from selling the treats plays a significant role in funding the Bridge’s activities and events.

“We are making posters and we’re weaving and we have some birdhouses, so we have a lot of materials that we have to buy to be able to do our industries,” Kostus said. “We use the dog treats to do that and for our community outings.”

In a normal year, the earnings would also be going toward a much anticipated field trip for the Bridge students. The plans for the second semester trip are hazy due to COVID-19, but the students are still saving for the event, according to Kostus.

“They have been planning and budgeting to be able to go on a big field trip .... when the COVID restrictions are lifted,” Kostus said. “We don’t know what that’s going to look like. We’re hoping we get it done this year.”

Because of this, Kostus hopes the Bridge will eventually be able to extend the fundraiser’s duration.

“Someday, we would like to streamline a little bit and be able to do it all year long,” Kostus said. “Right now, we’re only in a position [where in the] fall semester we have a set of time, and then we’re going to open it back up in the spring.”

For the time being, however, the Bridge has been successful in its fundraising. The community has continued supporting the Bridge by purchasing treats throughout COVID-19, often coming back for more.

“We’ve got a lot of repeat orders,” Kostus said. “Once we deliver, typically people come back and reorder.”

Design by Gabby Delpleash

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Laid across a towel to cool, a row of Apple Cinnamon Oat Paw treats are almost ready to be packaged for delivery. |Submitted

by Tyler Draper

Carefully setting the next bag of pet treats into the shipping bin, Nick Pettigrew admires his hardwork. |Submitted

by Tyler Draper

RECIPE FOR SUCESS

A recipe for The Bridge program’s peanut butter bone treats

Ingredients (4-6 Servings) 2 C uncooked oatmeal 4 C white flour 2 C hot water 1/2 C peanut butter

Step by Step Instructions 1. Preheat oven to 350° F 2. Mix oatmeal, flour and peanut butter together 3. Add water to make dough more firm 4. Knead dough on floured surface 5. Roll dough with rolling pin until it’s 1/4 inches thick 6. Cut dough with cookie cutter 7. Grease a cookie sheet and cook biscuits for 40 minutes

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Design by Quinn Franken Feature Photo by Jordan Prestia

ROOM TO GROW

Due to the tomato December 14, 2020 plant’s wilting leaves, science teacher Julie Roberts transfers the plant to the clay pebbles, which are fertilized by waste from the fish in hopes of the plant thriving Monday, Dec. 7. |Jordan Prestia

The aquaponics room grows various plants using hydroponic and aquaculture systems Ben Wieland Online Editor in Chief

Q&A

Science teacher Julie Roberts answers questions about the aquaponics system How did you first come up with the idea to have your students use the aquaponic garden?

How is the garden influenced by your previous work as a Bayer researcher?

“I added the aquaponics system last year for a new class, Environmental Resources and Wildlife Sciences...

The aquaponics system provides them with many hands-on opportunities for research, problem solving, animal care, understanding how systems interact, water chemistry, etc. This year, the AP Environmental Science students were able to use the system to run experiments but because of time constraints we have been limited in the use of it. I hope we will be back in person next semester to be able to use it more!”

“I worked as a research biologist for Bayer for eight years. Most of those years were spent conducting research in an aquatics lab where I designed and ran experiments testing the safety of new products prior to them being submitted to the EPA for approval. I think my experience helps me to teach students experimental design (which is of high importance to APES and ERWS), critical thinking, the ability to analyze and solve problems...all which are important skills for life beyond high school, no matter what you do!”

What are the main differences between an aquaponic garden and other gardening methods?

“In an aquaponics system plants are grown in water that flows from a tank containing fish. When the fish produce waste it contains nutrients necessary for plants to grow. This allows a closed system with no need for extra chemicals to be added to help the plants to grow. It is a healthy, safe way to grow plants... Aquaponics is more of a self-contained system, you just need the fish.”

Several plants, including tomatoes, grow in the aquaponics garden in either soil or clay pebbles and are fed by artificial light. |Steven Curto The waste of the 40 Bluegill fish held in the container travels through pipes and goes directly to the plants to fertilize them. |Steven Curto