Nibbles: BVSD students dish on Boulder Valley school lunches — what they love and what they don’t

A Boulder Reporting Lab reader recently asked a reasonable question:

“I am wondering if you go ‘undercover’ to review a restaurant. Can your review be unbiased if they know who you are?”

I’m not a dining critic, although I used to play one in Denver.

When I was a professional restaurant critic for eight years at the Rocky Mountain News, I was semi-anonymous. I had a credit card I signed with the name Michael Mazzola — my grandfather’s name — and a $1,500-a-month dining budget. Some bistros posted my face on their kitchen walls. In that pre-Internet era, I stole many menus. Nobody was taking photos of their dinner. When the food or service was bad, I went back to make sure it was as unpleasant as I thought.

I gave out letter grades — only a handful of A+ or D- ratings — and marked down eateries if we had to breathe secondhand cigarette smoke. It was my coolest job, but I’m happy I survived semi-intact from that butter-and-Chardonnay lifestyle.

In my Nibbles columns, I only write about great things I taste at local independent restaurants and bakeries. Sometimes they recognize me; mostly they don’t. It doesn’t affect what I write.

In 2025, everyone is a restaurant critic. We mainly use Yelp, Google, Instagram, and YouTube reviews to choose an eatery now, not advice from a journalist. This is how we answer the essential question: Is this meal worth our hard-earned bucks?

Many adults dismiss kids’ “whining” about various foods and don’t actually listen. I love kids because they tend to be honest — delighted or grossed out — and don’t pull their punches or adjectives.

In a recent Nibbles column on the nationally acclaimed Boulder Valley School District lunch program, I invited students who eat regularly in the district’s cafeterias to write short reviews. As in society, misinformation runs rampant in cafeterias, so we’ll dismiss the kids’ conspiracy theory about “bones in the meatballs.”

Please welcome our newest generation of dining critics with distinctive voices. I appreciate their willingness to write. We have disguised their identities but not their opinions.

We welcome more short reviews from local students at any Boulder-area school. Be detailed, pro and con. Show, don’t tell. Six-seven, IYKYK. Send critiques to: nibbles@boulderreportinglab.org.

‘The best part is how chewy it is’

“My favorite food from BVSD school lunches is the French toast casserole! The best part is how chewy it is. The one thing I don’t like is the berry sauce. My opinion is that the oven roast chicken is not for me. The first time I tried it I pulled out a strip of cartilage about two inches long. The biscuits are good. I don’t get the chicken.” 

— E., Horizons K-8 School 

Centennial Middle School’s nacho divide 

“I hate the nachos! I know that other people disagree, but in our school many have problems with the beans and the squeeze cheese.  Most of the nachos are soggy from sitting there too long. Once a month makes sense but every other week?! That is completely insane. … This is why I think that school nachos suck and that we should change them.

— G., Centennial Middle School

“As I walk into the cafeteria I wonder, what will it be today? Then I remember. Nachos! These meaty (or beany) crunchy chips are an absolute delight. They perfectly satisfy any savory cravings with ease. You can choose either a thick creamy cheese, or some sprinkled from the bag. The way the meat pairs with the golden chip texture is something no one can replicate, and I find myself looking forward to it any time they’re on the menu. Absolutely delicious.”

— J., Centennial Middle School

“When I walk into the cafeteria and smell the nachos I think ‘Oh no.’ The only good thing is they have substitute cheese for people you don’t want to eat stuff that comes out of a tube. There is way too little glop for the amount of chips so half the time you are eating dry chips and half the time you are eating soggy chips overloaded with filling. The beef is unrecognizable and the beans have a horrible texure. My final complaint is this: Don’t like nachos? Too bad! You’re stuck with them. No other option.”

— H., Centennial Middle School 

‘I would like taco day at the salad bar’

“I like spaghetti day because it reminds me of me as a baby – I was a messy one. I also like nacho day because of the creamy deliciousness. I like The French toast casserole because the meat is good. Why I don’t like hot dog day is because of the disgusting brown beans. I also don’t like chicken ravioli because it’s gross. I also don’t like pizza day because the sauce is spicy. I would like taco day at the salad bar – you would put on the topping you would like.”

  — A., Bear Creek Elementary

‘Something feels like it is missing. We think that it may be the meat’

Hamburger/Cheeseburger: “They are good, but we would love the option for more salt. We had the idea that the bread could be baked fresh and that the fries could be crispier.”

Pizza: “Not a class favorite. Not enough cheese and usually served cold. Everyone lines up for this dish because it’s going to be better than leftover mac n cheese.”

Cheese Ravioli: “It could use some Italian seasoning. The mozzarella on top is fabulous but we always want there to be a little more melted cheese than is available.”

Sweet & Sour Tofu: “It’s glossy and good. There could be a touch more rice and adding butter would make it creamy.”

Green Chile Tamales: “These are good. We think there should be a really spicy option – since kids like heat, but we definitely like them.”

Pesto Noodles: “The noodles would benefit from coming out of the water a couple of minutes earlier but the sauce is tasty and traditional.” 

Plant Forward Bolognese: Something feels like it is missing. We think that it may be the meat. We would also like the noodles to be more al dente.”

— M. Centennial Middle School

‘That’s why I love the ramen’

“Ramen is my favorite lunch at school. I like the stuff they put in it, like edamame beans and noodles, and maybe some onions. I’m not totally sure, but it’s very special. They never had it again, and we don’t know why, but it was really yummy. Some people said it didn’t have enough soup, but mine had enough soup. And that’s why I love the ramen.”   

— E., Whittier Elementary School

Local food news 

OAK celebrates 15 years, Bjorn’s opens downtown, Felix shutters, and Nana’s is on the way

Wood-fired OAK at Fourteenth celebrates its 15th anniversary this month on the Pearl Street Mall. Chef Steve Redzikowski is bringing back early menu favorites Nov. 11-16, including his famous shrimp and grits.

Opening:

Boulder-born Bjorn’s Colorado Honey has opened one of its bee-centric stores at 1101 Pearl St., offering Front Range wildflower and clover honey, honeycomb, and European-made bee-based skincare products.

Closing:

My Neighbor Felix, the Mexican eatery and bar chain, has closed its location at 901 Pearl St.

Coming attraction:

Nana’s Dim Sum and Dumplings is set to open soon at 125 Ken Pratt Blvd. in Longmont.

Culinary calendar 

Fight Thanksgiving Day terror with turkey boot camp, expert feast advice and locally sources mashers  

Admit it: Cooking and serving Thanksgiving dinner for family and friends can be terrifying. It’s OK — it scares us, too. Longmont’s Journey Culinary cooking school offers a Nov. 16 boot camp in the feast basics: roasted turkey, pan gravy, crème fraîche mashers, orange cranberry sauce, and a chocolate pecan tart. Registration: journeyculinary.com/thanksgivingdinner

Thanksgiving screwups and existential gravy crises are on the Nov. 4 menu for KGNU’s Kitchen Table Talk, airing 8:30–9:30 a.m. on KGNU (88.5 FM) or streaming at kgnu.org. Co-hosts John Lehndorff and chef Dan Asher of River & Woods will talk turkey and solve listeners’ T-day challenges. Guests include local pie-making legend John Hinman and longtime Denver restaurant expert Pat Miller, known as The Gabby Gourmet. Call in: 303-442-4242.

Stock up on Boulder County-grown potatoes, onions, winter squash, apples and other feast essentials at the Boulder and Longmont Farmers Markets. The final markets of the season take place Nov. 22. 

Deep food thoughts 

“It will be a great day for America, incidentally, when we begin to eat bread again, instead of the blasphemous and tasteless foam rubber that we have substituted for it.” —  James Baldwin, author of “The Fire Next Time”