Hundreds of students and parents packed the cafeteria at C.D. Hylton High School on Thursday to taste-test new dishes that could appear on Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) menus next year.
Now in its 34th year, the annual PWCS Food Show invited the community to sample and rate more than a dozen new breakfast and lunch items — from sweet corn hushpuppies and French toast casserole to Caesar chicken pizza and fish taco bites with cilantro lime slaw.
The event’s theme, “Rise. Dine. Shine!”, celebrated the importance of starting the school day with a healthy meal.
“School meals really nourish the students and help them do the job of learning, so we want to offer the things that kids want to eat,” said Andrea Early, PWCS Director of School Nutrition.
“Pizza is always popular, popcorn chicken is always popular — but we also look for creative ways to introduce new foods that meet nutrition goals.”
Early said her team begins developing next year’s menu as soon as the event wraps up, using tasting scores and feedback from attendees to decide what makes the cut.
PWCS serves approximately 63,000 lunches and 21,000 breakfasts daily across its schools.
🍽️ Sweet, Salty, and Student-Approved
Families sat together with clipboards and menus in hand, rating each dish for flavor, presentation, and appeal.
For the Henry family of Manassas, the food show was both a fun outing and a chance to help shape what’s served in cafeterias across the county.
“I tried the corn hushpuppies — it’s sweet but a little salty and crispy. It’s really good,” said 11-year-old Chizu Henry, who quickly declared it her favorite.
Her sister Lizomi, 16, preferred the Caesar chicken pizza, while their father Melvin Henry appreciated the lighter touch on seasoning.
“They’re not too salty — it seems like they’re very sodium conscious,” he said.
The Caesar chicken pizza earned high marks from the younger Henrys, while the hushpuppies and fish taco bites intrigued parents with their creative flavors.
Barbecue Wins Over Another Table
At another table, the Saini and Chawla families from Woodbridge and Manassas dove into a lineup of chicken-based dishes — including Buffalo chicken pizza, Carolina-style pulled chicken, and sweet and spicy barbecue pulled chicken.
“I think this table, hands down, is the pulled chicken — the sweet and spicy barbecue sauce,” said Gaurav Saini, echoing a sentiment shared by the whole group.
“It’s definitely a step up from when we were in school,” another added. “We had burgers, nuggets, and pizza — that was about it.”
Not every experimental flavor hit the mark. The Caesar chicken pizza split opinions at the table.
“I like Caesar salad, but Caesar just not on a pizza,” one participant said with a laugh.
Among the group was Jasraj “Raj” Saini, known among his friends as the “Butter Chicken Guy” — a nod to his award-winning Butter Chicken recipe, which earned top honors in last year’s PWCS student recipe competition.
Community Flavor
The PWCS Food Show, which drew more than 2,000 RSVPs this year, continues to serve as a bridge between schools and families, allowing students to take part in shaping what ends up on their lunch trays.
“We really want the community to have a say,” Early said. “When students enjoy what they’re eating, it supports their learning, their health, and their happiness.”
After all the votes are tallied, the highest-rated dishes could soon become new student favorites — debuting on cafeterias countywide in the 2026–27 school year.
