Happiness on a Stick

On March 12th 2025, Charlotte Catholic students and their parents received an email detailing the upcoming change in cafeteria services for the 2025-2026 school year. Mr. Telford, the head of the school, is excited to announce that in an effort to provide healthier options for students, Charlotte Catholic will be switching to Aramark Food Services for school lunch. 

Aramark specializes in incorporating aspects of cuisines from around the world in their menus to provide nutritious and interesting meals for students. CCHS has selected Peruvian cuisine for its primary lunch options because of its emphasis on fresh produce, lean proteins, and the inclusion of superfoods in many of its dishes. Mr. Telford anticipates the most popular dish will be Cuy al Palo, a delicacy found throughout the Andean highlands of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Colombia. 

Cuy al Palo is guinea pig roasted on a stick, and is similar in flavor and texture to chicken or rabbit. The Cuy will be served alongside a fresh-made garden salsa, brown rice, and roasted corn slaw. Mr. Telford selected Cuy not only because it is a personal favorite of his, but also because it is a great source of B12, omega 3, and iron. Guinea pig meat is also lean, but rich in protein. 

To account for the high demand for the dish, and the exorbitant shipping costs of bulk importing guinea pigs, the school will be building a live guinea pig pen outside the cafeteria and farming their own Cuy. Guinea pigs are the perfect choice for fresh, free-range protein because they require very little space to farm. Unfortunately for the class of 2026, this enclosure will be constructed in the outdoor student lunch area, so next year's seniors will not be able to enjoy their lunch outside. In order to increase the time between harvests and maintain the population of the herd, the cafeteria will rotate to pescatarian dishes on Fridays. 

The CCHS administration is excited to see what students think of these new changes and is hopeful that the emphasis on nutritious meals will help students to make better choices for their health throughout the day. 

 In an effort to reinstate the Catholic tradition, Friday's lunch options throughout the year will not include meat. Students will have a variety of vegetarian and pescatarian options, including pasta salad served with mackerel, tofu stir-fry, or pickled herring sandwiches.