School Meal Gets 2 Legs Up For Fun -- By Rick Burnham Messenger Staff Writer

School meal gets 2 legs up for fun

Wild lunch gets a variety of reviews at BFA-Fairfax
By Rick Burnham
Messenger Staff Writer

FAIRFAX - Their reactions ranged from delight to disgust, from refusal to remorse. Some jumped at the opportunity, while others looked like they wanted to croak.

The students of Bellows Free Academy - Fairfax were treated to frog legs Thursday, deep fried with a touch of garlic, and served up with a baked potato and a side order of broccoli.

It was all part of a special event concocted by the Abbey Group, a food service management company that runs the hot lunch program at BFA-Fairfax, said Nicole Fournier, district manager of the organization. Officials of the Abbey Group wanted to do something fun for the students and decided that frog legs - two legs and an attached torso, to be exact - would be the ticket.

"We have had featured a few assorted themes with our meals, such as 'harvest festival' and 'tailgate party.' We wanted to do something different this time around, and our owner came up with frog legs," said Fournier.
The company got the frogs from its supplier in Burlington, and initially prepared 60 servings - each consisting of the aforementioned two legs and an attached torso - for the students to devour.

Fifteen-year-old Devin Keefe polished his serving off in short order, with complimentary words for the chef.

"I like 'em," he said. "They taste like very good."

Stephan Seagroves echoed those sentiments, but admitted he had eaten frog legs before at a Chinese restaurant when he was eight.

“Tastes like checken,” said ves, 16. “it is good.”

Tenth-grader Colin Santee agreed somewhat.

"Tastes like old chicken," he said. "I keep thinking of the Muppets and poor Kermit."

Heidi Rabidoux never got that far. Prompted by a friend with a chunk of frog on the end of a fork, the llth grader reluctantly agreed, but spat out the morsel a second after tasting it.
“I was too scared,” she said as others around the table laughed.

Still, there was enough interest in the frog legs that cafeteria worker Cheryle Slayton had to fry up another 25 servings.

Fournier said other high school hot lunch programs managed by The Abbey will also be offering frog legs in the future, including those in Vergennes, Winooski and St. Albans.