Photos by Samantha Davis Chef Jamie Sultze, center, works with Marshall High School students to prepare a Korean pork taco lunch Monday morning.

MARSHALL — Students from Marshall High School got a visit from Chef Jamie Sultze Monday morning, and helped with food preparation for an authentic lunch to be served today.

Sultze will also visit Park Side Elementary on Wednesday to serve breakfast.

“This is my very first year as a regional chef, and I love it,” Sultze said. “This is a ton of fun. I love traveling to different schools and showing the kids (recipes).”

Sultze, who resides in the Rochester area, is a chef for Taher Incorporated, a contract food service management company that provides food for schools, campuses, senior and business dining, catering and more. Taher works with the Marshall schools for lunches.

Taher has three regional chefs that travel to various schools to serve breakfasts and lunches.

Sultze made doughnuts for the high school Monday morning, and will be serving Korean pork tacos with seasoned black beans and rice, with Korean slaw for today’s lunch. She will wrap up her Marshall visit at Park Side Wednesday morning with doughnuts.

“The good thing about cooking is that it’s not exact, like baking is,” Sultze said jokingly while working with the high school students.

Students from FACS (Family and Consumer Sciences) class stepped out of the classroom to prepare lunch with Sultze. They assisted in making a marinade for the pork to cook in, and split up duties with chopping cabbage, green onions, peppers and cilantro.

Sultze was impressed with how fast the students were getting through the prep hour.

“They are super efficient,” Sultze said. “It helps that they’ve been in food (courses) before.”

Sultze also said she will occasionally host demo classes with first year food or FACS students to help everyone get culinary experience.

Food Service Director Shelly Cunningham said she tries to bring in a few chefs each school year.

Cunningham also mentioned that Taher works with the school to bring in nine different lunch entrée choices for students every day.

The recipes the chefs choose to bring to their school visits come directly from the country of origin, as Taher has a Chef Council that will send select chefs to visit various countries for food inspiration.

“This (Korean pork taco recipe) is from their trip to Korea … It’s like they found this at a street stand late at night, and they’re like, ‘Oh, these tacos are amazing. Let’s bring it home,'” Sultze said. “Let’s work with the council to make sure it’s nutritionally compliant for the National School Lunch Program, and give it to the kids. It’s like walking down the streets of South Korea and getting a street taco.”

Sultze was selected for this year’s Chef Council trip, and will be traveling to China in April.

“I’m super excited to get new ideas. Then next year, my concept will be whatever I’ve learned there and bring it back,” Sultze said. “Not only can they (students) help prepare the meal, but then I can give them the history behind it.”

Sultze is also preparing a surprise along with her doughnut breakfast for the Park Side students on Wednesday.

“Taher does a Harvest of the Month every month, where they highlight an herb and a vegetable. This month, it beets,” Sultze said. “We’re going to make beet brownies, and you will never even know that beets are in it. I’ll have a little Valentine’s Day table, I’ve got coloring sheets and crayons.”

Students continued to chop and help one another out with the food preparation as other students and staff members passed by making remarks of the good smell, and excitement for today’s lunch.