Before lunch from the cafeteria lands on students’ trays, the five members of the nutrition committee have already tasted it. The nutrition committee helps taste-test and plan the menu for school lunches across the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD). The committee is led by TUHSD Director of Student Nutrition Ben Guyton. Guyton meets five student board members every other Wednesday during lunch in the cafeteria to discuss potential new menu changes.
Sophomore Berkeley Smith has been on the committee for two years and works to improve school lunches.
“[In the nutrition committee], we taste-test food that could go on the menu. We look at data on how many kids are eating our school lunches; our largest demographic is freshmen across the whole TUHSD district,” Smith said. “We look at data from Archie Williams, Tam, San Andreas and Tamiscal to see if numbers [of students eating school lunch] are declining or rising and what we can do to help that.”
The committee works to ensure that the student body is well represented when choosing what goes on the menu.
“[Guyton] takes all of our opinions into consideration because we are the link between him and the student body,” Smith said.
The committee got to help in the cafeteria on Jan. 21, 2026. Members of the committee worked alongside cafeteria staff, helping plate and serve the food to students.
“[Serving as a lunch lady] was a very transformative experience. We had to go in prior [to lunch] and get trained in the back of the cafeteria. We had to wear closed-toed shoes, hairnets, aprons and gloves. It was cool to see how many people get the pizza [for lunch] because it’s historically the most popular food,” Smith said.
The committee encourages new students to join to bring in new opinions and perspectives regarding the school menu.
“[Something we want to work on is] getting more students to join. [If students are interested], come sit with us at lunch! We have a table in the back of the cafeteria every other Wednesday. There’s no official sign-up; you can just show up,” Smith said.
Sophomore Maya Tucker is in her second year on the nutrition committee and enjoys having a say in what goes on the cafeteria menu.
“[My favorite part of the committee] is seeing the differences that we make, seeing the new food that’s put on the menu and that our voice really matters. It’s nice to represent our school,” Tucker said.
Working closely with the school menu has given Tucker a new perspective on school lunches and encouraged her to try new items.
“[Since joining the nutrition committee], I’ve had more of an appreciation for school lunches. Some of the dishes are actually really good. [My favorite dish is the] chicken teriyaki bowl,” Tucker said.
The nutrition committee continues to shape students’ lunch experience by working to improve the menu.
“We have a big impact on what gets put in the cafeteria, and I hope it positively affects the student body,” Tucker said.
