Four Recipes to Maximize Product Versatility for K-12 Foodservice Programs

There are a lot of challenges to running a K-12 culinary program. Feeding students and faculty at a school with the goal of providing consistently great tasting, high-quality food to a high volume of diners—all while diligently overseeing food cost—is an ambitious one. 

Looking to your product mix to maximize versatility is a savvy strategy to help manage your kitchen’s output. At C.H. Guenther & Son, our broad portfolio of products is designed to perform across multiple parts of your menu. Designed to be time-saving prep solutions, our best-in-class muffins, rolls, breads, gravies, sauces (and more) meet today’s USDA nutrition guidelines(where applicable) and allow your menu to feature whole grains while managing costs. For over 170 years, we’ve been a sourcing partner to the foodservice industry, providing not only innovative products, but resources, as well, like best practices, consumer research and industry performance insights.  
Our custom recipes, created and tested by our culinary team, are always available to operators as a source of inspiration and as a way to consider efficiency and versatility in your menu design. We’re excited to share four new recipes that illustrate how to use some of our most popular products in multiple ways across your school’s daily menu.

Perfect for a high-protein grab-and-go breakfast option, these egg bites cross-over with another classic brunch dish: sausage and gravy. Keeping C.H. Guenther ​​Pioneer Whole Grain Peppered Gravy Mix stocked in your dry food storage means that a crowd-pleasing accompaniment to breakfast, lunch and dinner is always within reach. Using a gravy substitute in egg bites helps reduce the number of eggs needed while enhancing flavor and texture. Adding the gravy to the egg mixture gives the bites a tender consistency, a powerful umami flavor, and added structure for a more satisfying result.

There are so many ways to use Pioneer Whole Grain Peppered Gravy in addition to serving it with traditional meat-and-potatoes entrees. Gravy makes a great emulsifier for all types of sauces, dressings and dips. In this on-trend recipe, the gravy is mixed with shredded chicken, cream cheese, cheddar and hot sauce to make a beautifully creamy sauce that’s spooned over fresh-baked biscuits and garnished with crumbled blue cheese and sliced green onions.

Make a classic chicken sauce for pasta, noodles (or another starch, like rice or farro) even more savory and creamy using Pioneer Whole Grain Low Sodium Roasted Chicken Gravy as a thickening agent. The prepared gravy mix is blended with lemon juice and sour cream, then brightened with the addition of lemon zest and fresh parsley.

C.H. Guenther Pioneer Whole Grain Cornbread Mix is made with fresh-milled corn meal and wheat flour for a wholesome, easy-to-prepare baking experience.. Cornbread is a high-value add-on for soups and stews; if it’s already offered on your menu, consider using the mix to enhance other aspects of your baked goods offerings. Add these blueberry banana muffins to a breakfast menu.