Welcome to the May edition of The Meals of the Month, where our panel of reviewers reflect on the past foods served to students and offer our opinions on the best meals since the previous issue. This past month, Mr. Maws and FLIK Kitchen crew continued to produce stellar culinary creations, including past MOTM winners as well as new dishes. Let’s take a deep dive into the meals of the past month.
Starting off, our judge duo gave this month’s entrees an average of 7.23, which is considerably higher than previous months’ scores. Most of the dishes were rated a 7-8/10, but there were some outliers. The lowest-rated entree, the Broccoli Alfredo, was given a 5.4 and a 4.9 out of 10 as the dish’s lack of meat and spices really lowered its appeal. As the first dish of the month, we expected some more pizazz, but Chefs Maws and Burger certainly made up for that lack of pizzazz in the following days. On the twelfth, the kitchen staff produced a masterpiece. The chicken shawarma bowl, served numerous times throughout the year, never fails to disappoint. Coming with a large piece of tender chicken, smooth and nutrient-rich rice, and the most perfect side of chopped tomatoes and cucumber, it is impossible to opt for pasta when this meal is in your presence. Our judges gave the bowl a 9.6 and a 9.4 out of 10, truly spectacular scores from such famed critics. Furthermore, there were some issues with this month’s food scheduling, with Korean BBQ Chicken served twice in 3 days. While this dish was given a 7.4 and an 8.1 the first time around, due to the repetitiveness of the meal’s planning, the judges were unable to rate it as nicely the second time, with an average score of 5.1/10.
Our judges have also reached a consensus that Meatless Mondays should be banished. On every single Monday this month, ratings were low 5’s. When asked about these days, Jack Santonelli ‘26 explained, “I just always find myself going to the salad bar, getting chicken, and putting it in my bowl. Sometimes the chicken seasoning doesn’t even pair with the dish, but I still put it on. I like the nasty taste of it” Perhaps a switch to a meatless lunch once every month would satisfy the lunchroom, but as of right now, Mondays are still the worst culinary day of the week.
On the sweeter side, our judges gave the desserts an average rating of 7.58 out of 10. Student favorites included the classic chocolate brownie, ice-cream novelties – or chocolate ice-cream sandwiches, and the refreshing Orange Smiles, a town-team throwback that always delights the boys. Moreover, the Cheesecake Cups – served on the 17th – possessed a variety of flavors from the cheesecake itself and the fruits in it. Thus, the delicacy earned scores of 9.8 and 9.2 out of 10, respectively. However, hands down, the month’s championship dessert was the Oreo Bites, served originally on the 4th and then later on the 19th. Each time, the chocolatey-rich liquid, surrounded by a dark chocolate batter, hit the spot perfectly. Rhett Curtis ‘26 declared “Simply, these cups of Oreo Bites are the best thing to ever grace my tongue.” Scenes of students eating these bites are only comparable to the food critic Anton Ego tasting the rat Remy’s dish in the film Ratatouille. Moreover, the cup portions – totaling three per serving – were also excellent and allowed students to pace themselves and save the treats for everyone. The Oreo Bites received the first-ever unanimous 10 from our judges and we encourage the culinary team to put them on the regular roster. All in all, the month of April was a very strong month for entrees and desserts, and collectively received the highest average thus far. The FLIK Team and Mr. Maws have heated up as of late, and students are eager to see what is in store for the school year’s final weeks approach.
