Move over Porto’s, LAUSD has a new guava pastelito

Can Los Angeles Unified top a beloved coffee cake?

The crumb-topped cinnamon confection has been a cafeteria staple for years, but it might have competition from a new breakfast pastry: a guava apple pastelito with local flavor and 16 grams of whole grains.

“I like the filling since it almost tastes like a bread from Porto’s,” said New Open World Academy 8th-grader Arnold. He took an audibly crunchy first bite at a tasting before the start of the most recent school year.

His sister Ashley agreed that the pastry tastes like the one from the iconic L.A. Cuban bakery. “It doesn't even taste weird,” she said. “I like the flavor.”

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High praise from a 6th grader.

Ashley and Arnold, like every California student, can get a free breakfast, lunch and snack at school regardless of their family’s income, but taste and variety are an important factor in whether students grab a tray.

Nearly 1 in 5 L.A. County kids live in food insecure households and 4 in 5 LAUSD students qualify for free and reduced prices meals, which is often a proxy for low-income families.

“We wanna make sure every kid who's coming to school is getting those three meals every day, because I don't know what their situation may be at home,” said Director of Food Services Manish Singh. “So let's find ways to make it happen.”

How are the pastelitos prepared and served?

Los Angeles Unified faces the task of serving meals that meet federal nutrition guidelines, are affordable, and that its 389,000 students actually want to eat. It serves about 250,000 breakfasts daily.

Last May, the district reached out to longtime supplier Buena Vista Foods to expand the variety of vegan breakfast options.

In addition to making the district’s beloved coffee cake mix, the Azusa-based company produces muffins, cookies and croissants that meet the federal nutrition standards for school meals. Those guidelines require whole grains and limit sodium, saturated fat and added sugar.

“We feel it's definitely a very big responsibility for us that we're providing food to kids all across the country,” said Buena Vista Foods President Laura Bruno. “We don't take that responsibility lightly.”

Over several months, Buena Vista sent LAUSD several versions of a flaky, layered pastry made with whole grain flour and without butter.

The vegan guava apple pastelito debuted at LAUSD's cafeteria this fall and is scheduled to be back on the menu this spring.

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Mariana Dale

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LAist

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“They gave us the guava and we were like, stop — done,” said district culinary innovation chef Jamie Ginsburg. “This is delicious.”

The pastelitos are shipped frozen and heated up in school ovens.

Ginsburg said while the district is working to increase on-site cooking in school cafeterias, convenience matters for students who may only have a few minutes for breakfast before the bell rings or who eat in their classroom.

“We're kind of in that balance right now where we're trying to elevate our schools, but we also have to have some things that are a little bit easier to make,” Ginsburg said.

Students are ready for more options

Ashley and Arnold, the New Open World Academy students, said they eat breakfast and lunch at school most days.

Research shows universal school meals can be associated with increased attendance and academic performance.

“They give us the best options so we can have healthy food,” Arnold said. For example, the “very sweet” oranges.

“That's probably one of my favorite foods,” he said. “And if they're gonna add more, well, I'll be glad to taste them.”