A Seat at the Table: The NBPS Dining Experience

When North Broward Preparatory students walk into any of our three dining halls, one for each division, they are not only walking into a place to eat, but a gathering place where their well-being is a priority.

The setup of our high school dining hall is intentional, with round tables that foster collaboration amongst students, and an opportunity to sit with faculty. In our middle school dining hall, phones are put away, allowing students to interact with each other without technological distractions. In all three locations, through a partnership with FLIK dining, students enjoy high-quality meals, are always top of mind, and are excited when it is time for lunch.

“You are not coming into a cafeteria; you are coming into a restaurant,” said Alfredo Pena, NBPS’ Executive Chef. “We want something different every week. Students are coming back for seconds. It feels nice because they like what they are eating. We call it a dining hall, not a cafeteria."

A World of Choices at the Lunch Table

There is something for everyone in an NBPS dining hall. Our menu changes every day in each school, as students are eager to try something new and delight in a variety of options. Along with a main dish and multiple sides at lunch, each school has a sandwich bar and a salad bar. In our sandwich bar, we serve turkey, roasted beef, and chicken – all are roasted in house. In our salad bar, and in all our food, all produce is fresh and chopped in-house daily.

FLIK also wants to cultivate a fun dining environment. FLIK has a weekly promotion that engages students, such as the “double-dipped” promotion, where students try two different foods, vote on their favorite, and the item that wins will be a feature on the menu later in the year. Learners can discover different cultures through FLIK meals, such as one cultural celebration per month that highlights a specific cultural heritage or a “street eat”, one dish from a particular country.

Supporting Every Student, Every Meal

At NBPS, we understand that every learner has its own needs, and FLIK helps families on an individualized basis to make sure that every student is part of an environment that fits their diet. NBPS works with students with dietary restrictions, such as those that are vegetarian, vegan, or have religious preferences, and serve a vegetarian entree with every meal. We accommodate students that have certain allergens, are dairy free, gluten free, or need other assistance, and a gluten-free option is always available upon request. We also do not serve anything with tree nuts. As a safeguard to students with allergens, in our Lower School, all students wear color-coded lanyards that tell the dining staff if they have a particular allergen to help students better advocate for themselves. FLIK believes in a dining experience that brings the school community together and where every individual, no matter their diet, has a seat at the table.

"Our FLIK team brings an extraordinary level of care and commitment to hospitality,” said Sarah Evans, NBPS Lower School Assistant Principal. “Every member of the team has taken the time to truly understand the needs and preferences of our students and staff, and that thoughtfulness comes through in the way they create something delicious for everyone, no matter their dietary needs."

Quality Starts in the Kitchen

All the food that comes in and out of our kitchen is done with students in mind. We make sure everything we serve is raised without antibiotics, hormones, or red-food dye. As mentioned, all produce is freshly cut daily, and FLIK dining strives to serve the least amount of frozen food possible. That means that on a day with chicken tenders, the chefs are hand-breading thousands of chicken tenders, giving students the high-quality meal they deserve. Staying with that theme, our chefs focus on batch cooking, so when the first group or learners come in for lunch, the next batch is being made for the following group. Our batch-cooking process happens throughout lunch, making sure meals served at peak freshness and not mass-produced. FLIK’s mission statement outlines their best cooking practices.

“Our practice has always been cooking from fresh, whole foods and using quality ingredients. We make meals that fuel students’ success both in and out of the classroom.”

Growing a Greener Future

Walk into one of North Broward Prep’s dining halls, and they will be missing something – trash cans. FLIK composts 100% of food waste to make our campus more sustainable, meaning nothing from lunch gets immediately thrown away.

“FLIK has been an incredible partner in helping North Broward Preparatory School achieve its sustainability goals,” said Rita Vester, NBPS middle school teacher and Sustainability Coordinator. “Through our partnership, FLIK ensures that 100% of our food waste is composted, and since the program began in 2024, our school community has diverted and composted more than 240,000 pounds of food waste.”

What makes composting so special at North Broward is the way the process comes into full circle. Some of the composted materials act as fertilizers throughout campus, including being used on our baseball field and middle school garden. In the spring, when it is produce season, food from the garden will be marked and used in the dining hall, presenting a full circle experience.  “Every harvest is carefully collected and delivered to the dining hall for use in meals. Students share surplus produce from our gardens, including cucumbers, tomatoes, and other seasonal crops, which FLIK incorporates into its offerings whenever possible. This partnership provides students with authentic, hands-on learning opportunities while demonstrating how a school community can reduce waste, grow food locally, and support a more sustainable future.”

Home Away from Home

When day-students go home on weekdays or weekends, NBPS dining stays open. FLIK services are a seven-day operation with meals provided to students in Residential Life. All boarding students are served three meals a day during the week, and two meals on the weekends, brunch and dinner. FLIK also caters for the monthly Residential Life Family Dinner, when all our boarders come together for one meal at the end of the month. FLIK’s mission statement also highlights how food can foster a sense of community.

“We know that food has the power to bring people together. Our goal is to build a sense of belonging, where everyone can gather and share in the joy of delicious, healthy food.”

North Broward Prep understands that for learners to be successful they must be fueled with the right ingredients. NBPS aims to give its students all they need to flourish, and that begins with that they put in their body.