Rarely do we consider the lunches purchased out of the school cafeteria to be anything better than "edible," but if you attend school in Tambov, Russia, you might just be in luck! Out of more than twenty-five thousand schools participating, chef Alexander Larinov of the Fifth School of Tambov took first place in the All-Russian Best School Cafeteria competition.
Larinov has been working in the catering industry for over thirty years and has been head of the school cafeteria for six. For his winning dish, Larinov created a casserole from tvorog (Russian cottage cheese), meat cutlets filled with vegetables and rice (called "zrazy"), and a berry compote. Much nicer than the typical fried foods and prepackaged fruit cups usually served at American high schools!
It should also be noted that another school in the Tambov region won second place in the category of "Best Cafeteria for a Rural School." Perhaps Tambov is the next culinary capital, and we just don't know it yet?
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