August 19, 2011
Sushi Maki Rolls into Schools with Sushi Box Lunches
SUSHI MAKI
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jenny Larson
Direct: 786.507.3306 / Cell: 786.348.6702 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
SUSHI MAKI ROLLS INTO MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS WITH SUSHI BOX LUNCHES
MIAMI, FL – August 19, 2011 – As students across South Florida gear up for the start of the school year, they might be finding a little surprise in their school cafeterias. Sushi Maki, South Florida’s leader in Japanese cuisine, will roll out with sushi boxes to over a dozen Miami-Dade public high schools this fall.
“Sushi Maki is a strong advocate for healthy living and eating, especially when it comes to kids and students. We are excited to partner with Miami-Dade County Schools to bring the students of South Florida innovative choices that are both nutritious and delicious,” said Abe Ng, CEO and CSO (Chief Sushi Officer) of Sushi Maki, a graduate of Miami Palmetto Senior High School. Sushi Maki supports community organizations focused on the well-being of children and youth, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Miami Children’s Hospital.
Carol Chong, Director of M-DCPS Food and Menu Management collaborated closely with Sushi Maki to develop the menu. “As the fourth largest school system in the United States, with students representing a multitude of countries and languages, our students are a truly global community. We want our meal offerings to reflect the diversity and uniqueness of our students.” The M-DCPS Department of Food and Nutrition’s mission is to promote health and nutrition for the formation of good eating habits and good health. The department’s Administrative Director, Penny Parham, sees an avenue to this mission - “We are always looking for ways to elevate the school lunch experience and bring new and healthy items to our menus. Our partnership with Sushi Maki, a local business committed to this community and children’s health made perfect sense.”
Known for its popular neighborhood restaurants, Sushi Maki has been serving its sushi boxes to university campuses since 2004. “Expanding into public schools is a natural next step for Sushi Maki,” said Ng.“Our goal is to change the way people eat and make a positive impact on the school children of our community. They are becoming more and more savvy about what they eat at a younger age and we think that’s a good thing.” All ingredients at Sushi Maki are free of preservatives, hormones, artificial flavors or colors, and all fish/seafood/chicken is all-natural, organic or responsibly sourced (sustainable whenever possible).
Dedicated to innovation, Sushi Maki debuts three new sushi rolls created especially for Miami’s public schools. Sushi boxes offered include the Veggie Roll and the Cali-Ocho Roll (named after Miami’s famous 8th Street), which is the popular California Roll with a South Florida twist; and a Sweet ‘N Salmon Roll which contains sustainably harvested salmon from Norway, which is grilled and rolled. All will be served with wasabi and low-sodium soy sauce.
Student focus groups and taste testing evaluation sessions for these new rolls were conducted at 5 Senior High Schools in late May, where students responded favorably to the sushi. “We heard lots of comments like ‘Can’t wait,’ ‘I’m telling my friends,’ and ‘It’s great to have sushi in school,’” recalls Ng.
Starting Monday, August 22, 2011,a pilot program will be implemented and these Sushi Maki sushi boxes will be delivered daily to 13 public high schools in Miami-Dade County: Felix Varela Sr. High (Hammocks), Design Architecture Senior High (DASH) (Miami Design District), John A. Ferguson Sr. High (West Kendall), Miami Sunset Sr. High (Kendall), MAST Academy (Key Biscayne), Miami Beach High School (Miami Beach), I-Preparatory Academy (Downtown Miami), Michael M. Krop Sr. High (North Miami), Miami Palmetto Sr. High (Pinecrest), Terra Environmental Research Institute (Kendall), Miami Killian Sr. High (Kendall), Coral Gables Sr. High and Coral Reef Sr. High.
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ABOUT SUSHI MAKI
Founded in 2000, the award-winning Sushi Maki is South Florida’s leader in Japanese cuisine, offering premium quality fare and relaxed dining environments in South Miami, Coral Gables, Palmetto Bay, Brickell, Kendall and Miami International Airport. Sushi stations can be found in Whole Foods Markets and Milam’s Markets while store fronts are located at the University of Miami and Florida International University. Sushi Maki provides a kiosk in the Ft. Lauderdale International Airport as well as making diverse catering options available through each of their restaurants and website.
Passionate about providing the freshest and finest quality sushi, Sushi Maki maintains uncompromising standards and puts a modern spin on the traditional sushi experience. For more information please visit www.sushimaki.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @gosushimaki.
ABOUT MIAMI-DADE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Miami-Dade County Public Schools is the fourth largest school district in the United States, comprised of 392 schools, 345,000 students and over 40,000 employees. Located at the southern end of the Florida peninsula, the school district stretches over 2,000 square miles of diverse and vibrant communities ranging from rural and suburban to urban cities and municipalities. A truly global community, district students speak 56 different languages and represent 160 countries.
