North Shore now serving local fish District first in state to implement

BY CAMERYN OAKES

The North Shore School District is now serving locally caught fsh at its school lunches, the frst district in the state to implement this step.

For its frst seafood-based lunch on Feb. 2, North Shore High School served fsh tacos entirely made from scratch in-house.

The Montauk-sourced tilefsh flets were marinated in a citrus marinade, baked in the oven and then served in fsh tacos with taco sauce, broccoli slaw, fresh tomato salsa and a Mexican corn salad, all consisting of local, New York State produce.

Alan Levin, the food service director for the North Shore School District, said that about 50% to 60% of students tried the lunch and their adult sales doubled.

“It’s kind of nerve-wracking when you bring in a new item, especially seafood,” Levin said. “Not too many people have good feelings with it. But it surprisingly went well. It was one of our busier lunch periods for the year.”

Levin and the district work with Cornell Cooperative Extension to source a multitude of local products. Levin said he approached the group inquiring about the possibil- ity of adding seafood in November, with it taking just about two months to arrive in the cafeterias. The Cornell Cooperative connected the district to the marine organization, and now the district has access to fresh and locally sourced seafood.

The district’s frst delivery only consisted of tilefsh, but Levin said they have the chance to order other varieties, such as monkfsh, squid, founder and scallops.

He added that he plans to serve the locally sourced seafood about once every month and is looking forward to adding them to the menu in April and May.

Levin said that for about 10 years the district has taken a “scratch-cooking” approach to lunch preparation to serve more natural and less processed foods to students. This is to combat health issues that can be caused by unhealthy eating habits, such as obesity and diabetes.

The cafeteria lunches made inhouse are a hit, according to Levin. Some high school students can leave campus for lunch, but he said that a large majority choose to stay, with a buzz going around about what is for lunch that day.

“It’s a good buzz,” Levin said.

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Solages (D-Valley Stream), who previously urged for the increased reward last year, expressed his gratitude to the county and the FBI for helping to incentivize others to fnd the assailant and commended Ikram for her strength throughout the search.

“Nafah Ikram has inspired all of us with the determination, dignity and courage she has demonstrated throughout this unthinkable ordeal,” Solages said. “I am very thankful for the cooperation and strong support from the Nassau County Police Department and the FBI, and I believe that together, we’re going to make justice happen for Nafah.”

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the department is “a lot further on” in the search for the assailant than when they frst started, expressing confdence that someone has information on the acid thrower.

Ikram’s mother, Sherina Mohamed, was walking into the house with her daughter that March night and urged anyone with information to “be a human being” and come forward to help bring the acid thrower to justice.

Ikram, who lost more than 10 pounds in 10 days after her eighth surgery, said she will not feel fully safe until the attacker is caught.

“Knowing who did this will 100% help me feel a little better and a little bit safer when I’m outside,” Ikram said Wednesday.

The attacker, police said, wore a black hooded sweatshirt and gloves before feeing the area in a red 20132015 Nissan Altima.

The acid caused Ikram to scream, which resulted in the liquid spreading to her mouth, according to a GoFundMe page to help fund the various

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