One Last Bite

It was a bittersweet day as we visited students at Gene Ward Elementary School for the last installment of the Cookin’ Up Breakfast initiative for the 2024-2025 school year. 

The culinary teams at Mandalay Bay and Luxor were back at it picking up this breakfast. They brought back their popular menu from the previous breakfast at Shirley Barber Elementary School featuring: Pancake & Sausage on a Stick, Belgian Waffle with sugar free whipped cream, Cheesy Egg Bites, a Seasonal Fruit Skewer, and hand-crafted Strawberry Pop Tarts. As an extra special treat the kids also received a “Bag O’ Toques” Chef’s Ted’s mini chocolates featuring dark chocolate with a white chocolate drizzle. 

Last time the Pancake & Sausage on a Stick was the big hit, but at Gene Ward, students seemed to love the Cheesy Egg Bites and Pop Tarts the most. And when you get served scratch-made pop tarts in your school’s color – what’s not to love? 

Our friends at Jamba Juice were also back in the cafeteria serving up their delicious strawberry banana smoothies. 

Overall the meal was a resounding success with rave reviews from students like: 

“This is the Best Day Ever” 

“This breakfast is way better than the normal breakfast.” 

While we’re sad to see the kids go for the school year, we’re excited to start planning for the 2025-26 school year. If you want to be a part of the magic and have a team of volunteers willing to help serve or even cook up a breakfast next year, consider becoming a volunteer or culinary sponsor. E-mail us at donations@chefsforkids.org to get the conversation started! 

Finally a huge thank you to the Guy Fieri Foundation for their underwriting of this initiative for the past two years. The kids love their chef hats. 

Until then, see you next year!