- March 13, 2025
Seabreeze high school football players take part in Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Students all tried three different brands of cheese pizza and three different brands of pepperoni pizza. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Autumn Garrison-House, coordinator for School Way Cafe, serves pizza to students at Seabreeze High School for Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Autumn Garrison-House, coordinator for School Way Cafe, serves pizza to students at Seabreeze High School for Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Charlotte Van de Vord, cafeteria manager at Seabreeze High School, gives students the instructions for Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Students who took part in Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12, received a free T-shirt. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Seabreeze High School students rate cheese pizzas for Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Tabitha Colaci and two other students at Seabreeze High School take part in Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Students at Seabreeze High School take part in Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Julian Aguirre shows off his pizza at Seabreeze High School for Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
About 80 students at Seabreeze High School participated in Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
James Ellzey, Brayden Anthony, Jesse Groseclose and Edinson Parra take part in Seabreeze High School's Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Football players Amari Peoples and Jeremias George take part in Seabreeze High School's Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Seabreeze High School Principal Tucker Harris speaks to students during the Pizza Wars on Tuesday, March 12. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Students receive shirts on the way out of the cafeteria. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
A food "fight" to benefit all students.
This week, Volusia County Schools' School Way Café is hosting several "Pizza Wars" at schools across the district to determine what brand of cheese and pepperoni pizzas will be served in cafeterias next school year. On Tuesday, March 12, it was Seabreeze High School's turn to vote.
About 80 students — weightlifters, football and volleyball players — voted for their favorite slice of pizza pie in the event, which featured blind tastes tests and a free T-shirt for participating. Pizza Wars will garner the opinion of 1,200 students by the end of the week, a figure composed of elementary, middle and high school students.
"They're our customers," said Autumn Garrison-House, a coordinator for School Way Café. "We want them to be satisfied with what they're getting and also we want to make sure it's a nutritious meal."
Five years ago, School Way Café conducted a similar taste testing to find out what students wanted for lunch, but this year's Pizza Wars is a bigger event, Garrison-House said. School Way Café also has a Food Matters Task Force, which was formed about four-and-a-half years ago, she said.
"What we started doing is we bring in different products and test it out with the students," Garrison-House said. "And if it doesn't pass 80%, we don't want to put it on our menu, so we're trying to make sure we're getting things that they actually like and want to come in and eat."
At Seabreeze High School, School Way Café serves about 900 meals a day, counting both breakfast and lunch.
