Colorado Parent magazine recently had the opportunity to hold a focus group/taste test for the new, lower-calorie kids’ menu developed by Chef Chris Peitersen, Executive Chef at Carino’s Italian. We were honored to be the only media organization to hold such an event. We invited seven families to bring their 11 kids to the Parker location of Carino’s to sample four of the dishes from the new kids’ menu. At first the kids were a bit shy but were soon digging in, scooping up and offering their opinions. The parents got to sample some of Carino’s specialty items as well as salad and warm bread. It was a good and tasty time for all.
The new kids’ menu, for ages 10 and under offers the following items, all under 500 calories:
- PIZZA PASTA — Chopped spaghetti tossed with tomato sauce, topped with sliced grilled chicken, pepperoni and mozzarella
- CHICKEN & BROCCOLI PENNE — Penne with sliced grilled chicken and broccoli with alfredo sauce
- KIDS PANINI — Mozzarella and turkey grilled panini sandwich served with mandarin oranges; also available as plain cheese panini
- PIZZA DIPPERS — Cheese pizza slices served with tomato sauce for dipping
- GRILLED CHICKEN — Grilled chicken with spaghetti and tomato sauce or Italian vegetables
- CHEESE STUFFED PASTA — Cheese stuffed pasta with tomato sauce
Prices range from $3.99 for pasta with a choice of sauce to $4.79 for the meals listed above. All include a drink.
As the single dad of a five-year-old daughter, Chef Peit, as he’s known, was willing to take a chance in removing some of the most popular and typical items on kids’ menus including mac and cheese and chicken fingers in favor of healthier choices. ” Instead of focusing on fried foods, I wanted to balance vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates,” Chef Peit says. “It is tough to make the change. The top sellers on most kids menus are chicken fingers, grilled cheese and french fries because they are easy to fry up, easy to make and restaurants know they will sell. It can be seen as risky to deviate from that from a business point of view.”
Sampling one menu item at a time, the overall reaction from the kids was very positive. Chicken and Broccoli Penne was the clear winner with comments like “awesome!”, “Is there more?” and “I love the chicken and I never eat chicken.”
Pizza Pasta was another favorite. The kids thought it was fun that two of their favorite things, pizza and pasta could be combined. Comments included “The pepperoni gives it a good kick”, “I want even more sauce and more cheese – yum” and “it could use even more herbs like basil”.
Reviews for Pizza Dippers included “the bread itself is great but I don’t like that much cheese”, “really good” and “it’s fun to dip the triangles into the sauce.”
The last item, the Kids Panini was served with a dish of mandarin oranges which was a big hit. “Good, melty cheese”, 
“the bread is really crunchy but I love the oranges”, “the oranges look pretty on the plate”, “awesome.”
Our thanks to Carino’s and General Manager Erick Lewis for this fun event. Would you like to hear about opportunities like this one and more? Subscribe to the Colorado Parent e-newsletter and “Like” Colorado Parent Magazine on Facebook to stay informed of special Colorado Parent events, contests, screenings and exclusive deals.
Everyone Around the Table 
Leave a comment