WANT FRIES WITH THAT? CAFE LA'S PUMPED-UP FOOD SERVICE A BIG HIT WITH HUNGRY HIGH-SCHOOLERS.

Byline: Erik Nelson Staff Writer

RESEDA - When the bell rang for nutrition period Thursday, 17-year-old Jay Aquino raced out of class, across a courtyard and, along with an equally nimble buddy, scooted between the smooth, burnished steel railings at Reseda High School's new eatery, Cafe LA.

``We had to get some chicken noodle soup,'' said Jay as he leaned against blue laminated metal stand-up tables a few hours later, at lunchtime.

School officials will celebrate the grand opening today of Reseda's eatery, with its bright blue metal awnings over the various cafeteria lines for pizza, Subway sandwiches and the standard, heavily subsidized school fare.

Reseda's new facilities, built mostly over the summer, are part of a $10 million effort to upgrade aging school cafeterias districtwide and draw more students to healthier food. The school's snazzy outdoor dining area is the second such upgrade in the San Fernando Valley.

Van Nuys High School's version of Cafe LA opened in April, and the first in the district, at Locke High School in Los Angeles, opened about two years ago, according to the district's food services director, Orlando Griego. Each high school eatery costs about $200,000 to renovate, and Griego said he'd like to finish with high schools in three years and then begin improving middle and elementary schools.

Reseda High Principal Robert Kladifko said the new furniture was badly needed.

``The tables that we had before were about 40 years old,'' Kladifko said. ``They were warping, they were breaking down. Frankly, they were just ugly.''

The Cafe LA program provided some 30 new ``Reseda blue'' tables, many with bright blue tilting sun umbrellas.

While students generally praised the new hardware, they were effusive about the efficient new lines, windows and, especially, the new price lists.

``Before, you would have to stand there and ask how much this was and how much that was, and it would hold up the line,'' said Karina Berlin, a 17-year-old senior from Tarzana. ``Now we have prices and names.''

Maria Ayala, a 17-year-old senior from Reseda, said she despaired of standing in line for half of her 30-minute lunch period, but now that wait has been cut to barely 10 minutes.

And with some advice from students, the new Cafe LA has added healthier fare to its a la carte menu, such as salads and fresh fruit.

``We had baked potatoes with cheese and sour cream on them,'' said 15- year-old sophomore Ashley Tacub of North Hills. ``It was really cold, and they gave us warm food!''

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1) William Castillo, Chris Tran, Charlie Nunez and Diego Valencia eat in Reseda High's new cafeteria, Cafe LA.

(2) Students wait in orderly lines to order food at Cafe LA at Reseda High.

(3) A bag of french fries sold at the new eatery on the Reseda High School campus sports the new Cafe LA logo.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer