The school bell rings and students scurry down the hall and through the lunch line. There’s a buzz in the air as students choose their lunch components and catch up with their peers. As you survey the lunch room, it’s filled with students, food and lots of conversations.
Behind the scenes, the food service staff have been hard at work, long before any student stepped into the building for the day. This department is one that works quietly in the background to support our students. You may not know exactly what they are up to, but they would certainly be missed if timing wasn’t in order.
It’s a challenging, yet rewarding position. Our staff operate commercial kitchens. This requires annual training for our school nutrition professionals and our kitchens follow food safety and sanitation standards, including the surprise health inspections, much the same as your favorite restaurant. This training and these inspections ensure our kitchens and staff operate optimally. It fulfills regulations and it also helps them serve our school.
There are so many aspects to this department that operate quietly behind those closed doors. Menus are planned months in advance to follow age-appropriate nutritional criteria. Vendor bids are attained to support the budget. The director and managers make count projections, place orders and receive weekly deliveries. Often using previous knowledge, the weather, and time of year (aka a crystal ball) to estimate lunch participation. Staff starts early, even on delayed days to bring the very best options to our students. They serve meals with joy, knowing the difference they make. After lunch ends, the doors close once again, yet the staff is still hard at work, washing dishes, cleaning up and preparing for the next day. As the day comes to a close, paperwork is documented and reports are filed, bringing a close to the whirlwind of activity, knowing tomorrow brings much the same: Providing an array of nutrition to our students to assist in their learning, and helping them to get the most out of their day.