After breakfast, I stopped by the cafeteria to have a tour of the kitchen and ask the cooks some questions. Overall, everyone was incredibly friendly towards me and was very open and honest with me about what they do in the kitchen. The kitchen itself was clean and they felt very put together. Different people had different “stations” to cook or prep things for breakfast and lunch. I didn’t get to talk to EVERYONE, but I did get to talk to Darryl, Emily, Debbie, and Andrea.
Here are the questions I asked and the answers I received:
What time do workers come in the morning?
“There are 4 different shifts. 6 A.M. is the first, shift, 6:30 A.M., 7 A.M., and a 7:30 A.M. shift.” ~Darryl
What time do workers leave in the afternoon?
“We all leave at 2 P.M.” ~Darryl
How do you guys decide what to put on the school menus?
“The board office sends a menu every month.” ~Darryl
How do you guys decide on the manager’s choice?
“Managers choice is kinda a whatever they give us thing.” ~Emily
How long does it take you to get breakfast ready?
“We start breakfast at 6 A.M., and there’s 2 of us working on that. We’re usually through at 8 o’clock.” ~Emily
How long does it take you to get lunch ready?
“We try to work a day ahead for lunches. It just depends on how hard the meal is to serve and how long it takes to make.” ~Emily
What prep do you do before leaving for the day?
“We make sure everything is clean. If we have time, we lay out breakfast so it’s done and ready for the morning.” ~Emily
What are the requirements for being a cafeteria worker?
“Just a high school diploma and no bad background.” ~Emily
Which meal generally takes the longest to prepare?
“Taco crunch, chili, and lasagna. All that stuff is made from scratch.” ~Emily
Which meal is the easiest to prepare?
“Generally breakfast since there’s not much to make.” ~Emily
Is it difficult being a cafeteria worker?
“No, it’s just fast-paced which we like.” ~Emily
“It’s not mentally hard at all, it’s just very physical. You’re always on your feet.” ~Debbie
“You’re just always on your feet, a lot of heavy box lifting, and having to deal with Darryl. (Just a joke.) ~Andrea
How much food do you make?
“For breakfast, about 200 servings maybe, and lunch is around 750. Quite a few.” ~Emily
How many desserts do you make?
“I’ve been making probably 300 servings if not more.” ~Emily
What do you do with extra food at the end of the day?
“We wrap it up and put it in the walk-in freezer. We can only cook something 2 times then we pitch it.” ~Emily
Where do you buy school food from?
“Menu maker and Kohl Wholesale. (Not the dress store.) ~Andrea
How much does it generally cost to buy school food?
“Some of the government buys it, but that’s usually canned goods, fruits, and veggies. Some of the condiments may be from the government too. It can be about $200 or so for cases of food. There’s all kinds of different prices. Hot wings are really expensive.” ~Andrea
How much do you have in the freezer?
“We have too much. If you order too much it gets pretty stocked.” ~Andrea
What’s your favorite thing about being a cafeteria worker?
“The fact that we have a really good time. We have a positive atmosphere and I don’t have to sit at a desk.” ~Debbie
Do you have student friends?
“Yes, I have many but I can’t always remember their names. There’s so many of you!” ~Debbie
Who works during summer school?
“That’s just paid volunteer work.” ~Debbie
What made you choose this job?
“Because I love to bake and working for the school district.” ~Emily
“I didn’t want to have to find people to watch my son. So if I work where he goes to school, it works out for both of us.” ~Darryl
Do you like cooking at home?
“I don’t cook at home.” ~Darryl
“I don’t bake at home but I cook.” ~Emily
“I try to do most of my cooking on the weekend. After being in the kitchen all day, it’s the last thing you wanna do.” ~Andrea
Do you eat what’s left after the students or do you bring your own lunch?
“We usually eat what we make before the students. We don’t want to serve something that’s bad. It’s also cheaper.” ~Darryl
Overall, these are very friendly people who seem to honestly like their job. Clean area, good people, and definitely good desserts. Emily, who bakes, told me she makes everything from scratch! Whether it be the batter for cakes or cookies to the frostings! She even gave me a free dessert which was nice of her. (It was very good by the way, props to Emily!)
(If you’re not already friends with some of the cooks, you should be! These people are so respectful and friendly. They love to socialize with people and enjoy being around students.)
