For some students, lunch is a time for them to catch up with friends and chill without any of the pressures of class. For others, it’s a time where they have to worry about navigating the challenges of deciding who to sit with, like Cady Heron in “Mean Girls.” However, regardless of which group a person falls into, there are a few faces that they see almost every day at school.
These familiar faces are the cafeteria staff members at FCHS. During lunch time these people not only spend their time serving the students food, but also serving up smiles to those who pass through the lunch line.
The school breakfasts and lunches do not just magically appear with no effort. The same individuals who do their best to proceed with a smile are the main reason for the food being served. Food Service staff members Sheri Casero, Charles Bates, Holly Brown, Samantha Woodson, Lori Critzer, Angel Bowles, Jessy West, Mary Prater, and Brianna Shull work to provide nutritious meals, inquire about students’ needs and food preferences, and provide positive interactions to students at lunch time.
“We love feeding the students at the high school. We as a group strive to make the best meals for everyone. Talking and seeing the students makes for a great day,” said Food Service Manager Sheri Casero.
The staff spend the majority of their days preparing for the students’ breakfasts and four 20-minute lunch periods. They start preparing both breakfast and lunch food as early as 7:00 in the morning with the majority of the cold sandwiches being packed at that time. Hot foods and main course meals are cooked as late as possible to ensure freshness.
Even when lunch begins, some staff continue cooking in order to be able to provide enough food for every individual. The process of preparing both breakfast and lunch, and cleaning up for the following day, takes the staff from 7:00 a.m to 2:30 p.m daily.
It might surprise you to know that the staff cook more than half of what is displayed, including assembled and prepackaged foods. Common foods in the lunch line include southern green beans, alfredo sauce, collard greens, and soups, all of which are made directly by the food staff. Some of the prepacked foods they provide include doughnuts, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and muffins.
“The staff do a phenomenal job on the chicken noodle soup. It’s my absolute favorite, and makes me look forward to lunch,” said junior Tristan Morris.
One way that the staff tries to make sure the students have a good breakfast and lunch is by incorporating national food holidays and other activities. These include National Pizza Day and National Breakfast Week. On National Pizza Day, Feb. 9, the staff displayed different flavors of pizza which students had the option to choose from by designated lunch lines.
According to Casero, food staff are always trying to come up with new themes or ideas to keep things interesting for students. For example, they will be celebrating National Breakfast week March 4-8 by including special breakfast items to encourage students to eat breakfast.
If you have a comment, food request, or want to thank a food staff member for what they do, contact Casero at [email protected].
