Hundreds of North students shuffle in and out of the North cafeteria daily, leaving with coffee, a muffin or a basket of fries in hand. However, few know how their delicious lunch items came to be, nor do they know the people who work so hard to make it.
Every day, staff in the kitchen prep, cook, and rearrange food items. Many items are prepped ahead of time and stored to be put out throughout the week. The staff also try their best to minimize food waste, such as using leftover vegetables for soup.
“Mondays are crazy because we’re left with nothing from the week before. So, Monday is kind of a mass prep day to get us through [the week], and then we just put everything out,” said Stacy Ahrens, assistant manager.
Each lunch lady has a different typical role. They split up the work in order to make it manageable. Although they help each other, they all know their main job and show up to do it every day.
“I prep veggie cups. I do the snackable trays, snack cups, stuff like that. I set that up, and then I go down to my station and clean up at the end of the day and help wherever needed,” said Robin Johnston, food service worker.
Looking past the food aspect of their job, the lunch ladies have a tight-knit community. They maintain strong friendships and bonds while being hardworking and dedicated.
“I always say the most important thing [is that] you have to respect each other. You have to be kind to each other. I’m the luckiest manager for both East and North because I have hard working people and such sweethearts and just amazing women that take their jobs so seriously,” said Sandra Biasetti, director.
Many of the lunch ladies look forward to their interactions with the students each day. After all, the students are their customers. More than that, though, they love to connect with the students.
“I love seeing the students come in as freshmen and leave as seniors. Their growth touches me. You get to talk to them every day and ask them how their day is going. The students are a highlight,” said Johnston.
For many, it is their favorite part of the job.
“I want to be out there interacting with the kids, talking to the kids, [getting to know] their favorites, what they like to get, what they eat daily and to know a little bit about them,” said cashier Rita Turi.
Our lunch ladies at North stay committed to providing good food to our school while maintaining relationships with each other and the students. Their job is about more than just the food; their hard work is what creates a community in the lunchroom.
“There’s something about cooking where you make everyone’s day and also fulfill their dietary needs and make them happy. Because food makes people happy, right? That’s what brings people together,” said chef Ditha Potter.
