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School food-service workers sharpen culinary skills
Eleven school districts blended together at Austintown Intermediate School to learn skills to spice up their menus during a Culinary Chef Lab from Tuesday through Friday.
Food-service employees from Boardman, Austintown, Springfield, Sebring, Youngstown City, Poland, Canfield, Warren, Fairhaven, Struthers and Niles districts volunteered eight hours a day for two of the four days to learn from Lauren McCabe, a California chef, to improve school lunches.
Bernadette Paul, Institute of Child Nutrition dietitian, said this free culinary program is done to help schools provide healthier and tastier meals for students.
“The purpose of this is to support the school food service and to help them understand how we can get consistent nutrition messages out to the schools, and how we can get students to participate,” Paul said.
A problem school districts are facing is student participation, explained Austintown food service director Tascin Brooks.
Because school food services are self-funded, funded by their own sales, Brooks said the lack of student-bought lunches takes a toll on the food service team and the products they buy.
“We come together, and the nice thing is that we all come up with different ideas,” Brooks said. “We’re like a huge think tank. ... We’re not stealing each others’ customers, we’re only supporting each other and helping each other out.”
“It takes a village,” said Natalie Winkle, Boardman food service director.
From fish taco wraps and quinoa salad to sweet potato tater tots and turkey slider sandwiches, food-service workers from all over taste tested and adjusted recipes, readying themselves to take them back to their districts to try out on the students.
McCabe, of the Institute of Child Nutrition, said the most satisfying part of the labs was seeing workers use the recipes and changing them to fit the needs of their students.
“It’s seeing people realize there are other options and other things they can do,” she said. “When someone says, ‘We can do that in our school,” that’s what it’s about. It’s seeing the little light go off.”
Sue Hughes, Sebring food service director, said she loved the opportunity to work with the chef, not just for the students, but also for herself.
“I feel like I can handle [the TV show] ‘Chopped,’” she said.
Dru Clyde, Struthers food-service director, complimented McCabe’s hands-on methods, which allowed participants to change recipes and ensure they made the right adjustments.
Not only did employees learn about various healthful food options, but they also learned about customer service, Winkle said.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – nowhere else do buses go out and pick up 5,600 customers and bring them to my restaurant,” Brooks said. “Customer service in what we do is just so important.”
Winkle said she often reminds her staff to smile because it might be the only smile students get that day.
“It’s all about caring for the kids,” she said. “I don’t think anyone would be here if they didn’t have a love for those kids.”
A third set of classes will be offered at Boardman High School at 8 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.