Usually the discussion about the new schools focuses on features such as the more spacious classrooms and halls, or the new bells and whistles with electives such as theatre’s black box.
However, one often overlooked feature is the much bigger lunch operation. Not only has the cafeteria area been expanded, but according to cafeteria manager Christina Sellers, so has its internal operations.
“We have almost double the staff we had, because it goes off how many students that we’re going to serve,” Sellers said. “The goal is to have a time frame, everything is about time management, because about the time we finish with breakfast, the ladies are already preparing for lunch. We batch the cooking between the first and second lunch.”
Senior Harley Henderson noticed an increase in quality from her previous school, Rider.
“I think the food is better because I feel like they put more time into making the food rather than it being frozen,” Henderson said. “They also have more stuff, so it feels like they care more about it. And I feel like the funding is also there.”
Sellers backed up Henderson’s claim of a larger food variety.
“Our regional chef and our local chef, they come up with the production,” Sellers said. “We do have new things on the menu normally every month, they’ll put something different on the menu. So they kind of give the students more variety.”
Much of the equipment used in food preparation has also seen a substantial update.
“Everything is computerized, it’s like top of the line, our hotwells aren’t like old-fashioned hotwells where you have to put water in, these ones don’t require water,” Sellers said. “We have a three-decker piecer machine.”
Another element that will set the Memorial cafeteria apart from previous WFISD cafeterias is the bistro.
“They are going to open the bistro, they are still ordering the equipment so we’re waiting on that,” Sellers said. “When the equipment is going to get here, who knows? We’ll have things like salads and parfaits that we have over here, but also there will be different types of coffee, a slushy machine and different muffins. More homemade, a different kind of recipe.”
Much like how many students felt, the cafeteria staff also took time to adjust to the new schools.
“It’s really smooth, but of course it’s a challenge initially, because all of these ladies that work for me now, they are new to me, only one person came with me from Hirschi,” Sellers said. “So you have to figure out what’s the best fit for each line and make sure that it works because you don’t want to put somebody on the station and they can’t handle it. So part of the problem is making sure that you have the right person for the right job. None of us have ever been to a school that is this big and capacity.”
Henderson preferred the bigger space of the new cafeteria area.
“I feel like it’s more open and cozier, nicer and cleaner,” Henderson said. “And it’s more inviting than Rider, because I feel like Rider was like a jailhouse.”
