By Katie Walters, Food Service Manger |
It is 7:00 in the morning and all you can hear is the sound of pans being placed on countertops, ovens
getting warmed up, buckets of disinfect being filled and small morning talks to prepare for the day. The
cooks are starting to assemble their entrees and vegetables, others are getting fresh fruit cut up and
preparing the lines for the upcoming students who choose to eat breakfast. It’s a busy day in the
cafeteria! This is how each morning begins in the Greenville City Schools cafeterias.
When asked, “What would you like the public to know about the cafeteria?” several ideas came to mind
that we would love to share!
First, our top notch cleanliness. Our staff takes pride in the cleanliness of our kitchens and cafeteria and
you can see this on our health department visits. Each morning we disinfect tables in the cafeteria
before students arrive to ensure they have a clean space to eat their breakfast. Our equipment is well
cared for: we use specific products and technicians to help keep our equipment running properly,
effectively and efficiently. We do this to help confirm our food is being cooked thoroughly and to the
correct temperatures so our students are not only eating healthy food, but also safe food. The same
goes for our serving lines. We intentionally clean, sanitize and disinfect our lines at the end of each
serving group to control the spread of germs.
Second, our fruit options! We serve fresh fruit daily at both schools. Our fruit is delivered twice a week
to ensure freshness and quality. We then prepare the fruit by cutting and cupping it into appropriate
serving sizes. Our fresh fruit consists of: pineapple, strawberries, plums, grapes, oranges, bananas,
watermelon, mixed melon, and apples. We also tend to order fresh fruit per its season. For instance, we
order plums at the beginning of the school year. Our variety of fruit receives a lot of compliments from
our students and the waste is close to nothing.
Lastly, we would love for the public to know about our multiple lunch entrees. At the K-8 building we
prepare 7 entrées and 3 vegetable sides per day, and at the high school we prepare 8 entrées and 4 to 5
vegetable sides per day. Not only do we serve hot meals, but each school also has a line completely
dedicated to salads and wraps. Students can build their own salads and wraps by choosing meat,
vegetables, and toppings of their choice. Our salad alone consists of 3 cups of chopped romaine and
spinach, so as you can imagine, these salads are not only nutritious, but also super filling.
We are beyond grateful to feed your children and we are proud of the nutritious, and variety, of options
we serve. A quote that fits well with our staff and our food:
“Healthy school lunches: students getting nourishment to power their minds and bodies to learn.”- Ann
Cooper.
