Innovation, Culinary-Style



Central Kitchen Staff Present: Tyjaunna Lisa Cuellar (Food Service Worker), James Lucky (Food Service Driver), James Nelson (Food Service Driver), Becky Rodriguez (Health and Nutrition Manager) and Natasha Rodriguez (Food Service Worker). 

Natasha helps prepare school lunch.

I showed up at our central kitchen unannounced to get a better sense of what goes on every day. I must say, there was no shortage of things happening. Carrots cooked on the stove, Sloppy Joe's bubbled in a commercial-sized kettle, and a large quantity of paperwork lay out on a work table. Our Health and Nutrition Manager, Rebecca Rodriguez, served double duty since our cook was out sick. The kitchen staff rallied well to finish morning tasks. With washed and gloved hands, I was working within five minutes. Under Rebecca’s supervision, I packed meal substitutions for children with food allergies following a highly detailed report.

Food was transferred to trays and hot boxes for delivery to the centers, phone calls from the centers came at a steady pace, and the drivers checked for final instructions before heading out for the day's first run. In between Rebecca explained the program’s use of a five-week rotating menu system and the corresponding color-coding method used to track pantry and freezer items. We discussed food safety, spoilage and nutritional guidelines.

Facing the same requirements as other providers, our U.S. Department of Agriculture food program is subsidized with Head Start funding to make ends meet. Guidelines designed to insure adequate provisioning and food safety rightly come first. We prepare food based on actual enrollment as dictated. One of the challenges is that we only get reimbursed for meals served. So a meal prepared for an absent child gets wasted in more ways than one.

Our menus have been evaluated by licensed dieticians for good nutrition and the introduction of healthy food choices for children. At pre-service training last August, Rebecca prepared a tasty quinoa dish for the teaching staff to sample. Quinoa is on this year's menu and a surprising number of children really like it. Teachers get equal credit for that. Attitudes about food are largely learned. Teachers work to make mealtimes fun.

The five-week menu system is not only healthier, it also allows for better planning and pantry controls. The system is already cutting down on food waste. By summertime, we will be able to buy in larger quantities and negotiate better prices. Less waste and lower costs will help offset general food price increases and unreimbursed meals. It is innovation, culinary-style.
 

The drivers of our culinary innovation are all within Head Start itself. It is easy to think and say that one employee cannot make much of a difference. That is so far from the truth. The food service team is proof positive that taking ownership of your area of expertise can lead to significantly good things. 

I walked in to the central kitchen on a challenging day for them. I am sure they would have preferred my visit to have been on a day where everything was textbook perfect. Perfect days may happen. When they do, taking note and savoring the moment is good. More frequently, coworkers will call off sick, and their absences will be felt. One-off events will create delays and the need to adapt quickly. These are not issues unique to our agency. What is unique and growing in our agency is a willingness to take on our issues. As food service demonstrated, thoughtful and purposeful action trumps momentary obstacles every time.