GCS cafeteria staff makes a difference

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By Katie Walters

Greenville City Schools

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 seven entrées and three vegetable sides per day, and at the high school we prepare eight entrées and four to five 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.

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