Members of our fantastic crew are (from left) Michael Ray, Holly Auten, Stephanie Campbell, Erwin Reed, Leslie White, Rosemary White, Elaine Braisted, Lana Spaulding, Ruth Ward, David Hill and Edwin Jimenez. (Photo/Bob Lee.)
We interviewed Stephanie Campbell, Lana Spaulding, and Ruth Ward for this feature.
The Academy Life takes pride in showcasing the best in our community, but there are many remarkable aspects of the school that do not get the recognition they deserve.
Every day we enjoy lunchtime filled with friendly faces and a vast and delicious homemade array of meal options, thanks to the dedication of the dining hall staff.
SAGE, Academy’s independent dining service, employs the Dining Hall team, yet its workers are such a distinct and crucial part of our community, many serving us long before SAGE came to campus.
Members of The Life staff sat down with Lana Spaulding, Ruth Ward, and Stephanie Campbell, members of the hardworking team.
Their astonishing magnitude of work every day puts our seemingly stressful routines of presentations and assessments in perspective.
Assembling the variety of choices available to us day in and day out strikes as almost infeasible, yet SAGE puts on the show again and again.
The preparation to feed a community of over 1000 people begins while most of us are still asleep. If there is a PACA morning meeting, employees must arrive around 5:30 a.m. to prepare. Other mornings, workers have found themselves at school before 5:00 a.m.
A look at a potential day’s events for the Dining Hall team:
5:30 a.m. — Dining Hall Staff arrive at CA for PACA meeting prep
6:00 a.m. — Food delivery
8:00 a.m. — PACA meeting
8:00-11:00 a.m. — Food prep and set up for Lower School’s family style lunch
11:00 a.m. — First, Second, and Kindergarten
11:30 a.m. — Lower School lunch #2
12:00 p.m. — Middle School
12:35 p.m. — High School
These hours are not only long but action-packed. The food they prepare is never out of a box or frozen. Everything is made fresh, daily.
Lunchtime endeavors begin with the first and second graders eating in the main dining area while the kindergarteners eat in the Huntington Room. While Lana, Ruth, and Stephanie all agreed that they like how the little ones make them “feel needed,” there is no doubt it is demanding to serve a restless crowd.
Without any time to regroup, the middle schoolers fly in, eager to fuel up for recess while the pre-kindergarteners take over the Huntington Room, followed by hungry high schoolers.
On top of the range of choices already available, the Dining Hall staff accommodates students’ allergies and/or dietary restrictions. On the day we spoke to her, Ruth had prepared a separate meal of gluten-free meatballs and gluten-free pasta.
They also take pride in working with the lower schoolers and their needs. Separate meals are made every day for the younger kids who do not know how to navigate their choices, such as pre-made sun-butter and jelly sandwiches.
These women unanimously agreed that their favorite part of working at Academy is the people. Their selflessness was apparent as they reminisced about students growing from youthful lower schoolers to graduating seniors. Lana, who has worked for the benefit of Academy students for over 22 years, remembers serving students who are now part of the Academy faculty.
How does a small group of employees take on such a large task? Lana, Ruth, and Stephanie agreed it gets hectic in the kitchen but also acknowledged that they manage the immense challenge minute by minute. The Dining Hall is structured so each team member is responsible for a task. This system, however, does not take away from the team spirit in the kitchen. If someone is ill or has an emergency, their fellow staff members work together with diligence to cover for the job.
To gauge the correct amount of food to prepare, Stephanie records food production. She says, “At the end of the day, we write down how much we made and how much was leftover to determine how much was needed. That way the next time we will know exactly how much is needed to eliminate as much waste as possible. It is based off past history unless it’s a new item. Then we just go with it and hope we don’t run out!”
French fries are always a given for a large order. Stephanie even exclaimed that, “We can go through 12 cases” as Lana and Ruth knowingly laughed in the background.
Buttered noodles are also a popular dish, with the staff going through 13 cases and a whopping 36 pounds of butter.
On the most difficult meals to cook, they remarked that there isn’t a collective dislike but rather days that individual team members like or dislike based on their assignment. The day we stopped by, it was buttered egg noodles, and Ruth said, “Buttered noodle and long noodles are my big challenges. They finish them off so fast I can barely keep up!”
For Lana, a challenging serving day is tacos because it resembles the details and business of a Chipotle.
The staff is also appreciative for this year’s new space because of what they can do with it for us. They love their new flat top, where they cook items like quesadillas and french bread pizzas, which are huge hits among students and faculty alike. Their previous equipment wasn’t proper for these items, forcing them to bake favorites such as grilled cheese even though it wasn’t as tasty. They are now overjoyed to provide some of these favorites as more delicious than ever.
The interview ended with Stephanie announcing, “Well, I guess it’s time to get to it,” and Lana and Ruth thanking us for the break, perfectly summing up the busy demands and significant responsibility these members of our community take on.
As Mrs. Soderberg emphasized, “There cannot be a gap of understanding or attention between school life and the staff members of the Dining Hall.” Their jobs are filled with enthusiastic care for students and teachers alike, working many strenuous hours to make our lives better. Let’s make 2017 the year we don’t let their hard work go unnoticed.
