Eating a delicious and nutritious meal is never as easy as it looks. The eating part is by far the easiest. Pick up the fork, scoop up the food and savor the bite.
Anyone who’s ever cooked before knows the hard part is the “behind-the-scenes” work – picking out the best fruit, washing the vegetables, peeling the potato, adding spice to the fish, baking the chicken, plating the food and finally, serving the meal.
This effort takes time, organization, skill and knowledge. Now think about this in terms of school meals. Instead of cooking enchiladas for one or two people, our food and nutrition staff cook lunch for up to 2,000 students – prepping, cooking and serving within just a few short hours.
A lot of times the hard work of our food and nutrition staff goes unnoticed, but not this week.
October 11 – 15 is deemed National School Lunch Week. This week gives us an opportunity to honor the 325 school lunch heroes who walk through Irving ISD school doors bright and early at 6:30 AM ready to start their day.
These heroes not only prepare school meals, they have an incredible impact on students.
“All of the staff have a great relationship with our students. They know what the students like to eat and what they don’t like to eat, so I know what needs to go on our menu,” says Ace Gonzalez, the district’s chef and culinary supervisor. “Our staff also impacts student learning. It’s hard to learn on an empty stomach. They cook meals that fuel students’ learning for success.”
The food and nutrition staff are always brightening up a student’s day. You can see them across the cafeteria with a smile, asking how students are doing and serving them a delicious and nutritious meal to keep the students energized for the rest of their school day.
Our Food and Nutrition staff make a tremendous impact on our students and for that, they are our heroes. Happy National School Lunch Week!
For more information about our Food and Nutrition Services, visit IrvingISD.net/FoodandNutrition.
