Lowell — There’s Tina Sauser, the pizza queen; Zorayda Tyler, the submarine sandwich aficionado; Jane Comp, the perfect parfait prepper; and Sarah Minor, whose burgers are “a big deal,” according to lead line cook Shawn Shattuck.
“I don’t know why they are such a big deal, but they are. Burgers, burgers, burgers,” says Minor, standing next to the grill topped with sizzling patties.
Along with the always popular burgers and slices from 22 pizzas, the Lowell High School lunch crew will dish out 120 pounds of savory meat during the lunch period speed race that is Taco Wednesday. So get ready.
“Don’t stand in the way. That’s for sure. They’ll mow you down,” quips Comp, about the long queue of students that forms for the lettuce, tomato and cheese-topped tacos.
‘Parents trust that you give the kids safe, healthy and nutritious food.’
— food service worker Zorayda Tyler
The 15 “lunch ladies” of Lowell High School — and, yes, they are all women — busily fill multiple roles from dawn until mid-afternoon Monday through Friday, feeding the 750 students who come through their lines and the 100 or so who stop in for breakfast. Beginning at 6 a.m. it’s prep, serve breakfast, prep, serve lunch and clean up.
“One thing I really like about this job is it’s go, go, go all the time,” said Ashley Pogodzinski, who fittingly works as a runner for the crew. “Literally, you are always running around.”
More Students to Feed
The role of the food service team has increased in the past couple years to meet higher demand, said Brad Stinson, a food service director through Chartwells, which contracts with Lowell Area Schools. Crew members are employed through Chartwells as well. Stinson said the small but mighty staff has stepped up to serve more students with more options and fresher choices.
“When I first started in 2018-19 here at the high school, it was a big day to get to 500 kids for lunch. Now it’s 750 a day. That’s a 50% increase in the same space,” he said. “The kids eating free has been huge.”
The State of Michigan started providing free school meals for all public school students last school year, which has led to about a 20% increase in lunches served district-wide, Stinson said. On a typical Tuesday in March, 2,358 lunches and 707 breakfasts were served across the district.
In Michigan, school lunches are free due to the state covering the cost of meals for students who don’t qualify for free or reduced meals. The federal government pays the complete reimbursement for those who do qualify.
The increase in students eating has also led to the addition of 10 more food service employees, with the district crew now totaling about 35, Stinson said.
At the high school, where staff has increased from eight to 15, production manager Tashia Lavallee makes sure the produce, milk, bread and everything else gets ordered, and that deliveries get from trucks to the high school and then distributed to other school buildings. She also manages the high-school staff.
“The workload has increased since free meals. It is really a balancing act all around,” she said.
Free meals have aligned with increased efforts to make school meals better and more local. Lowell participates in the 10 Cents a Meal for Michigan’s Kids program, which provides grants for districts to partner with Michigan farms and distributors. Lowell gets much of its produce from Tom Maceri & Son, a Michigan wholesale distributor.
Stinson said they also offer more diverse menu items and fun culinary additions like pulled pork cooked on a smoker outside, and the pedal-powered Smoothie Bike. A “from scratch” line is set up Chipotle-style for Taco Wednesday.
“It’s the best lunch,” said senior Anderson Stoner. “We always have a bunch of different options to choose from.”
‘I love it, love it, love it’
The morning flies by in a flurry of cheese, veggies and mushrooms as students grab made-to-order omelets before heading to class. The kitchen then bustles with prep work as the crew washes produce, chops fruits and veggies, bags cookies, sprinkles toppings on pizza and stirs the huge vat of taco meat. Country music blares over the speakers and chitchat fills the air.
“We have a fun group of girls, and we work together well. You definitely rely on each other. It’s really fulfilling,” said Shattuck.
Jane Comp, known for her pretty parfaits and colorful shoes, completes her duties from the moment she walks in each morning. They include making the yogurt treats and smoothies, cashiering, cashing out and packaging up food items for Flat River Outreach Ministries.
She’s 75 years old and began working in the Lowell High School cafeteria eight years ago, following a 38 ½ year career at Amway.
“I love it, love it, love it,” she said.
Comp was interested in a part-time job that gave her summers off. When her husband died a few years ago, the job turned out to be “a great blessing,” she said. “I don’t know what I would do during the day otherwise.”
Comp said she loves how active the job is, working with the crew and students and embellishing her uniform with pink “dancing shoes” on Fridays.
“Friday is fun day,” she said with a hop in her step as she showed off her equally groovy tie-dye shoes worn on a Wednesday.
Tyler runs the deli line, packing cheese and meat into submarine buns. She said she takes her role very seriously.
“I’ve been here in the U.S. for 24 years,” she said; when she grew up in the Philippines, she didn’t have school lunches.
“I know a lot of people look down on this job, but for me it’s a big responsibility,” Tyler said. “Parents trust that you give the kids safe, healthy and nutritious food.”
As they nibbled omelets before Wednesday classes started, high-school students said they are thankful for the crew that makes sure they have good, healthy food to start their day.
‘When I first started in 2018-19 here at the high school, it was a big day to get to 500 kids for lunch. Now it’s 750 a day. That’s a 50% increase in the same space.’
— food service Director Brad Stinson
“I think it’s wonderful that they are willing to do this for us every morning, because some kids don’t have the opportunity to have breakfast at their homes,” said sophomore Kailey Bush. “And having breakfast here is a great opportunity to not only have a good meal but have fun with your friends.”
Lavalee, the production manager, said it’s student feedback that matters most to her, and why she loves her job. She talks animatedly about the options the students now have — jerk chicken, brisket, ramen bowls, ribs — items not seen in school cafeterias of yore.
“The best part of my job is when the kids like what they are eating,” she said. ‘It’s good food. And they love it.”
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