At Tracy High School, Carrie Jones is every student’s lunch buddy. The food service supervisor is not only in charge of running lunchtime meal service, she also lends feedback for meal planning (most of which she gets from the students), which has changed significantly since Michelle Obama introduced a healthy eating initiative for schools in 2011.
“We do a lot of home cooking,” Carrie says. Some of her favorite items are homemade nachos and mashed potato bowls reminiscent of the ones you can order at KFC. “We have to really, really be good with the kids to make sure things are healthy.”
It’s a far cry from the pizza pockets, soda, and Hostess cakes that once dominated the menu. Now kids are eating fruits and vegetables they help grow in the school garden and healthier treats such as low-fat, gluten-free rice krispie treats and low-fat brownies. Even the rice and noodles are whole grain.
But it’s not just her dedication to healthy meals that earned Carrie the employee of the year title in 2018. She’s often found out on the lunchroom floor, talking to students. Sometimes she’s getting their feedback on the food so she can share suggestions with the director in charge of meal planning, but other times she’s just talking about their day. “You don’t realize just by acknowledging them how close they get to you,” Carrie says. “I care about all of them.”
Everyday Carrie and her team serve 550 kids at Tracy High School. And while Carrie isn’t always the one serving the food—she has been known to hop back there when needed—she is always on the floor. She also helps with the cooking. “I love the interaction with the kids,” she says.
Whether it comes to the daily communication or the meals she’s planning, Carrie says everything is about the kids. She supports a customer-first mentality in a setting where many people would brush them off. “I want my ladies to treat these kids like the president of the United States,” she says. The salad bar gets cleaned up throughout lunch so it’s always presentable, nothing is pre-plated so it comes out fresh, ultimately everything is expected to look and taste good while still being healthy. “You focus on the kids,” she says.
Sample menu items:
Tuna sandwich with crackers
Soy butter sandwich
Veggie wrap with fruit
Buffalo chicken wrap with fruit
Chicken Cesar wrap with fruit
Spicy chicken salad
Veggie salad
Homemade nachos
Home-style chicken bowl
Breakfast burrito bar
Orange chicken with rice and asparagus melody
BBQ chicken with potato wedges and garlic bread
Cheese or pepperoni pizza
Bean and cheese burrito
Cheesy garlic bread with marinara