How It’s Made

The food we eat doesn’t just magically appear on the tray. Everything that is served is made daily, by 80 cafeteria workers across the district, twelve of whom reside at NASH, as well as two full-time and one part-time baker.

Perhaps one of the most surprising parts of the interview was my newfound realization that the cafeteria workers are ‘technically’ not members of NA staff and do a variety of catering as well as cooking for events like the Distinguished Alumni Visits.

“All of the food staff is employed by Metz Culinary Management and we are contracted to work at the district,” said Ossler. “So we have Metz’s standards that we are required to meet, as well as state and government, and of course, NA standards.”

This means that food has to be evaluated on those four different standards and constantly regulated across the district. One item may not be in compliance with NA standards but is in compliance with government standards, and so forth. While the biggest piece is the NSLP since there is a financial component, all food that the staff makes must be compliant with all of the regulations.

This concern also relates to items in the bakery. For example, the brownies that taste so amazing? They’re actually made from applesauce in order to be considered more of a “fruit” than a dessert therefore be in compliance with the regulations. It is not simply items coming in that must be carefully chosen but every item going out.

That’s why the cafeteria simply cannot start serving Starbucks (as amazing as that would be) because they must adhere to the restrictions of those categories, or start serving steak because there is also a final limit to what the workers can make within their budget and time constraints.

If it sounds complex, it is. Everything that you put in your mouth daily has been thought about, tested, thought about again, and made to specifications until it can finally be served on your tray.