Lunch ladies don’t get the recognition they should. With their day starting late, they spend all day preparing and serving food, then cleaning up and getting ready for the next day.
“I get here about seven, and I leave around three,” assistant cook Denise Wurster said.
But their commitment is for a good reason. Each lunch lady has a role in making sure everyone is fed and enjoys their meal.
“I run the Create Station, so I get to make all the different types of food. I also try to help out wherever I can, assistant cook Bonnie Beeman said. “I occasionally run the register as well.”
Wurster and Beeman both became lunch ladies for the same reason: they wanted to have time to spend with their families.
“I wanted a job where I could be in my child’s timeframe and be able to possibly help out at the schools at the same time,” Wurster said. “I wanted to be in the same school district so that I have the same hours as my son,” Beeman said.
Lunch ladies have a long and busy day, from when they arrive to when they leave. They are at school for almost as long as students are.
“When I get here, I open my station, so I wipe everything down, starting with my warmers,” Beeman said. “[I] get my wells ready for the day with water, turn them on, turn the heat lamps on, check the cups on the fridge, and then I start cooking depending on what I’m cooking. After serving, you have to tear down everything, and then we wash the dishes. Then start preparing for tomorrow.”
While Beeman is busy creating the main course, Wurster is making pizzas. She is always looking for suggestions on a special pizza she can make; if you have any suggestions, she would love to hear them. The amount of pizza she makes depends on what the main course is and if they think it will be well liked.
“I make 14 or 18 pizzas for the day, depending on our menu,” Wurster says.
As the year progresses, make sure you tell your lunch staff to thank you for everything they do!
As Beeman and Wurster said, “We would like the kids to [ask] if you don’t see something that you want, like we’re missing ranch, ketchup, or a food that you don’t see. Ask us because sometimes we have it and we can get it for you.”
