Behind the Kitchen

A petite, blonde lady waited for the brass doorknob that would not open. She shouted and pounded at the person on the other side of the door. Laughing, she finally gave up and ran to the right end of the kitchen, threatening her co-worker playfully by telling them they were in “big trouble.” Behind the door, a staff of cafeteria workers prepared to feed the appetites of 2,000 students. Even though the everyday pressure was demanding and serious, they carried out genuine smiles together.

“What pulls us together is real life, real problems,” food service worker Ms. Jill Renkin said. “We work together, we understand each other, and we can talk to each other about anything.”

“Together,” a word that was brought up by each staff member summed up how they felt about working. Their stress and time are hard to manage, but they are a team who believes in getting it done. No matter what situation pops up, lunch and breakfast are never missed.

“The staff is like sisters and brothers, and I’m the momma,” food service training manager Ms. Marilyn Williams said. “We’ve always pulled through.”

Their family bond is not perfect though. Like anyone else’s family, they laugh, cry, and fight. In the end, they are right by each others’ side.

“I had to have a heart surgery this year,” Ms. Renkin said. “Everybody was there for me. They all helped me and they still are helping me. They sent me cards and let me know that they were thinking and praying about me. It was a special moment for me.”

The reason why they are here seemed to be the same among everyone. They are here for the kids.

“We’ve been told [by the students] that a lot of them don’t eat anything at home, have bad family situations, and they need someone to smile and say ‘how are you’,” food service worker Ms. Mildred Warren said. “I get a lot of different answers.”

If the student comes in line and only buys a drink, they sometimes ask why they are not eating. Their care and concern for a few students are returned with just as much kindness.

“I got four or five letters from kids that really said how special I was, and how they thought I was really nice to them every day,” Ms. Warren said. “I showed everybody my letters.”

Their effort to make it comfortable for a new trainee is endless. They want new workers to come in and help out.

“We make them a part of our family on the first day,” concepts line manager Ms. Denise Taylor said. “We know how it feels when you first get in and you don’t know anybody. We try to make them feel better, because we’ve all felt that before.”

They have been cross-trained to do more than just their special task. If the salad cook is gone, the meat cook could come in and work that station.

“Everyone knows what their job is,” Ms. Taylor said. “Helping out each other to get it out, to get it done.”

They feel that it is important to be here everyday and to be here together. Walking into the kitchen is like walking into an old 90’s family sitcom; the only difference is that it is in real life.

“We fuss and fight like family, but we make up with them; we’re there for each other,” Ms. Renkin said. “We are here longer with each other than we are at home. We are family.”

Comments are closed.