The work day begins at 5:30 a.m. as breakfast preparation for meals takes place. Breakfast is served starting a bit before 7:00 a.m. After that point, all of the school lunches are prepared. 

In the cafeteria, more than 700 a la carte meals are served daily according to cafeteria manager Patricia Manoli. The work is shared between the 10 food service employees. 

The average number of calories per meal is 650, a number set by the USDA. Director of child nutrition Gwen Doyle said she – and the cafeteria teams across the district – work hard to make sure students are getting the food they need. 

Another measure the kitchen takes seriously is the Saint Charles County Department of Health’s biannual inspection of safety. 

“I’m happy to say, in the last four years … every inspection except for one have been 100s,” Doyle said. 

Another measure taken by Doyle to ensure students are enjoying their daily meals is monitoring how many of each type of meal is purchased.

“I… go by trends of what you’re buying and not buying … like, this year, we’ve seen a fall off on pizza,” Doyle said. 

At the beginning of the school year, nine new items were added to the menu, with last year’s nine least-bought offerings removed. 

The lunch and breakfast menu can be accessed at this link along with all of the nutrition facts for the individual offerings.