One element at Providence Academy that sets it apart from other schools, is the pride and dedication demonstrated by the faculty in their everyday work. Teachers stay up late at night correcting assignments and come in early to assist students in need, but what seems to be overlooked is the hard work put in by the chefs and kitchen staff.
Head Chef Mr. Marshall Morris conducts the kitchen staff every day to make hot lunches for almost 1,000 students at PA. He makes sure that every meal is made with care and quality.
Work starts early for the kitchen staff. Most of the staff get to Providence at 8 a.m. to start preparations for that day’s lunch; while Mr. Morris arrives as early as 5 o’clock in the morning.
Mr. Senuhe Lara has been a chef at Providence for four years and is in charge of the grille, which serves as an everyday alternative to the main lunch option. He works alongside Mr. Patrick Kern, who is new to the PA kitchen.
Mr. Kern had been working for Taher Inc. Professional Food Service Management, the company that supplies PA with food, for six years prior to coming to PA.
He says that Taher Inc. really pushes “farm to plate,” which emphasizes the importance of fresh, healthy foods in the lunchroom. Unlike some schools, where the only preparation done by the kitchen staff is taking food out of the freezer and sticking it into a microwave, each meal at Providence Academy is made with fresh quality ingredients, and prepared from scratch by the chefs every day.
When I came in seventh grade, my middle school self was not as much impressed with the academics and facilities, but more the delicious food served in contrast to my District 279 public school’s rubber hot dogs. Most students at PA don’t realize how outstanding lunch here is, but people who came later in their academic careers are amazed by how high-quality everyday lunch is at this school.
Until you see the fresh ingredients used to make every meal at PA, it’s hard to truly acknowledge how much time is put into making the food here not only good, but good for you.
Lauren Perinovic contributed to this article.
Lauren Perinovic contributed to this story.