Every day, 1,463 students of Owatonna High School line up twice a day for breakfast or lunch. The “Husky Hub” has a total of four lines. Two of these lines serve as the main option for the day. Another line serves burgers or other secondary options. There is also a salad bar line where students can make their own salad. “Grab & Go” is the room adjacent to Husky Hub and has snack options that can be bought à la carte. Students can buy popsicles, protein bars and cookies among other options.
OHS has ten dedicated cooks that allow the cafeteria to operate smoothly. A typical day for the kitchen staff begins with setting out the various breakfast options so students can easily grab breakfast in the morning. Then, preparation for lunch begins. Different cooks have different roles in the preparation process. Some are responsible for preparing sides. This includes fruits, vegetables, fries or other options for the day. Other cooks are responsible for the preparation of the main course of the day.
When lunchtime comes around, the main options and sides are ready to be served to the hungry students of OHS. During lunch, staff are responsible for serving food to students, refilling side options as they run out and working the register in Husky Hub or Grab & Go. After the lunch period ends, the kitchen staff works diligently to clean the kitchen, restoring it to its pristine form.
Ms. Dena Brech has been the Kitchen Manager at OHS for nine years. Prior to her tenure at OHS, she worked as the Head Cook at Wilson Elementary School for ten years. Ms. Brech took the position at Wilson 19 years ago because her children were in school and she was seeking a way to get back to work. The stars aligned; her hours as Head Cook worked perfectly with her kids’ hours at school. As the Kitchen Manager at OHS, her role is different from that of a cook. Ms. Brech is responsible for receiving food orders, ordering more food as needed and helping out the rest of the staff as she sees fit.
Ms. Brech said, “[Her role is to] do a lot of everything because I am the Kitchen Manager… [I do] whatever I need to do to help the kitchen be successful.” Ms. Brech enjoys all of her different responsibilities and the variety of tasks encompassed in her job.
Ms. Renea Krause is another hard-working member of the kitchen team. She has spent three years serving students at OHS. Ms. Krause is a part-time cook for the school. As a cook, she arrives at school, prepares food, serves the food during lunch hours and then rigorously cleans the kitchen. Ms. Krause described her job as a “fun little part-time job.” Ms. Krause said, “[My favorite parts are] the people that I work with and the kids.”
Ms. Roshonda Collins, who has worked four years for OHS, is a third member of the kitchen staff. Ms. Collins loves working with kids and cooking, so being a lunch lady was a great fit for her. As the Food Service Assistant for the kitchen, Ms. Collins prepares the side dishes, fruits and vegetables. Her favorite dish to prepare is walking tacos because of the variety of toppings. Ms. Collins is also the kitchen closer, so she locks up the kitchen at the end of the day. Ms. Collins did not hesitate to say the students are her favorite part of the job.
Ms. Collins said, “[The students] are all so friendly, and they are very respectful. It is very nice that the kids are patient and never rude. We really appreciate that because it is not easy serving a thousand kids. They make the job worthwhile.” Ms. Collins also named her kitchen staff as another favorite aspect of working at OHS.
The new facilities at OHS have also had a profound impact on the kitchen staff. Although smaller than the kitchen at the old high school, the arrangement of the kitchen fosters efficiency. This, paired with the brand-new equipment, makes cooking easier for the staff.
Furthermore, the new location has made it possible for the staff to feel part of the school. The old kitchen was nicknamed “the dungeon” by cooks due to its dim lighting and basement location. In contrast, the new kitchen is in a bright, central location on the main level of the school.
Ms. Brech said, “We get to see so many more of the kids and know what’s going on in the rest of the building. It is nice to feel a part of the rest of the building instead of being stuck down in the basement.”
The fact that the Husky Hub is enclosed has allowed servers to make more connections with students as they wait in line. Ms. Collins said, “You get to have a little conversation, which I actually like. It’s nice to get to know some of the kids on a better level.”
The kitchen staff of OHS works tirelessly in their unique roles to serve all students of OHS. They appreciate being a part of the school community and having the ability to connect with students.
