For about a year and a half, I worked as a school food service kitchen manager for Maschio’s Food Services. Before taking the position, I never realized how much work happened behind the scenes to make sure students had breakfast and lunch every day. It wasn’t just about serving food—it was about planning, organization, teamwork, food safety, and making sure everything was ready on time.
My day started at 7:00 every morning. The first thing I would do was get breakfast ready. Depending on the menu, that meant pulling breakfast items from the freezer or quickly preparing everything from scratch when smoothies were on the menu. There wasn’t much time to waste because breakfast had to be ready before the students arrived.
Once breakfast was served, my attention shifted to lunch. If cookies were on the menu, I would bake a test batch to make sure they came out just right. After that, I continued baking so the rest of the kitchen staff could bag them and place them on the serving line. I would then cook the frozen lunch items while collecting lunch counts from the classrooms and trying to keep up with the daily paperwork.
The paperwork was, without a doubt, the most difficult part of my job. I was trained for only three days before being left to run the kitchen on my own. While I learned the hands-on responsibilities fairly quickly, the paperwork always seemed to confuse me. No matter how hard I tried, I never felt completely confident with that part of the job. Even so, I gave it my best every day because I wanted everything to run smoothly for the students and staff.
Although the job could be incredibly stressful, I wanted the cafeteria to feel like a welcoming place. One day I bought a small stuffed apple and placed it on the serving line as a decoration. It was such a simple addition, but the students noticed it almost immediately. Many of them, along with some teachers and staff members, commented on how cute it was and how it made the lunch line feel a little brighter. Seeing their reactions inspired me to keep decorating the serving line throughout the year. I loved changing the decorations and watching the students smile when they noticed something new. Those little moments reminded me that even small acts of kindness could make a difference.
Without a doubt, the best part of my job was the students. Some of them would joke around with me while waiting in line, and those conversations could turn a stressful day into a good one. Others were much quieter, but over the year and a half I worked there, I had the chance to watch many of them grow into themselves. Seeing shy students become more confident, make new friends, and develop their own personalities was something I never expected to be one of the most rewarding parts of my job.
Working in a school taught me that every adult, no matter their role, can have an impact on a student’s day. Even though I worked behind the lunch line, I became one of the familiar faces they saw every morning and afternoon. Sometimes all it took was a smile, remembering a student’s favorite lunch, a festive decoration, or a quick conversation to make someone’s day a little brighter.
Eventually, I made the difficult decision to leave. The stress of the job had begun affecting my health, and I knew it was time to put my well-being first. It wasn’t an easy choice because I genuinely cared about the students and enjoyed seeing them every day.
As my last day got closer, I found myself becoming emotional. I cried during the days leading up to my departure and again during my final days at the school. I wasn’t crying because I would miss the stress or the workload. I was crying because I was saying goodbye to the students, the staff I had worked alongside, and a routine that had become such a meaningful part of my life. It was difficult knowing I wouldn’t see those familiar faces every day anymore.
Looking back, I don’t think I would return to school food service, but I will always be grateful for my time there. The job taught me responsibility, leadership, patience, and how much work goes into something many people take for granted. More importantly, it taught me that kindness often shows up in the smallest ways. Whether it was decorating the lunch line, placing a stuffed apple where everyone could see it, or simply sharing a laugh with a student, those moments are what made the experience worthwhile.
The stress may be what led me to leave, but the students are what I’ll always remember.
Aria's Creative Corner 