Delta County is always striving to do better for school meals
The bread is always baking at Delta County Schools on the Western Slope of Colorado. What’s also always happening is Jeri Main, the district’s food service coordinator, and her staff are on the hunt for new recipes.
Forty-one dining hall staff and managers serve breakfast and lunch for a district of a little more than 4,600 students. Since the start of Healthy School Meals for All, the voter-approved initiative to provide no-cost lunch and breakfast in Colorado’s public schools, Main’s staff has been serving an increasing number of students.
And that means, they’ve had to up their game.
Photo: Delta County Schools
The staff is fully scratch-cooking for all 15 schools in the district. They also bake every bread they serve whether that’s a bun, pizza dough, or sandwich bread. It’s a fact that Main knows makes them the envy of a lot of other districts that would like to do the same. While Main quickly acknowledges that this kind of food offering is often easier for smaller districts, she also knows there’s a little “special sauce” involved as well.
“It’s part of the culture,” she said. “They’ve always done it this way. I’ve got two employees retiring this year after 30 years of service, and they can’t remember a time when bread was baking. They’ve always done it this way.”
As part of the normal course of business, Main takes suggestions from the dining hall staff for what they want to be cooking and what their kids are eating. They share recipes and encourage each other to try new dishes. They source the fruits, vegetables, and meats from local farmers and ranchers whenever possible.
“All my kitchen managers know they are more than welcome to go to producers in the area to get fresh items and they do,” she said.
Photo: Delta County Schools
Just before the new year, Main brought in a consultant to help inspire staff to keep building on their offerings. True to form, she invited everyone to come and cook and eat together, including the district’s superintendent and board members. And, of course, they showed up. She credits her leadership for continuing to make quality lunches a priority in the district for both budget and staffing.
“I have a good boss, and the superintendent is supportive. I think she likes how our food service runs,” Main said. “And we have to make improvements every year to keep the kids coming back. We have the equipment to do it and the staff loves to do it. It’s what we were all made to do.”
Read more about how the Delta School District is pushing its program forward in The Delta County Independent.