In any school you go to across the country, the cafeteria will most likely be a central point, just like here at BHS. It’s not only where kids are able to get food for breakfast and lunch to stay fueled throughout the day, it’s part of what makes our school unique and special. It allows kids to congregate and socialize with their friends, helping give the school a sense of comradery and community. To put it simply: we wouldn’t truly be Bow High School without our cafeteria. However, that doesn’t mean that the cafeteria doesn’t have it’s own set of problems. Our incredible kitchen staff is constantly working through challenges, from supply chain issues to overcrowdedness, to make sure our cafeteria is as positive and inviting of an environment as possible. 

While the environment is important, however, the main objective of any good cafeteria is good food. 

As Tyfany Carbone, the district Director of Food Services says, “The goal is to make sure you guys are happy and fed,” and that goal is clear to the students. 

When asked to describe the healthiness and variety in the cafeteria food, sophomore Joe McDowell is satisfied with what our cafeteria had to offer.

“...there are plenty of things to choose from. Especially if you are willing to pay for extra things.” 

Senior Tarrah Kelly agrees, saying that they have “amazing variety.” 

When it comes to the healthiness of the food, there are certain federal requirements that the cafeteria has to follow in order to receive federal funding. The requirements vary based on grade level, but they all include increased fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk. However, high school students are allowed to decline up to two of the categories required to be offered. 

According to the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, high school cafeterias must also create a “single food-based planning approach” that falls within the 750-850 calorie mark. Based on these guidelines, the school cafeteria is then allowed to assemble their own meals, but must get them reviewed by the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs every three years. Even so, Carbone wishes that they had more leeway in what they are able to serve and that they didn’t have to follow so many regulations. 

“I would love us as directors to have more say in what we can and can not serve,” Carbone said, “and have the public be able to trust our decisions.”  

Regardless, the kitchen staff still works tirelessly to make sure students have the best options possible within the parameters of the requirements to build a delicious and healthy meal with.

Another continuous struggle of the cafeteria is its functionality. There’s only so much space and so many resources (such as chairs and tables) to offer in the cafeteria, and more often than not there are simply more students than the cafeteria can handle. Here at Bow High School, we are lucky enough to have areas like the patio, the atrium, and the lobby, where students can eat their lunches and socialize without having to be crammed into the cafeteria. 

Tarah Kelly still wishes it could be a bit different.

“More chairs for more people would be nice, most of the time the cafeteria is just too overcrowded to stay for long.” 

Joe McDowell agrees.

“I sometimes have to wait in one spot (in the lunch line) for quite a while while dozens of kids stream past everyone to clump up at the front of the line. I think that this could be fixed by having some staff members at the front of the line stopping people from cutting.” 

However it’s important to take into account that some of these functionality issues are beyond the control of the kitchen staff and are often issues relating to staffing during the lunch hour (teachers have to eat too!) and limited funding for items like chairs and stanchions. 

Nevertheless, Carbone often encourages students to “come see myself or my manager of the high school Niki anytime! We always welcome feedback and would love to provide something that a general consensus may enjoy.”

A more recent struggle of the cafeteria is the supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have indeed had many struggles since Covid began 2 years ago,” Carbone says. “We try not to express them in our daily work so that the entire student body can be provided a meal without worrying about shortages and manufacturing.” 

However, on the order delivered to them on November 17, 16 of the 46 items they ordered were out of stock, which is just over a third of their normal shipment. Because of this unprecedented shortage in their normal orders, it now takes Carbone double the amount of time to order all the necessary products. 

“The other problem,” Carbone adds, “is that the same items are out everywhere for all 4 schools, causing us to make more changes in the daily menu.” 

So although it may not look like it from the outside looking in, the kitchen staff is constantly working to change and rearrange what is offered every day to compensate for the supply chain shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Nevertheless, we as a school and as a district are extremely lucky to have such hard- working and caring kitchen staff who never stop trying their best to give us the best meals possible. No matter what challenges may present themselves or what struggles they may endure, their top priority is always just to make sure the students are happy and fed. There are many aspects of her job that Carbone loves after being in the school food industry for over 30 years, but her favorite part will always be working with the staff and making kids happy. 

“Although my technical job is in the office, when presented with the opportunity, I always love to be in the kitchen and connect with the kids,” Carbone says. 

It’s this kind of positive attitude that has no doubt made the BHS cafeteria - both the place and the people who run it - an asset to our school community.