Every day at Manual, students pass through the cafeteria during breakfast and lunch. Behind the counter, there’s a team of cafeteria workers who arrive early each morning to prepare food, organize ingredients and serve meals to students throughout the day. While students may only interact with them for a few moments in the lunch line, the cafeteria staff plays a crucial role in the daily routine of the school.  

Desiree Dean, the cafeteria manager, has worked for the school district for about 15 years and is now in her third year working at Manual. She helps to oversee the kitchen while also working along with the rest of the staff to prepare food and organize meals for the day. 

“The moment I walk in, I clock in and start preparing,” Dean said. “I get in at 6 o’clock, and between six and about 6:30 I have to have basically all the breakfast cooked and on the line ready.”

Dean originally had a different career in mind. When she was in high school, she wanted to become an engineer and took advanced classes like physics, chemistry and calculus. However, she wasn’t sure her family could afford college, and at the time, she didn’t know enough about financial aid. 

Even though she did not originally plan on working in food services, Dean said the most rewarding part of the job for her is knowing that food served in the cafeteria is helping many kids.

“I like the fact that I’m helping kids that may not get a meal otherwise. So I try to make sure that I put out good food, just so that their only meal is not disgusting,” Dean said. 

Amy Saunders, another member, came to Manual after working in food service in nursing homes. She said she enjoys the hands-on nature of cooking and being able to prepare meals for students.

“When we walk in, we check the menu and start prepping whatever food is for that day,” Saunders said. “We cook it and keep everything moving for the lines.” 

Saunders said that teamwork plays an important role in keeping the cafeteria running smoothly each day.

“The biggest thing is working together as a team and making sure the kids get fed,” Saunders said.

Other members of the cafeteria staff arrived at Manual through different paths. 

“I came during the COVID season,” Norman Trumes, who is a Manual graduate himself, said. “I had been working at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium as a warehouse manager.”

For Trumes, working at the same school he once spent years in as a student helped make the experience more familiar. 

“Being here as a student before, I pretty much know everything that goes on around here,” Trumes said.

Patricia Padgett has worked in the Manual cafeteria even longer. After retiring from another job, she said she didn’t feel ready to stop working and eventually joined the cafeteria staff. Over the years, she has built relationships with many students who come through the lunch line each day.

“Some of them come in and give me a hug,” Padgett said. “They’re just good students.”

For Padgett, being around students each day also has a deeper meaning. After losing her son when he was 17, she said working in the cafeteria and interacting with students has helped comfort her in a way.

“This is like therapy for me,” Padgett said. “I enjoy being here and watching them.”

Lisa Gilbreath, who previously worked as a certified nursing assistant in a hospital, has been working at Manual for nearly ten years. For Gilbreath, one of the best parts of the job is interacting with students throughout the lunch line and being able to interact with the students through the line.

“Sometimes I might crack a joke, and then we’ll have a laugh,” Gilbreath said.

Gilbreath said one student once wrote her a letter explaining that going through her lunch line always made them smile.

“You don’t know what somebody’s going through,” Gilbreath said.

Danita Fawbush, who works part-time in the cafeteria while also working as a hairstylist, said she enjoys the positivity students bring into the lunchroom. Seeing students smile or thank the cafeteria staff can make the busy lunch periods feel worthwhile.

“The smiles on students’ faces and how polite they are is my favorite part,” Fawbush said. “When they say thank you, it’s like a reward.”

Although students mainly only see the cafeteria staff for a few minutes in the lunch line, a lot of their work happens behind the scenes. From early in the morning, the staff begins preparing food and then later in the day, after lunch, they begin cleaning. Their job requires so much coordination, teamwork and constant preparation.

Many of the staff wish students could better understand the work and times that goes into preparing the meals that they serve every day.

“Students don’t see what goes on in the kitchen,” Trumes said. “They see the food when we bring it out to the front, but they don’t see the preparation.” 

For Dean, the most important thing she hopes students understand is how much care the cafeteria staff puts into the food they serve.

“You let everybody know that we really, really do pour our heart into making the food,” Dean said. “Making sure that we serve the kids the best.”