These women know how to run a kitchen!

Author: Tammy Lane • First Posted: Friday, September 12, 2008

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Joanne Parrish has worked in the cafeteria at Bryan Station High School for nearly 50 years. "It's a job that never ends," she says of preparing salads every day.

Joanne Parrish has worked in the cafeteria at Bryan Station High School for nearly 50 years. "It's a job that never ends," she says of preparing salads every day.

Joanne Parrish has worked in the cafeteria at Bryan Station High School for nearly 50 years. "It's a job that never ends," she says of preparing salads every day.Parrish says this industrial salad spinner can handle 20 to 22 quarts of lettuce at a time.While machines do a lot of the work, some things are still done by hand -- such as slicing the ends off of radishes. Parrish carefully loads radishes into a chopper that she says has been in the school cafeteria about as long as she has.Parrish mixes the lettuce, cucumbers, radishes and baby carrots in a large bowl.Boxing and sorting salads for a handful of nearby elementary schools is part of Parrish's morning routine.Connie Whitaker, the cafeteria manager at Athens-Chilesburg Elementary, checks the temperature of frozen pizzas as she logs in a shipment.Whitaker sometimes serves up a pop quiz with the daily entree, asking kids what they've been reading lately or to multiply 3 x 4.Whitaker, who wears lots of hats, helps a youngster pick out his silverware for lunch.Whitaker peeks under the counter to ask the children what they'd like for lunch. She floats among the various work stations, depending on what needs doing.Whitaker is no newcomer to food service; she owned a bakery in eastern Kentucky some years ago."I do a lot of fresh fruit," says Whitaker, who likes to give the children several options to choose from.

Deep fryers are out; 20-quart salad spinners are in. 

That’s among the myriad changes Joanne Parrish has noted during her 47-year tenure in the Bryan Station High School cafeteria. 

“I love the job or I wouldn’t have stayed. I love the high school kids,” said Parrish, who heads the salad department and plans to retire at the close of this school year. 

Tossed, chef, chicken, tuna or broccoli salad – “We do a little bit of everything,” she said one recent morning. 

Overall, “we offer just about anything a restaurant offers, only we do a better job of it,” she added with a touch of pride. 

Parrish’s day starts at 7 a.m., when her crew prepares salads not only for Bryan Station but also for six nearby elementary schools. “It’s a job that never ends,” she said. 

After all this time, Parrish has a system – if not a science – for handling mounds of lettuce and buckets of tomatoes, not to mention all the radishes, baby carrots and steamed (not boiled) eggs. 

“She’s very energetic and real patient. Hardworking, that’s for sure,” said Teresa Young, who has worked alongside Parrish for about 10 years. 

During lunchtime, Parrish shifts gears to cashier, which gives her an opportunity to interact with the students. 

“If they get one smile a day, maybe that’s the only smile they get,” she said. “You just smile and try to make their day better.” 

Connie Whitaker, who works at Athens-Chilesburg Elementary School, shares that sentiment. She hovers behind the counter and greets the children as they file through the cafeteria line. Sometimes she serves up pop quizzes along with chicken nuggets. 

“What have you been reading lately?” Whitaker asked a group of fourth-graders as they walked past. “What’s 3 times 3?” “How do you spell ‘Richmond’?” 

By the end of the school year, she probably knows all the students by name. “If they eat with me, I know them,” she said. 

As cafeteria manager, “I’m responsible for making sure everything is run correctly,” explained Whitaker, who operated her own bakery in eastern Kentucky several years ago. 

Half her day is spent on paperwork – logging in shipments and inventory. The rest of the time, she bounces from the dishwashing area to the walk-in freezer to the food line, taking care of whatever needs doing. 

No matter the task, the kids always come first for Whitaker, who has worked for Fayette County Public Schools for about 16 years.

“That’s the reason I’m here,” she said. “I expect all my kids to be treated equally – the first child the same as the last child should get the same choice.” 

And what choices they have! From pizza to chicken tetrazzini, fresh fruit to chocolate pudding, Texas cheese toast to chili. 

“When I look out and see a kid eating food and know that they enjoy it, that makes it all worthwhile,” Whitaker said.