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Students, staff get taste of modernized cafeteria
(by Sue Hoffman - November 25, 2009)
Students, staff get taste of modernized cafeteria
By SUE HOFFMAN
Roxbury School, the oldest elementary school in the Solon District, has undergone some renovation where it can sweeten the day for staff and students -- the cafeteria.
Built in 1956, the school was recently the site of a $258,000 remodeling project to expand the serving area, modernize and add kitchen equipment and allow the cafeteria to do final food preparation. The renovation also included a new soffit and flooring in the kitchen, separation of the office from storage as well as new lighting, shelving, washer and dryer.
Prior to the expansion, cafeteria coordinator Toni Masetta said she performed her cashier duties about 20 feet from the end of the lunch line. "I felt really disconnected. I couldn't see or help the students." The serving line was set back in a more narrow space and there was no room for the computer next to the lunch line, she said.
Last week, the difference was clear with Ms. Masetta watching the students pick up their Thanksgiving turkey platters as she sat at the computer. She showed several students how to hold their trays, which were especially heavy that day, to avoid any spillage and helped students who forgot their pin number for prepaid lunches.
Joanne Samuels, director of food services, was on hand to observe the lunch line. "There's a definite ease of flow," she said about the new system. "The cashier can communicate with the server. The students do not have to wander across the cafeteria to the cashier's station.
"The serving line has been lowered a couple of inches to make it more kid friendly," she said, "and there's new lighting. The food shows up brighter. It had been very dark over the food."
Students noticed something new and different about the lunch line. "It was all gray, and now it's orange," said second-grader Karina Reznik, referring to the bright new overhang over the serving line.
Behind the serving line were many more renovations, Mrs. Samuels said. Work tables, previously of well-worn butcher block, have been replaced by stainless steel.
Close to the serving line are new refrigerated and heated pass-through equipment for storing food that is about to be served, Mrs. Samuels said, demonstrating how the units open on both sides. Replacing a refrigerated unit against the wall, the kitchen now boasts a spacious walk-in cooler and freezer.
"There is more cooking on-site," Mrs. Samuels said. The kitchen now has a steamer to cook hot dogs and vegetables, and a new oven to heat chicken patties and nuggets. "It gives them more flexibility if there's an unexpected field trip and they have to prepare lunch on demand," she said.
Brand new stainless-steel sinks are large enough to soak serving trays in between lunch servings, Mrs. Samuels said. A new tile floor replaces the old cement floor and is more sanitary, she said. "Everything is more efficient."
"There have been little changes here and there" in the kitchen, said Ms. Masetta, who has worked for the district for 18 years. "This is the biggest change."
"It's a lot easier working in here," said Kathy Finn, a server for 14 years. "The new steamer is great. We're doing our own cooking now."
Carol Beno, a server for nine years, said she's also enjoying the new equipment.
Behind the scenes, Ms. Masetta pointed out her remodeled office, where she now can focus on record-keeping and orders in a quieter space. The office was previously in the middle of the storage room.
Assistant Superintendent Thomas W. Stupica said the kitchen and serving areas were expanded without any loss of table space in the cafeteria.
The district remodeled the Orchard and high school kitchen and serving areas with funding from the 2003 bond issue.
Mr. Stupica said he hopes to update the Lewis and Arthur Road elementary school kitchens and serving areas over the next five years with permanent-improvement funds, as the budget will allow. Each of elementary schools has a somewhat different serving area layout, but could use new equipment that will allow them to do some final food preparation on-site, he said.
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