Crafting the Perfect School Lunch: Inside Chef Kaguyutan’s Kitchen

When we think about lunch, we consider it as a source of energy to keep us going through the afternoon schedule, such as clubs and athletics. Food is always ready when third period is finished; students rush out of the classroom and sprint to the cafeteria. We take the food for granted, but who is really preparing all this food, and how do they make sure everyone gets hot, fresh food on time? 

Chef Michael Kaguyutan has a detailed lunch cycle that consists of a total of six weeks and has different dishes every day. There are dishes included in every cycle, like pizza, grilled chipotle chicken, and nachos. Additionally, they usually add seasonal dishes to the menu, such as a squash dish in the fall and an apple tart for winter (upcoming). In addition to seasonal choices, they also take “budget, customer preferences, seasonality (which affects costs), nutritional value, and feasibility” into account. Ultimately, the final question always is, “Can we produce this dish with our staff and equipment within a reasonable amount of time?”

Once the menu is set, there is a lot of time that goes into preparation. Some ingredients must be stored in the cold room for freshness. Those foods will be totally frozen and stored in a room under 0°. In order to prepare lunch for a good amount of people, the defrosting of large amounts of ingredients, often meats which take a long time to defrost, is an important part of the process. According to Chef, it generally takes a few days to completely defrost them; he mentioned, “In cases of chicken weigh[ing] 40 pounds and when frozen solid, they require at least 3 days in a refrigerated environment to thaw thoroughly.” This process is done over the weekend so the ingredients will be ready for next week’s meals.

Another concern is quantity. There are two methods to diminish the amount of leftovers: control the amount of cooked food and reuse the leftovers. Chef Michael is responsible for keeping an eye on the amount, aiming to predict accurately how much food they need to cook each day for students and faculty. For example, on a pizza day, based on previous experiences, he will conduct the following calculations.  Some population, about 400 people, won’t eat pizza at all, so they are deducted from the total.  With this in mind, they will plan to make about 200 to 220 pizzas, which will be 2000 to 2200 slices, since one pizza will be cut into 10 slices. In the end, everyone has the opportunity to have two slices of pizza along with other foods like salad and pasta, which would be most likely enough for all faculty and students to eat and minimize the waste.

Undoubtedly, lunch is a crucial meal of our day. It provides energy for the rest of our day to study or participate in athletics; it keeps our brain functioning effectively; and it supplies necessary nutrients to keep our body in a good state. The cafeteria and its staff have done their job outstandingly by designing the tasteful dishes, keeping the ingredients fresh, minimizing the waste, and certainly making the experience always enjoyable.