Each day, the cafeteria staff at Princeton Day School feed the equivalent of a small army. In recent years, the school has found a way to do lunch in a way
By Philip Sean Curran, Staff Writer
Each day, the cafeteria staff at Princeton Day School feed the equivalent of a small army.
In recent years, the school has found a way to do lunch in a way both healthy for the students and faculty and good for the environment.
”My philosophy is that everything that a school does should be educational, including eating lunch,” said Liz Cutler, a teacher at the school who is also its sustainability coordinator.
That holistic strategy — of going healthy and eco-friendly — has shown up in different ways. About six years ago, the school started moving toward having an eco-focus in its food service. That’s meant doing things like eliminating water bottles during snack times for the lower grades, serving milk without hormones, installing napkin dispensers that dispense one napkin made out of recycled paper at a time—to name a few.
”We used to go through literally 15 or 20,000 individual yogurt containers a year. That’s huge. Now we buy bulk and have a yogurt bar,” Ms. Cutler said.
The school’s efforts attracted the attention of the Green Restaurant Association, which this year certified the school cafeteria as a three-star green restaurant.
”I think the food’s fantastic,” said third-grade teacher Beverly Gallagher.
When they are finished eating, children and staff have to separate their trash into separate waste containers. All non-protein food waste is composted, with the material used for the school’s organic garden.
”Depending on what they’re serving in the cafeteria, it’s a lot of compost that’s generated every day,” said Pam Flory, the full-time garden coordinator at the school.
As schools nationwide focused on healthier options, Princeton Day went in the same direction. Eight years ago, the school hired food service provider Flik Independent School Dining with an eye toward having a more nutritious menu for the children.
Out went French fries and French toast sticks, and in came items like tilapia with pineapple pepper relish. Out went drinks made with high fructose corn syrup and in came water flavored with pineapple.
Children can pick from yogurt and granola or make a salad from the salad bar.
”The way I describe it is, we feed kids the way they should be fed. It’s school food done the way school food should be done,” said head chef Brian Mochnal.
Mr. Mochnal, a Flik employee, has been at the school for the past eight years. Every school day, the department cooks for 1,000 people, most of whom are the school children.
”It takes some planning,” he said of cooking for that many people.
Recently, the school announced a new beef provider, Meyer Natural Angus, that provides meat from cows that were not given hormones or antibiotics. The change is another part of the eco-friendly measures the school has taken.