Miranda Cardona, the main chef here at Harding High School, helps cook for over one thousand kids a day. Cardona has claimed that her job can get stressful at times, especially when it comes to things like time management and making sure every kid gets the same options on what to eat. Cooking for so many students makes it hard to give them all the same options, or to have enough ingredients in order to make a sufficient amount.
Cardona stated that the main quality needed to be a part of the kitchen staff is time management. Of course, when it comes to working in the kitchen, you’ve gotta have some basic cooking skills too. The kitchen staff does not get to choose what's on the lunch menu, except on the “Cook’s Choice” days. The person choosing the lunch menu is the nutrition supervisor.
Some may think that being a lunch lady is dreadful, but our head chef thinks quite the opposite. She loves seeing the kids, as they’re actually quite respectful. Cardona thinks it’s nice to bring a smile to a student’s face with a simple “good morning.” A con about being a lunch worker is how unpredictable the kids can be. The kids may absolutely love a specific item, but once they make it the next year, everyone absolutely hates it. Though, the pro to it is trying out the new items. Trying out new items is very interesting, especially since a cook may think it’s gross, but then the kids end up loving it. Being a lunch lady isn’t as easy as students may expect, nor is it as boring.
