Sunday, September 1, 2024
Often times, teachers, counselors, security officers, and staff members are recognized for their hard work, but what about the folks who work behind the scenes in the cafeteria preparing hundreds of meals each day for our children?
One such dedicated employee is Loraine Holden Watson, who has worked in the cafeterias of Gatesville Independent School District for 26 years. “I first started out at the Gatesville High School and then went to the old Elementary and then went into management at the Primary and I did that for six years,” Watson said. Her title today is Cafeteria Manager at Gatesville Intermediate.
Watson said that her day in the cafeteria begins early. “I clock in at 6 a.m., but a lot of times I get here earlier so I can make sure my equipment is up and running. We clock in at 6 a.m., and most days we’re here until 4:15 p.m. and we do the dinner programs in the afternoons.”
In speaking about the change in food requirements, she explained, “The requirements have changed, but not a lot. We can’t use as much salt, and we have to watch our saturated fats. Years ago, everything was actually home-made, like our rolls, and, now, it has changed. We used to make cobblers and make our home-made burgers at the high school every single day. We don’t do that anymore. It’s all pre-made,” she said.
When asked about the eating habits of the students, she said, “Of course, they like their chicken nuggets and things like that, but they want different varieties of food. They want things you think the kids wouldn’t try to eat. Just out of the blue we tried Buffalo wings, and they absolutely loved it. They like different food. They love the baked chicken, which is similar to fried chicken, and we couldn’t keep up with the demand.”
Watson said that they still do pizzas on Fridays and the students really like that, but she admitted that sometimes the students do get burned out on certain foods. “They really don’t care for sandwiches. We’ll make grilled cheese sandwiches or do a sub sandwich, but they really want the hot food. They really love the nachos and the orange chicken with rice,” she said.
Aside from making sure they have enough staff to keep the kitchens going, Watson said, “I guess the biggest challenge is making sure the students get what they want and that they are happy with what they are getting. I tell my staff all the time, if you’re not going to eat it, don’t serve it. If you don’t like the way it looks, don’t serve it, because it’s like a restaurant: You want what you pay for and you want it to look good and sometimes that’s a challenge.”
Watson said that she enjoys her job and her co-workers. “We have a good staff, and we all enjoy doing what we do. I have a good crew at the Intermediate and I will fight for those girls. I have the best group of ladies ever.”
GISD Superintendent Dr. Barrett Pollard shared his thoughts, “Loraine Watson has been a loyal and dedicated employee for GISD for many years. Managing a cafeteria is a complex task, but Loraine does such a wonderful job you can rest assured that everything is running smoothly.”
