Have you ever wondered how your lunch is prepared each day? Who is working behind the scenes to prepare tasty, healthy meals for hundreds of students? I spoke with Nicolas Ramos, the head chef, and Amy Van Tassell, the director of the cafeteria, to learn more about this process.
Ramos has worked at ECFS for more than seven years. He started as a catering chef and then worked his way up to sous chef. Eventually, he became the executive chef. “Nick is the best chef we’ve ever had here,” comments Van Tassel. “We’re so lucky to have him.”
Since October of 2018, Van Tassel has worked at ECFS. She manages the budget, ensurese the numbers are intact, oversees the schedules and more. Despite all of her personal contributions, Van Tassel recognizes that the kitchen wouldn’t function without the whole team. She shares, “I can’t do it without them.”
We also can’t do it without them. Our school relies on the kitchen staff for breakfast, lunch and catering for events. Van Tassel shares, “It’s our goal to make sure that the community has a healthy meal every day.”
These meals are planned out weeks in advance. Van Tassel and Ramos, along with the other kitchen staff, work hard to formulate clarity meals, vegan and vegetarian options and much more. Ramos explains, “Just because it’s allergen-free, we still have to make it taste good.”
“The first couple of weeks, I try to calculate what people might like and what people might not like,” remarks Ramos. “It’s definitely a challenge to please everyone’s palates.” The menus cater to what types of food students and teachers enjoy. They incorporate feedback from Google Forms, the comment board and other resources to create meals that please everyone. One of the most popular meal options in the cafeteria is, unsurprisingly, the pizza. Around 225 pies are prepared every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. They are gone by the end of the day. Ramos reflects, “We might have half a pie leftover.”
Cooking healthy, nourishing food is a priority for the kitchen staff. “When we make the menus, we really sit down and look at how the menus flow into the week and how your day is gonna roll from your breakfast to your lunch and how it creates a fulfillment for you for the day,” explains Van Tassel. “It’s important to us that you go home happy and that you have a good meal during the day.”
Their work usually starts at 6:00 a.m. Often, they cater for events and stay until 10:00 at night. Their workdays can span from seven to 15 hours. “When we work the weekends, we work the weekends. When we work at night, we work at night,” shares Van Tassel. “Our day ends in June.” Their contributions to Fieldston are what keep it running.
A core part of Van Tassel’s and Ramos’s job is connecting with the Fieldston community. Van Tassel comments, “It’s nice that you get to know everybody instead of just making your food.” She also hires chefs who care deeply about Fieldston. She believes “when you find people with the passion and who love the community, that’s what makes the food taste good.” For her and the rest of the kitchen staff, “It’s not just food for us, you’re part of our family.”
