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"Love, love, love it!" says Justin Palmer about his job as the Belleville Middle and High School cook. Justin joined the School District of Belleville last April and has been loving every minute of it. Despite the recent food shortages hitting our school lunch programs nationwide, Justin keeps a positive attitude. A long-time resident of the Belleville community, he is excited to work in the same school district that his 7th grader and freshman call home! Being a parent and a school cook allows Justin to keep the same schedule with his kids and provides an additional benefit in making his decision to return to work in the food industry locally.

He, like Julie Forner and Chrissy Heller, who have also recently joined the School District of Belleville as new Taher employees under the direction of Food Service Director Stacie Dettwiler, also know the joys of being able to work where your kids are educated. Being able to be done with work when your children are through with their school day is a wonderful perk and allows for more time spent with family. Dettwiler herself knows this benefit all too well and hopes that she will be able to attract needed substitutes to apply for work in her kitchens because of it. Finding needed help in a time where both food and help is in short supply means affording your team with a positive atmosphere and reason to want to be a part of a rewarding experience!

Dettwiler emphasizes that a positive attitude goes a long way in the kitchen when you just don't know what might be coming in on your supply truck each day.

"We do the best with what we get. We may have a pasta bar planned on the menu that day, but if we don't get pasta on the truck, we have to get creative in the kitchen. Lately, we've been asking for grace from the kids and their parents, but the bottom line is that our students will always get fed - no matter what!"

Photo courtesy of Marie Perry

Cook Justin Palmer in the Belleville Middle and High School kitchen.

Dettwiler and her staff are caring and compassionate and have "can do" attitudes that serve the Belleville School Community well. As a team, they are committed to doing the best they can and are hoping to educate the local public about why menu changes are inevitable during the 2021-22 school year. CBS news recently reported that a School Nutrition survey highlighted that approximately 97% of school nutrition programs hold concern for supply chain issues in the U.S. currently and that their school lunch programs will continue to be impacted. (Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/school-lunch-supply-chain-issues-struggle-to-feed-students/)

As Dettwiler notes, "It's not just here, it's everywhere! If you have oranges on the menu and there aren't any oranges to serve, everyone has to adapt."

Having a caring, happy staff in the school cafeterias goes a long way. Here in Belleville, students are reassured and are getting their meals, no matter what! And students are finding along the way that sometimes a surprise at lunch time ends up being even better than what they had planned for thanks to Dettwiler's dedicated staff in the Belleville School lunchrooms!