Students at Salem Community High School may not think much about who prepares their lunch each day, but behind every meal is a team dedicated to more than just filling trays. Phyllis Smith, Jessi Shanafelt, Emilie Moore, and Wanda Nix aren’t just cafeteria workers—they’re chefs, caretakers, and the quiet backbone of the school day.

Fresh, Not Frozen

Jessi remembers when she first started in food service.

"A lot of what we served came pre-packaged," she recalls. "I wouldn’t eat it myself, so I thought—why not make it better?"

Now, instead of canned ravioli and processed taco meat, they boil pasta fresh, season their own beef, and make real mashed potatoes. It’s more work, but the results speak for themselves.

"Kids actually eat their food now instead of throwing it away," Phyllis says.

The Lunch Everyone Talks About

Ask students for their favorite meal, and the answer is almost always the same:

Orange chicken.

"We serve close to 400 kids that day," Wanda says. "They clean us out!"

But their homemade Thanksgiving feast is just as legendary.

• 48 turkeys, roasted and carved in-house.

• Scratch-made dressing and turkey gravy.

• Fresh mashed potatoes and green beans.

Staff members get just as excited as the students, knowing they’re in for one of the best meals of the year.

Introducing New Foods—One Plum at a Time

Thanks to a Department of Defense (DoD) fresh produce program, students get access to higher-quality fruits and vegetables—some they’ve never even seen before.

"We put out plums one day, and the kids were like, ‘What is this?!’" Jessi laughs. "Now they come back asking for more."

These small moments expand their palates and help them see school meals in a new light.

Beyond the Food: Being There for Students

For some students, this is the best meal they get all day—something the cafeteria staff takes seriously.

"Food is love," Wanda says. "We want them to feel that here."

They also know that a simple hello or a smile in the lunch line can mean everything to a student having a rough day.

"I asked a student how he was once, and he said, ‘I’ll never get in trouble again, I promise.’" Phyllis recalls. "I had no idea what had happened, but just that little check-in made a difference."

An Operation That Runs Like Clockwork

With over 350 meals served daily, efficiency is key. Each team member has their role. Jessi focuses on fresh, hot meals.

• Phyllis preps salads and fresh fruit.

• Emilie manages inventory and deliveries.

• Wanda oversees it all.

Wanda reached out to me a few days after our interview for this story. Her heart was heavy that we hadn’t talked about all the other people who work so hard to feed Salem Community High School. It was important to her that the following people be recognized for their efforts alongside the team we’d spoken with. She told me, “I would like to include my other workers if possible. I could not do this without them:

• Andrea Whitney keeps the dishes clean.

• Connie Oswald cooks Line 2 meals.

• Charles Richie sub Cooks and is a custodian who has worked 3 days a week for months

• Barb Neal subs as a cook and a bus driver

• Angie Somerville works as a cooks helper

• Rachel Borcherding works as a sub cook

• Julie Kohrig works as the Athletic Director’s Secretary/Cashier and always steps up when needed.

• Tracy Richie is custodian and steps up when we are short staffed.

And, folks, that’s what leadership looks like. I suspect she’d never ask someone to do something she wouldn’t do or hasn’t done, herself. On top of that, she braved the hurdles of technology and the mysterious ways of Google Docs to make it clear to me that she needed the spotlight on the folks who make it happen.

"It’s like a race every day," Wanda laughs. "But we make it work."

A Kitchen Filled With Care

At Salem Community High School, the cafeteria is more than a place to grab food—it’s a place where students are cared for, nurtured, and, whether they realize it or not, deeply supported. And none of it happens without a team effort, to include all the part-time workers, dishwashers and full-time lunch ladies who serve up love, one plate at a time, everyday through the meals they provide.

Because in the end, it’s not just about feeding students—it’s about making sure they know they matter, a gift Wanda has in ample supply.