There is nothing easier than sitting down, ordering a meal, being served and enjoying what is on the plate. However, the preparation that goes on in creating that meal is very involved. Any establishment that prepares and serves food has stringent rules and regulations they must abide by. For many of us, that is good news to know, as food borne illnesses can be quite serious. School cafeterias and Senior Centers are held to stricter standards than the typical restaurant because the people they are serving have weaker immune systems.
The Silver Spoon is an award for any place that serves food. It is a prestigious award in the food industry that is hard to achieve. The establishment must pass at least three inspections in a year without a single infraction. Criteria upon which the establishment is graded is cleanliness, food preparation, food serving and food safety. The Shell Knob School food services staff have been presented this award for 2023.
For schools, this means high traffic areas must be cleaned often throughout the serving times. Cooks cannot wear rings, watches, anything on their wrists or hands, and must have their hair pinned back or in a hat. Facial hair like beards must also be covered. Food preparation must be done in clean areas, certain foods cannot not mix and temperatures must be exact. Katie Magula, Food Director for SKS says she and her "Skillet Masters" take their jobs very seriously. They have fun together as a team, and work hard to make sure all expectations are met. The result of not following the rules and regulations could be kids getting seriously ill.
Miss Katie, (as the students know her) gave a couple of examples of a possible infraction; having a drink container open without a lid, or having raw eggs or raw meat sitting above fresh food or vegetables. Those are just a couple of many things that could go wrong. There are many things we just don't think about when we cook at home. Katie and the cafeteria staff must pass yearly certifications and Katie attends a class and is tested for a program called Serve Safe. She then comes back and teaches her staff what they need to do on a daily basis to meet the Barry County expectations.
SKS has won the award before, however, that was pre-covid. Since the pandemic, rules have changed every year. Meeting and exceeding all of the rules and regulations takes time, effort, knowledge and commitment. Everyone at Shell Knob School is very proud of our food services staff! Congratulations Katie, Kristie Davis, Heather Good and Retha Lawrence for doing an outstanding job and for being just one more reason Shell Knob School is the best little school around!