Flik: the inside scoop on our cafeteria

By Lily Curlin and Madeleine Lee

Lunch. A break from the sometimes hectic day and something St. Mary’s girls look forward to because we are constantly hungry. But what really goes on behind the scenes in our cafeteria? We talked to the Flik staff to find out more about our school lunch program.

We were most interested in what happens to the left over food. Ms. Tori revealed that it must be thrown away after sitting out all day. The Flik employees cannot give away the food because “If someone gets sick, Flik could be sued.” However, food such as scones, cookies, or items on the salad bar can be reused, and sometimes the Flik employees take it home.

Ms. Tori and Mr. Reed, the head cook, agree that their favorite part about working in the cafeteria is “the students.” Reed has been working in school food service since 1997 and he explains “I’ve been doing it so long, it’s stuck with me, and I know which foods go together.” His knowledge and experience along with input from both Flik management and the student’s recommendations, determines each week’s menu.

We were also curious as to how the cooks make so much food in a short amount of time. Mr. Reed responded “multitasking.” He says multitasking is a solution to many tasks in life, but is easier said than done. In fact, Reed admits he often makes a mistake when trying to juggle so many things at once.

Our last inquiry pertained to where the cafeteria got their iconic grilled cheese meme posters. There have been various meme posters about Flik’s grilled cheese, such as “I ordered the salad, but then I realized it was grilled cheese day.” Mr. Reed told us that every month they get new posters sent in from corporate.