The following blog comes from one of our students and was originally published in an issue of Hilltopics.
The St. Lawrence Hilltoppers are always intrigued to find out what is on the menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The students receive three meals a day. Breakfast usually consists of eggs or pancakes, while lunch is a little heavier. Chef Cindy works hard every single day to get the students what they need. She wakes up early, every day, just to put together some delicious dishes for the students. Chef Cindy does indeed have a very dedicated work ethic which contributes to the nutrition and health of the students at SLS.
“I wake up at 5:30 A.M. every single day,” stated Chef Cindy, “to prepare for work and make sure that everything is ready for the day.” Chef Cindy explained how she decides what the Hilltoppers eat each day. First, she uses a program, somewhat similar to “MyPlate” to make sure that the food she purchases is healthy. Next she orders the food that is needed to prepare each meal. Chef Cindy elaborated on the food program saying, “Each meal must consist of a meat, a starch, and a vegetable.” Jokingly, she also said, “Unfortunately, I can’t feed you guys chicken wings every day."
Although you may not know it, Chef Cindy also spends much of her day doing paperwork. She said that she doesn’t have too much free time during the day, but she enjoys the fact that she is doing what she loves. She enjoys cooking for the students and is excited to continue with her work. Students at SLS see Chef Cindy every day, along with other Sodexo staff members, especially during dinner. She works hard to create a meal that the students love, yet at the same time makes sure that it meets the required nutritional values. She makes sure that the students receive the correct portions of a meat, starch, and vegetable. The meat portion is typically chicken, pork, or sometimes beef. The vegetables vary from cauliflower, broccoli, green beans or carrots and the starch is either pasta, rice or potatoes. When dinner is over, Chef Cindy and her staff clean up the kitchen one last time before heading home. She usually leaves St. Lawrence around 7:00 P.M. finally calling her day complete.
Chef Cindy sacrifices many things for her culinary career to help provide for the students of St. Lawrence Seminary High School. She arrives to school early and leaves late on a daily basis. She makes sure that the students, faculty and staff are fed. She also makes sure that the students receive the proper nutrition that they need every day. Knowing that the students are still growing, she also makes sure that the food is not only healthy, but also appetizing. Chef Cindy has truly created a positive impact on the lives of St. Lawrence Seminary students.
St. Lawrence Seminary is an all boys Catholic boarding school located in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin. We welcome students from Minnesota, Illinois and across the United States. Inspired by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the example of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Lawrence Seminary provides a residential college preparatory education in a living Catholic community nurturing mature, well-rounded men of faith. See if St. Lawrence is right for you and your son.
