Cook for America

I found the ad in a local paper. The classifieds section of their webpage to be specific. The header was intriguing. Something akin to "Improve School Food." Reading the description I thought; "I want to do that work. I would be good at it." So began the task of filling a web based application. The bane of job seekers in our modern economy. But I digress.

The interview process was deep. A case study presented some of the challenges we could expect to face. Next up, selected reading. Now I'm a book junkie. I've spent many happy hours wandering the aisles in my local bookstore. I'd be a regular at the library but I think I owe them money.  I mention this not only as self indulgence but to qualify my next statement. The true test of a great book, or any great work is, will it change the way you look at the world? "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan meets that very high threshold. Section 1 on corn was all I needed to swear off corn fed beef in favor of grass fed.

The reading was preparation for the interview. Four of us were interviewed at a time. A unique experience for me. In spite of a grievous error early on the meeting was successful. I set about renewing my Serve Safe Certification. That instruction can be summed up in three words, "Wash your hands." Who would have thought becoming a certified instructor for Cook for America(R) Lunch Teachers(TM) would be so complex? Not this guy.

In early January sixteen of us gathered in Lakewood, CO; coming from as far as Carbondale. Our work histories as diverse as our ages. One gentleman had a military background. Several others were already deep in the school food trenches. My own history is in catering with some restaurant work peppered in.

To try and sum up two weeks in a paragraph would do it a disservice. Let's content ourselves by saying that the training was intense. Boot camp is an apt title. The only thing absent was waking to the sound of Reveille. I entered the exit interview in a joking mood, wondering aloud if I would need a cigarette and a blindfold.

I survived the process. The sixteen of us have gone back to our respective circles. What do we take away from the experience? I had to reconsider my history in school cafeterias as largely superficial. My culinary training has given me a new set of eyes. I see now a slow decline. Elementary school offered a simple cycle menu. My first exposure to sloppy joes and corn dogs happened here.  Middle school added pizza and hamburgers daily. Upping the ante with an a la carte line.  Lucky for me high school had an open campus policy. A taste of freedom went well with my daily commute to local fast food outlets.

Each of us had our own reasons for wanting to be part of Cook for America(R). I had an awakening. I see my chosen profession in a new way. I have new reason to examine ingredient labels. My obsession with language can help others decipher all confounding polysyllabic ingredients. They must decide for themselves if it's good to eat.  The task of transcending the lunch lady label is no simple task. But it is possible.