Everyday, students pack the cafeteria for a quick bite before class or for a filling lunch at noon. Behind the scenes, Portola High cafeteria staff pour hours of work into ensuring that meals are both nutritious and appealing for students.
Portola High’s lead cafeteria supervisor, Cynthia Prunty, originally worked as the cafeteria supervisor at Irvine High before coming to Portola High’s cafeteria when the school opened in 2016. Prunty said that she finds it rewarding when new students come to the cafeteria through word of mouth and provide positive feedback. Additionally, at the end of every school year, seniors visit the cafeteria staff to give them graduation pictures and thank you cards, a heart warming tradition, according to Prunty.
“All of [the students] are above average, so [they are] really sweet to be around,” Prunty said. “And when I say above average, I mean manners and [their] social skills.”
Behind the cafeteria’s meals is a process more complicated than students might expect. Every recipe created in the cafeteria is sent to IUSD’s dietitian, who runs it through a software to get it approved. The cafeteria staff also monitor what the students might eat on a particular day — such as warm foods on a rainy day — and cater to those expectations.
“We have to be aware of what we can and can’t use, so it is kind of challenging to come up with different, cool menus that are going to interest [the students], keep them fed and pass by the state’s laws and requirements,” Prunty said.
Portola High’s new assistant cafeteria lead, Keri O’Melveny, began working in food service eight years ago starting at Woodbury Elementary then serving Solis Park, before eventually finding herself at Portola High this year.
Beyond Portola High, O’Melveny manages her personal Instagram account, @ms_o_healthyhearts, which she started back when she was working at Woodbury Elementary and was in awe of the delectable foods that were served in the cafeteria. O’Melveny uses her account to share with parents and students what is offered in the cafeteria.
“Through creating that, we gained a lot more kids wanting to get lunch and parents wanting their kids to get lunch because they were excited about what was offered,” O’Melveny said.
Another Portola High lead cafeteria supervisor, Karen Garcia, was originally a stay at home mom. But with a background in nutrition, she began volunteering at her kids’ schools. Eventually, she applied to IUSD and began working at Portola High.
Garcia hopes that students continue to treat cafeteria staff members warmly and respectfully. She said that her favorite part about working at the cafeteria is witnessing the students love the food she prepares and serves and receiving feedback to improve future menus.
“I want [students] to be happy and enjoy the meals they are eating,” Garcia said.
