Inside Look at the Cafeteria What goes on behind the scenes?

Below is a typical menu for the last week of March at PTHS High School.

Every day at 11:01 a.m., students file into the PTHS cafeteria for a long-awaited 45-minute lunch break. They plop their bags down, hop onto the lunch line, and wait for lunch servers to fill their plates with pizza, fried rice, and sandwiches. But students only see the finished product of these servers’ efforts for hungry high schoolers.

When asked who decides the lunch menu, cafeteria worker Tom Smith said, “There is a nutritionist who works for Pomptonian and makes all the decisions.” Ever since 1959, the Pomptonian Food Service has designed menus and supplied New Jersey schools with lunches. There have been few complaints from students, as Smith claimed that “Some people say that the food is too cold or that there is a brown spot that’s unappealing. But it doesn’t happen a lot.”

Lunch at PTHS consists of salads, build-your-own sandwiches, and daily pizza. Several different drinks are available, such as Gatorade, Snapple, water, and soda. There are also many fruit options like apples and oranges. According to Smith, “We are not allowed to sell candy.” This is because candy lacks nutritional value.

However, there are different dessert options like cookies, muffins, and chips. But this food takes time and effort to create. Many cafeteria workers work together to cook and assemble items. 

When asked about the jobs of specific workers for lunchtime preparations, Smith explained that “I am the assistant cook, so I am in charge of making food on the slides like chicken sandwiches and mozzarella sticks. There is also a person who does sandwiches and one who does cookies. We all come together after the food is made to serve it.” 

This  “assembly line” approach results in a variety of food options available for PTHS students.

Red Velvet Cookies Gone Forever?

The end of one of the most loved cookies.

The red velvet cookies may not be available in a year or so. Smith said, “By law, they stopped the sale of red dye 40 in food items in schools. Retail is still available until 2026, and my boss says we’re allowed to sell red velvet until we run out from the manufacturer.” The future removal of this item has had a surprising impact on students.

In the meantime, this is not currently impacting the production of red velvet cookies, but the long-term effect scares local PTHS student Alessandra Rainey. Rainey exclaimed, “I would be devastated if they took my red velvet cookies away.” Rainey brings her lunch from home, but she buys cookies every day. Other students share her disbelief. Most days, these cookies are sold out.

“Red velvet is my favorite flavor!” Callie Koldyk commented, “I’m going to miss them.”  Another student, Meghan D’Aurizio, shared, “Red velvet cookies are the best part of my lunchtime.” Relying on the sweet treat to refuel her brain from the mentally draining AP courses, she orders a cookie at least once a week.

But all this worry may be unnecessary. It is possible that red velvet cookies could come back without their color, as the recipe does not require red dye 40.