This school year, students have been dismayed by the fact that cookies haven’t shown up in the cafeteria. So why haven’t they appeared yet this year?
One of the main issues, according to Ms. Cynthia Clauson, Jesuit’s Food Service Director, is an understaffed kitchen.
“There are new requirements for volunteers this year, and it was taking a lot longer [to get volunteers certified] than we anticipated,” Clauson said. “The first two weeks of school, I had staff members in the kitchen helping because we didn’t have enough volunteers, so it wasn’t going to happen. And then mid September, two of us in the kitchen got COVID the same week, so it’s a staffing issue.”
Not only has the kitchen been understaffed, but the date for deliveries of the food has been changed, causing difficulties.
“Then I found out that my normal deliveries on Mondays were going to get changed to Fridays. And so, at the end of October, I had to order two weeks of product. So I’ve been stocking freezers with items that we’re going to need for two weeks instead of getting just one big delivery,” Clauson said.
Making cookies also eats up time that could be spent making the main menu items. The fewer staff members are forced to focus on making the main meal items, instead of the fun additions to the menu like cookies or cinnamon rolls.
“The issue is it takes longer with how much we’re baking now versus what we used to bake. Before, I could bake [the cookies] and then [let them] cool down before I get the rest of the process of prep for the lunch,” Clauson said.
While the kitchen lacks the volunteers and time to make them, students miss the joy that cookies bring to the cafeteria.
“I miss cookies because they taste really good and make everybody happy,” junior Nick Zervis said.
Seniors, who have had cookies for the past three years of their Jesuit education, have been saddened by this year’s lack of cookies.
“I have [missed the cookies] and it’s really been a disappointing aspect of this year for me, my friends and I loved the cookies during lunch, and it was such an important and critical aspect of the Jesuit experience, and we miss it dearly,” senior Max Baricevic said.
Clauson is hoping for the return of cookies later this year once the kitchen is more fully staffed.
