In today’s world it isn’t hard to recognize that teenage students don’t get the proper nutrition they need. The majority of high school kids would rather whip up a cup of ramen noodles, which put you on the express route to long term health issues, as opposed to a snack just as quick and a million times as healthy, such as a house salad.  This corruption in the minds of these teenagers is due to big fast food corporations, addictive unhealthy snacks, and possibly even friends or family at home.  But do teens at Freedom High School suffer the same issues during a day at school?  Does the cafeteria at Freedom really serve a healthy, nutritious lunch and put an effort into making the students in the lunch room gain as many benefits from their meal as possible?  The dedication that goes into the students healthy and plentiful eating in the cafeteria is astonishing.

I spoke with Student Nutrition Manager, Patricia Kintzele, to find out what really goes on behind the scenes of the lunch at Freedom High School.

Upon first walking into the kitchen, I was very impressed. Everything was in a neat and organized manner, the equipment was practically spotless and every staff member was working hard to make sure their areas were clean.

Kintzele says “I love the kids who eat here. We take pride in serving each student a safe, appealing and sanitary meal.”

Furthermore, Noemi Medrano, a nutrition specialist says “The kids I serve are my favorite part of the job. They’re all so nice and fun.”  She has worked the lines of the cafeteria since 2011.

The staff in the lunch room has the responsibility of serving the students and teachers of Freedom and Liberty. Each day they must be prepared for serving four different lunches.

“We serve over 2000 lunches between both schools, which is more than anyone in Hillsborough County,” said Kintzele.

But serving that large amount of students, how do they manage to keep up with them and serve fresh food?

Kintzele said “We use a technique called batch cooking. We have to start each at a certain time.  If you look at my warmers at 9 in the morning you won’t see them piled with food.  Each meal is served literally fresh out of the oven.”

One of the favorites on the menu in the cafeteria is the popcorn chicken bowl. The cafeteria serves nearly 1600 each day it is available.

Each meal is served packed with nutrition and quality. For example, the chicken served is baked not fried, and is whole muscle and cooked in the healthiest way.  Another quality piece of food on the menu is the pizza.  “Our pizza comes from Schwanz, which is by no means cheap.  They are a very high quality brand and they even make types of pizza exclusively for our county.  The buffalo chicken primo pizza is only available in Hillsborough County, and if it’s successful here it will be available to the entire country,” says Kintzele.

Clearly the food of Freedom High School is very high quality, as well as the staff who is there to make it for the students. Each staff member stays hours after their day is over to make sure their kitchen is clean and organized.  In order to prepare for the students, their day starts at 5 in the morning.  So before you start judging the Freedom High School lunch menu remember the pride put into each and every fresh cooked meal.