Announcer (00:01): Highlighting the amazing stories from inside the North Clackamas School district. This is the Proud To Be NCSD podcast, hosted by longtime principal and current community relations director, Curtis Long

Lunch Lady Song (00:31): Lunch lady.

Curtis Long (00:34): Well, if you've got young readers at home, you're gonna wanna keep sliding your trail along into this week's episode because chapter one of this North Clackamas comic starts in the library at Oak Grove Elementary where students can't seem to get enough servings of a popular graphic novel set of captivating cafeteria capers called, you Guessed it, lunch Lady. And she's

Lunch Lady Song (00:53): On the trail for the mystery meats

Curtis Long (00:57): The series by author Jarrett J. Krosoczka currently sits at 10 different books in which the main character, a mild mannered school lunch lady teams up with her assistant Betty, to secretly use superhero gadgets like fish stick nunchucks to fight crime when they're not serving lunch. Here's a quick listen to an audio version.

Audiobook (01:17): Activate Spark phone yellow lunch Lady. It's me, Betty. Betty. Where are you? Today's one special isn't gonna serve itself. You need to get to the boiler room stat. You're gonna wanna see this. Talk about a turn of events. Okay, Betty, hold your horse radish. I'll be right there.

Curtis Long (01:35): Fast forward to the Oak Grove Library where students had to hold their horse radish if they ever wanted to check out a Lunch Lady book. Media technician Alisa Rich simply didn't have enough copies on the shelves to keep up with demand. But just as Lunch Lady seems to solve crazy conundrums with can openers and colanders, Rich found her own superhero in the North Clackamas Nutrition Services Department.

Kris DeHut (01:56): Okay, first thing on this recipe, it says we need a half a cup of sun butter. Anybody, anybody like sun butter? Uh,

Curtis Long (02:04): That's North Clackamas Culinary Manager, Chris DeHut, who not only committed to purchasing an entire additional set of lunch lady books for Oak Grove, but also volunteer to visit the school's third, fourth, and fifth graders during their library time dressed as their favorite culinary crime fighter cooking up a recipe of her own.

Kris DeHut (02:21): So today I'm gonna demo how to do a energy bite bar to keep the Lunch Lady Superhero energized while she's crime fighting. I might even be able to have some of you help me out. Do you think you could do that? Yes.

Curtis Long (02:37): Hot Dog! Today's Proud To Be NSD podcast illustrates a story about why our district's core value of care is one we always relish. We'll meet two staff members from NCS D'S Nutrition Services department, who not only show care about Oak Grove students' reading habits, but also show care for thousands of NCSD students' nutritional needs each day. Meet the ladies behind the lunches who help make sure our district cafeteria serve more than 8,000 nutritious meals every day. It's the True Lunch lady superheroes. Next

Curtis Long (03:12): And joining us now are the brains behind the big event that happened at Oak Grove Elementary School. You heard it there at the beginning. Very happy to be joined by Krist DeHut, NCDs Culinary Manager and Raimi Kaan, the Nutrition Department's Production Manager. Both of you. Thanks for joining us. And tell us a little bit about what was happening today at Oak Grove Elementary.

Kris DeHut (03:31): So thank you for having us on today at Oak Grove Elementary, we were doing a Discovery Kitchen event where we were featuring the Lunch Lady Superhero book series. Along with that, the librarian was explaining to us that she did not have enough books in the library to meet the needs of the kids who were wanting to check out the books for the Lunch Lady superhero book series. So nutrition services. I took that back to nutrition services and we decided that we could help out with that and do a little bit more. Yeah. So today we are also sampling out the lunch lady energy bite bars, <laugh>. She needs a little bit of energy fighting that crime.

Curtis Long (04:10): So the Lunch Lady is a series of books that we're finding out Now, I'm not as familiar with those. I should be as a former elementary principal, but apparently the media tech here at Oak Grove says they can't keep 'em on the shelves.

Kris DeHut (04:20): Yeah, she was saying that the kiddos are on a wait list to get them checked.

Curtis Long (04:24): Wow. The Lunch Lady books. So we'll have to make sure that we check those out. So tell me a little bit about what our community probably doesn't know a lot about is behind the scenes of nutrition services. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes before those lunches and breakfast and some suppers meet the kids at school. So give us a maybe a little bit of a, a day in the life of, uh, nutrition services. What's going on

Kris DeHut (04:45): A day in the life of our uh, staff? They show up early. Yeah, they're here a lot of times before our custodians are even in the building and they are getting things turned on, prepped, ready to go, getting those oranges sliced and cut for the kids, making sure that breakfast is on time, getting lunch ready to go. And generally they're also the first ones to leave.

Raimi Kaan (05:05): Another step that you may not see is the collaboration that happens with our team internally in the nutrition services department. We are all great about sitting down together, formulating new ideas, getting feedback from different schools, from different students, trying to implement those into the menu as well as feedback potentially from the community. We also work with our onsite staff, as Kris mentioned, that's they're there making the magic happen every day. But we also work closely with them, get any feedback that they have and just try to make it to where it's really highlighting the notes that they often get during the day as well.

Curtis Long (05:39): Raimi, I'm glad you mentioned that because I've seen Kris a couple of times. We've had Ryan's grilled cheese sandwiches at Seth Lewelling. That's right. And we had, uh, a group at Scouters Mountain Elementary who you put Little Hearts on the menu, if I remember right. Of things they had suggested. So you definitely are open to student feedback.

Kris DeHut (05:56): Absolutely. So one of the ways that we get student feedback is we have a program much similar to the Discovery Kitchen, um, which is our student choice. And we also have a program called Global Eats where we, um, sample out authentic foods from various places around the world.

Curtis Long (06:12): I saw that earlier this year at Milwaukie High. There was a Discovery Eats and I believe it was

Kris DeHut (06:17): You were making curry chicken.

Curtis Long (06:19): That's right. Curry chicken. And some of the high school students had said, I'd never had this before and I can't wait to have more. And that's probably the goal that you're looking for.

Kris DeHut (06:27): That is absolutely the goal we're looking for. We are looking for students who haven't been able to try new things and we want the kids to be excited and we want them to be able to, when they come into the cafeterias and when they come into the kitchens, we want them to be able to find something new and different along with the things that they see every day and the, you know, the familiar favorites that they want. But we want them to be able to try new things and really enjoy what they're getting.

Curtis Long (06:52): Yeah. And they certainly do that for sure. Now tell me a little bit about how that menu is created at the beginning of the month. I know some of our families will, especially of elementary kids, there are some consistent things that go on each day. And then usually it's what's called choice two rotates around. I'm not as familiar with middle and high school. So let's talk about elementary menus versus secondary menus too. What goes into those?

Kris DeHut (07:11): Fantastic. I'll start with the elementaries. We really do have those familiar choices that happen Monday through Friday as well as a salad and a sun butter sandwich that happens every day. But the choices that rotate, we really try to put things in that the younger kids are familiar with as well as, you know, get excited about. We try something new, you know, uh, we've tried Baja Nachos. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. They really prefer the nachos, the regular

Curtis Long (07:32): Okay. So what was in a Baja nacho that made it different?

Kris DeHut (07:35): So it was a mixture of different kinds of like black beans and pento beans and spices and things. But they really wanted,

Curtis Long (07:41): The elementary kid wanted the old standard stadium nacho.

Kris DeHut (07:44): They wanted the standard nacho and that's okay.

Curtis Long (07:47): Yep.

Kris DeHut (07:48): The way that we try to sit down and do our menus is we collaborate with kitchen staff and student feedback and we sit down on a monthly basis and plan out the menus a whole month in advance and really try to put the best out that we can give.

Curtis Long (08:00): And how about at middle and high school? Yes.

Kris DeHut (08:03): Middle and high school, we really seek, after the kids' input a lot, we try to make sure that we are putting things on there that they're really wanting to see. Like one of the things that we did in December is we did spice it up. Mm. So we did things like Nashville hot and cilantro, lime coleslaw, and really, um, spicier things on the menu. Now there's rotating things that are on the menu for secondary, but then there are the things that stay the same every day. So burgers and chicken patty sandwiches and that things they can find every day. But we also have a rotating menu for the secondary as well

Curtis Long (08:34): And we wanna make sure that there's nutritional value to these. I think some of our community members think that we just put out corn dogs and chicken nuggets and call it good. But there's a lot of thought that goes into a nutritional value of these things as well.

Kris DeHut (08:46): Yes. We have very strict guidelines that we have to follow from the Oregon Department of Education. We have daily allowances as well as weekly allowances that we have to follow and make sure that we get in all sorts of like leafy green vegetables and orange vegetables and red vegetables and different kinds of fruits. So we are held to a strict standard of those nutritional values.

Curtis Long (09:05): And is food made fresh right at the school kitchen? Or we have some hub kitchens that send things out. How does that work? How is food distributed to all the different schools?

Raimi Kaan (09:14): So this falls in production. Okay. So a lot of the items that we get, depending on the manufacturer, they're more of a heat and serve other items. We are working hard on having some scratch made featured items just to give kids that fresh experience. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And that's where Chef Kris has really thought of a lot of unique ideas for our upcoming menus. But we try to have scratch made items as often as we can too. Within those regulations.

Curtis Long (09:37): Now, of all the choices, I'm sure there are some that come up as the most popular. What are some of the most popular lunch choices across North Clackamas?

Kris DeHut (09:46): So definitely at the last little bit grilled cheese sandwiches.

Curtis Long (09:49): Oh gosh. Yeah. I thought that one might be up there because that was taken off. That was,

Kris DeHut (09:54): That was taken off the elementary menu

Curtis Long (09:55): And you heard about it.

Kris DeHut (09:57): Oh, I did <laugh>. Absolutely. However, at the secondary level, I would have to say the most popular one is the chicken taquito.

Curtis Long (10:05): Oh, interesting. Uhhuh the chicken taquito. And does that come as part of a lunch that, can they get that all a cart? How does that work? At the, at the high and middle school

Kris DeHut (10:12): That's come as part of the lunch. Okay. So they can go through the lunch line and get that as long as along with the other components of what makes a meal. Yeah.

Raimi Kaan (10:19): The most popular with elementaries would be the nachos. Uhhuh. That is why the grilled cheese had to kind of find a new place is because nachos were in such high demand. And that is still probably the most favorite during the week at most elementaries.

Kris DeHut (10:32): I would have to say the the lines are long for some nachos. Yes.

Raimi Kaan (10:34): Yeah.

Kris DeHut (10:35): But I will say that the nachos also came on because we got an invitation to come to a classroom at Mount Scott Elementary. You did? We did last year. At the end of the year, one of the third grade classes invited, uh, me to come in and speak with them. Okay. And that's how Nachos came on every week

Curtis Long (10:51): At the, that classroom was interested in having nachos more often on the lunch menu. Absolutely. Oh, <laugh>. And see, what's great about Chef Kris is she listens to that thing. You must love getting letters from elementary students or any students for that matter. Yep.

Kris DeHut (11:05): I, oh my gosh. That makes my day When, when a kiddo was interested in what they're eating and what they're getting from the cafeteria in the kitchen, it makes my day that they're paying attention and it just, it warms my heart that they've taken the time and the effort to, to write that letter. And then when there's feedback Yeah. They see that what they've done has been put into action. Is, is what's exciting.

Curtis Long (11:25): Yeah. We mentioned that once before. I was lucky enough to cover a story out at Seth Lewelling elementary, where a young student Ryan worked with his lunch buddy and said, you know, we really miss the grilled cheese sandwich. And the lunch buddy encouraged him to write a letter to you, which you received and you came out and personally delivered him grilled cheese. But then it got back on the menu. Right. It's more of a regular feature now.

Kris DeHut (11:44): It is. It's, it happens about once a month. Okay. It's not a weekly feature. Yeah. But it is a once a month feature. And we also featured that grilled cheese sandwich at the secondaries for several months. So it went on in a big wave.

Curtis Long (11:55): And just as one side of our lightly butter gooey grilled cheese sandwich of a podcast starts to brown, it's time to flip this golden crispy conversation to the other half. So far we've grilled our two lunch ladies about how student input helps feed which foods make the final menu and how nutritional guidelines help guide their recipe for success Up next, which surprising entree gets a leg up as the most popular lunch choice among elementary students.

Kris DeHut (12:22): And the overwhelming feedback that we got from the kiddos was just amazing. They

Curtis Long (12:27): Love the chicken drumstick, they love

Kris DeHut (12:29): The chicken drumstick. They wanted to know if they can get it again. When are we having it again? So I believe we are. Mm-hmm

Curtis Long (12:36): <affirmative>. Breaking news here on the podcast. <laugh>

Kris DeHut (12:39): Super breaking news.

Curtis Long (12:40): And what's the best part of working behind the scenes of our district's nutrition services department?

Raimi Kaan (12:46): Being able to work with the communities, seeing the rewards on kids' faces. Whenever I get to stop by a school and see their breakfast or lunch service, it's interacting with them and just seeing us bring a smile to their day.

Curtis Long (12:56): Plenty of smiles still to come on the second half of this appetizing Proud To Be NCSD podcast right after this.

Commercial Announcer (13:04): Are you looking for a job right now? Looking to work in a fun and supportive environment with great pay and a rewarding career? The North Clackamas School district is hiring. We're currently filling full and part-time positions. You can work and make a difference in young lives and education as a classroom assistant or a substitute teacher apply to work in one of our school cafeterias where our lunch staff serves up big smiles with great food every day. We're also looking to hire before and after school. Caretakers, custodians, and bus drivers in North Clackamas. We promise it won't take you long to learn why our employees say they're proud to be in NCSD. Apply today on the North Clackamas School District website or call 5 0 3 3 5 3 6,000. That's 5 0 3 3 5 3 6,000.

Curtis Long (13:59): So families, if you're listening now and your kids have some entree favorites that they really enjoy, they don't see enough on the lunch menu. You can always get ahold of Chef Kris. You can get ahold of Raimi as well through the district website, through district email. Can always contact me through the podcast. We'll make sure to put you in touch with them. 'cause I would guess there's some kids that have some special menu item that they would like to see come back. Are there some that are only on the menu, say once a month or once every couple of months?

Kris DeHut (14:24): Once a month We have mac and cheese.

Curtis Long (14:26): Oh, that's a good one. Yeah, that's a good

Kris DeHut (14:27): One. We have spaghetti and meatball. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. We, um, cheeseburgers on once a month, those types of things. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. So we really try to rotate in as much scratch meat items as we possibly can.

Raimi Kaan (14:38): That'll vary seasonally as well too, with different options. So we try to pay attention to the seasons and maybe add Turkey gravy and colder months, things like that.

Curtis Long (14:46): And there's always salad options at the elementary level. There's no salad bar at middle and high school There is correct?

Kris DeHut (14:53): Correct. At the elementary level, they do have the option to get a, a composed salad. Yeah. Daily.

Curtis Long (14:58): And do you find that popular with middle and high school kids?

Kris DeHut (15:01): We find the salad bar popular with the high school kids.

Curtis Long (15:04): Okay. Not

Kris DeHut (15:04): So much.

Curtis Long (15:05): Not so much. The middle school kids. Not so much. That brings a good question. So do the entrees vary by grade level? Do you have things that are more popular at elementary than they are at middle and high and vice versa? Maybe? Yes. Okay. Let's, let's hear. What are the most popular items? Let's just go through 'em. So we kind of talked about elementary. So nachos are very popular at elementary, the grilled cheese sandwich, making a comeback. Very popular. Are there others that are more popular at elementary?

Raimi Kaan (15:31): Kris, I think you should talk about the drumstick story. Oh, <laugh>. This is an item that we can't get often. Okay. But when we do, Kris gets to hear great feedback. Take it away.

Kris DeHut (15:40): So the drumstick, we've not been able to have the, the chicken drumstick very often. Okay. And we were able to bring the chicken drumstick back this year and it was a one time featured item. And the overwhelming feedback that we got from the kiddos was just amazing.

Curtis Long (15:57): They love the chicken drumstick, they

Kris DeHut (15:59): Love the chicken drumstick. They wanted to know if they can get it again, when are we having it again? So I believe we are mm-hmm

Curtis Long (16:07): <affirmative>. Breaking news here on the podcast. <laugh>

Kris DeHut (16:09): Super breaking news. Sometime before the end of the year we will have another feature of a chicken drumstick.

Curtis Long (16:15): Awesome. Okay. So that's at elementary. How about middle school? The middle schoolers, those 12, 13, 14 year olds, they have some favorites.

Kris DeHut (16:23): I think there's this pizza.

Curtis Long (16:24): Okay. We do a

Kris DeHut (16:25): Lot of pizza. Yeah. In middle schools.

Curtis Long (16:27): Now does pizza come, does it come frozen ahead of time? How is it prepared for cafeteria pizza?

Kris DeHut (16:32): So, cafeteria pizza, um, the dough comes in. Oh. We actually sauce it, cheese it Oh

Curtis Long (16:38): Wow. And bake it. Okay. So it is not a frozen pizza that just reheated in the oven. Correct. Wow.

Kris DeHut (16:44): Our staff are back there, um, making it happen.

Curtis Long (16:47): <laugh>. Yeah. I'll have to look for them. Throwing the dough up in the air and spinning it around on their finger. They could be doing that. And how about high school? What's popular at the high school level?

Kris DeHut (16:54): Well, I'd have to say that also depends on which building you go to. Okay.

Curtis Long (16:57): That's interesting. So if we

Kris DeHut (16:58): Were talking about Clackamas High School.

Curtis Long (17:01): Okay.

Kris DeHut (17:01): I would have to say that the deli line where they can go get a fresh made sandwich is very popular.

Curtis Long (17:06): So the Cavaliers like their deli sandwiches. Okay. <laugh>, Cavaliers like their deli sandwiches. How about other high schools?

Kris DeHut (17:11): I would say Nelson. Mm Nelson The create line. So we have different stations.

Curtis Long (17:17): Okay. So

Kris DeHut (17:18): The create line seems to be pretty popular at Nelson. So that's where you're gonna find your scratch made items, you know, your nachos on Wednesday, that type of thing.

Curtis Long (17:26): Okay. So the, the Hawks like to create their own little concoctions. Okay. How about Milwaukie Putnam? We're kind of putting you on the spot here. Ooh.

Kris DeHut (17:33): They're definitely a deli line kind of. Okay. Milwaukie High School's one of the unique high schools in our district. They have toaster ovens so the students can get their sandwich toasted.

Curtis Long (17:44): Oh, can they do that themselves or they hand it over to someone to Uh,

Kris DeHut (17:47): No, they just tell the uh, uh Okay. Keeper behind the line there that they would like it toasted and, and

Curtis Long (17:53): Alright. Toasted like Subway families from Putnam, Clackamas Nelson. Don't get too jealous. But the Milwaukie students, they can have their sandwiches toasted. Is that something that eventually comes to other schools?

Kris DeHut (18:05): It could, yeah. Yeah. We, when Milwaukie High School was remodeled. Right. That was the, that was part of the new addition to the kitchen.

Curtis Long (18:10): Oh, they have toasters there so you can get your sandwiches toasted. Didn't know that. Breaking news again on the podcast. So tell us a little bit about, uh, and you mentioned that uh, some of our cafeteria, our kitchen workers are the first ones to arrive in the morning, sometimes even before the custodian gets there. What's going on when they first arrive there? And I, I see a lot of times, Amy, I see big trucks arriving to schools. Tell us about kind of behind the scenes what's happening as the day starts.

Raimi Kaan (18:34): Yeah, so as you mentioned, a lot of our deliveries will come bright and early. Usually that's the milk truck. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Coming in before breakfast that day. We also get several other vendors that are stopping by in the mornings. Otherwise it's, they walk in, they, as Chris mentioned, turn on certain equipment, start getting things in the ovens. Usually those are prepped the day before. So it's really just starting to get everything ready for breakfast service. And then later on in the morning when additional staff members come on, that's when the prep for lunch happens that day as well. Mm-hmm <affirmative>.

Curtis Long (19:01): So we've talked about the favorites at different schools. We've learned that Milwaukee High is lucky enough to be able to toast their sandwiches. How many lunches are served each day across North Clackamas School District? For those of you that don't know, we have over 17,000 students now. Not all of them take a hot lunch, but if they did, that would be a lot. And we currently do serve quite a few hot lunches a day. What are the numbers look like Raini?

Raimi Kaan (19:22): Right now we are at about 8,500 plus Yeah. Per day for lunches and hopefully a higher number as we go on.

Curtis Long (19:29): So more than 8,500. And we're in a, a unique situation this year in that North Clack is qualified to have, every student is qualifies for lunch at no cost. And I'm sure that has upped the number of the students who are able to have hot lunch. How about breakfast? We have a lot of students eating breakfast as well. Sometimes that's their first meal of the day when they get to school.

Kris DeHut (19:49): We do have a lot of students who come in and eat breakfast. And we've seen with the new program this year with it being a no charge, we've seen a lot more kiddos come in, especially at the elementary level. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. For breakfast. Mm-hmm

Curtis Long (19:59): <affirmative>. So, and I think what people don't know is we also serve what's called supper. It's like an early dinner for a lot of our students who are at daycare programs. Tell us a little bit about that program, the supper program.

Raimi Kaan (20:08): Yes. So it, it's a few schools that qualify for the supper program, but we do a specialized menu for that program as well. The afterschool programs, so the current ones are Linwood, Ardenwald and the Oak Grove area. So four different schools have separate programs at this current moment. Yeah.

Curtis Long (20:25): And for a lot of kids, that's their main source of a nutritious meal. Right. When they get to school at the lunch and then they get one before they go home as well. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. So it's really an important thing that your department and our district is able to do. For sure. So as we start to wrap things up, Kris DeHut, NCSD, Culinary Manager and Raini Kaan, our Nutrition Department Production Manager. One thing that is very evident throughout our interview is the menus are always adapting. They're always changing. Different schools have different preferences. We've heard that you're always open to feedback. It's not as if there's a menu and we're gonna stick to that menu and it's never gonna change. It sounds like you're always open to feedback. How does that work and how do people get ahold of you? We had mentioned before they could use the website, they could use this podcast, but it sounds like you're always open to feedback.

Kris DeHut (21:08): Yeah, absolutely. So anytime that you want to write a letter, you can call nutrition services directly. You can even email. So we all have our email up. If you go to the district website and look under nutrition services, all of our phones, extensions, emails are all right there. So we're always looking for wonderful feedback and really look for ways that we can make the program continuing to move forward.

Curtis Long (21:30): One thing I always like to ask guests of the podcast, they always seem to be having the most fun of anyone on their job. Kris, for sure. I've interviewed you before and I've asked you, do you think you have the best job in the school district? And your answer has always been the same. Go ahead and tell the listeners.

Kris DeHut (21:44): I absolutely 100% have the best job in the entire district. If anybody says they have the best job, they're not no <laugh>, they come talk to me. Yeah. I get to do all the fun activities and the fun events and I get to watch kids as they wanna get to try something new. Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And say, I absolutely love that. So that's beyond any other job in the district that I can say I have the best job.

Curtis Long (22:09): And it's kind of like what we're doing today. We met Oak Grove students who had never had something like that before. And this is probably what they'll remember most about this week is the lunch lady came to school today. My goodness. The Lunch Lady was here.

Kris DeHut (22:21): The Lunch Lady Superhero.

Curtis Long (22:22): Yeah, the Lunch Lady Superhero was here. How about you Raimi? What do you love most about your job?

Raimi Kaan (22:26): I think it's exactly what Kris said. Being able to work with the community, seeing the rewards on kids' faces. Whenever I get to stop by a school and see their breakfast or lunch service, it's interacting with them and just seeing us bring a smile to their day.

Curtis Long (22:39): Oh, it's been so fascinating to hear all the behind the scenes things that happen. I think a lot of our community members think that the lunches just show up all of a sudden at school they get heated up and they're put on a tray and that's the end of 'em. But there's so much prep that goes on beforehand and afterward to make sure everything is all clean and ready to go for the next day. And that's what you two do every day. So thank you very much for everything you do for our students from kindergarten all the way up till seniors in high school. It's been a really a fun time talking with each of you. Thanks so much for your time today. Thank you

Raimi Kaan (23:07): So much for having us.

Kris DeHut (23:07): Thank you so much.

Curtis Long (23:10): Thanks for listening to The Proud To Be NCSD podcast. In North Clackamas, we know that education is a community effort and we're so thankful that you and your family are a part of our community. Until next time, remember, there are always great things to see wherever you go in NCSD.