St. Robert School started the year fresh with a new lunch provider. Last year the lunch provider was Taher, but this year it is SFE. The kitchen is run only by one person named Tanisha. She has a great work ethic and is always providing tasty meals to the St. Robert students.

While last year multiple people split the responsibility of kitchen duty, this year only one person does. Tanisha, the one person who works in the kitchen, said, “I like it because I don’t have to bump into people and I can do my own thing.” Tanisha is capable and confident while working in the kitchen by herself. The only time Tanisha feels stressed in the kitchen while working by herself is on pizza and juicy hamburger days. These main items on the lunch menu are very popular and attract many students. On these days she wouldn’t mind some help, but otherwise she says it not very stressful because she manages her time well. 

For the past 15 years, Taher was the lunch provider for St. Robert. Mrs. Beckmann said, “It was sad to see them go, but I think there are some things about the new company that we like better.” The reason there is a new lunch provider is connected to a business decision made for the North Shore Consortium, a group that St. Robert falls under. All the schools in the consortium shares a lunch vendor. However, every five years new bids are put out for a new vendor. Last year, bids went out and SFE (Southwest Foodservice Excellence) made the best bid, so they were chosen above the former provider, Taher. This is SFE’s first time in the midwest, so they are trying to establish a foothold here by serving schools like those in the North Shore Consortium.

With the introduction of SFE into Reilly Hall, students have also been able to enjoy Tanisha’s company. Previously, Tanisha worked for Children’s Hospital, but she switched to working at St. Robert for better pay. She enjoys working at St. Robert more than Children’s because at her old job she had to work with adults, but here she works with kids. She enjoys working with kids more because she finds them fun to be around. 

 A common hot lunch eater is Helen. She thinks that the food served up by SFE is similar in taste to Taher’s meals, but she prefers the new lunch providers because they have more options to offer. She also likes Tanisha because she is very nice and helpful. On the other hand, Harry, a seventh grader, has some criticism for the new lunch program. Harry says the food can occasionally be gross due to having too much oil. Despite this, he says that when the food is good, “It makes my taste buds happy.” He also says he thinks the food has gotten better in both appearance and taste since last year. 

The new lunch provider has given St. Robert student more options on the menu and provide an overall better tasting meal for students’ growing bodies. People can look forward to great lunches in the future thanks to SFE and Tanisha.