Spotlight on Dining Hall Staff

A DAY IN THE LIFE: DINING HALL STAFF

photos by Wally Porter '76

It is a pleasure to watch the staff of St. Martin’s dining hall at work, akin to watching a synchronized dance. Whether chopping vegetables, assembling sandwiches, stirring pots of red beans, or baking cookies and desserts, the dining hall staff works together seamlessly. It is a monumental task to feed hundreds of St. Martin’s students and faculty on a daily basis, yet this experienced, hard-working team makes it look effortless.

photos by Wally Porter '76

photo by Wally Porter '76

Their skillful work produces memorable results. Few St. Martin’s students forget the first time they ate in the Dining Hall. With its variety of delicious food and a welcoming, comfortable setting, Saints Hall is conducive to conversation and fellowship. It is not your average school cafeteria, and the people who make it all happen are not average either.

Photo by Wally Porter '76

The team is led by Chef Joe LeCoq, St. Martin’s director of food services. He and his staff take great pride in creating enticing dishes which encourage students to make healthy choices regarding the food they eat.

“We’re always trying to impress students and parents,” said LeCoq. “We get a lot of feedback, and it feels great when we hear how much students love the food. We work hard to cook meals that are nutritious and that students will like.”

Photo by Molly Rivas, 8th Grade

Each meal features a variety of choices. Lunch offerings include a fresh salad bar, homemade soup, a sandwich bar, and a hot entrée, with vegetarian options provided every day. Breakfast is available to Upper School students, with eggs, grits, bacon, and biscuit sandwiches among the offerings.

Dining hall staff members’ interactions with students are marked by caring and compassion, and students enjoy talking with the food service staff. Those relationships are fostered by the staff’s long tenure—the department has nearly 100 years of combined service to StM.

“We have a great staff and not a lot of turnover, which is rare for the foodservice industry,” said LeCoq. “Many of us have been here for 10 years, some even 20 years. That helps because we get to know the students as they grow up. It’s a really special place.”

WHAT IT TAKES TO FEED THE SAINTS

6:00 A.M. Dining Hall staff arrives and fires up the ovens and grills

6:45 A.M. Makes coffee6:50 A.M. Begins making breakfast

10:10 A.M. Serves Upper School (and some faculty/staff) breakfast

10:30 A.M. Delivers food to teachers in George Cottage

10:45 A.M. Begins quick turnaround to set up lunch for Middle School

11:30 A.M. Serves lunch to Middle School students and faculty

12:00 P.M. Serve lunch to Lower School students and faculty

1:10 P.M. Serves lunch to Upper School students and faculty

2:00 P.M. Begins clean-up and prep for the next day

Photo by Molly Rivas, 8th Grade

BY THE NUMBERS

30,000 Cookies baked in a school year

900 Pounds of red beans cooked in a school year

200+ Number of catering requests fulfilled by food services staff each school year

99.75 Combined years of service to StM by current food services staff

7 Gallons of coffee brewed each day

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

In 1950, St. Martin’s Episcopal School purchased Green Acres, the Eddy family estate, which became the current site of the campus. Green Acres housed show horses, and a blacksmith and horse trainer lived on the land when the school acquired the property. One of the barns was remodeled in 1950 to be used as the cafeteria. The Barn, as it was affectionately known, served in that capacity until 2000. Situated in the heart of campus, the new dining hall, Saints Hall, has been a hub of campus activity since it opened in 2001.