Behind the line

EPHRATA — By 10:45 a.m., the kitchen at Grant Elementary is already busy. Trays clatter, ovens hum and the first-graders begin filing through the lunch line. From that moment on, the pace barely slows. 

“It doesn’t stop,” cook Cynthia Berrett said. “We start with first grade, go to seventh, then fourth, third, kinder… and then get a moment.” 

Grant Elementary’s kitchen is the smallest in the district, but it serves some of the highest meal counts – about 370 breakfasts and roughly the same number of lunches every day, according to Food Service Director Alain Black.  

The team pushes hundreds of students through the line in minutes, all while working out of what Berrett affectionately calls “our closet.” 

“We just do it,” she said. “Every single day.” 

More than meals 

For Berrett and Black, the work is far more than efficiency; it’s about connections. 

“We love it because of the love they give us,” Berrett said. “We get to give it back. There are smiles on their faces every single day.” 

Some students offer daily encouragement. 

One young boy became their unofficial cheerleader, celebrating the menu each morning.  

Others return to share their discoveries – like the student who fell in love with “sweet broccoli,” Berrett’s steamed broccoli with cheese. 

“He would come back every day saying, ‘I love your sweet broccoli,’” she said. “He would have never tried it any other time.” 

Introducing new foods 

Grant Elementary’s menu runs on a six‑week cycle, balancing “fan favorites” with new foods the team hopes students will try.  

Every day includes two hot entrées, one cold option, and a full range of fruits and vegetables — from canned to fresh to hot veggies designed to stretch students’ palates. 

“Introducing them to things they normally wouldn’t see is huge,” Black said. “There’s always a fallback they’ll like, but we want them to try new foods.” 

Creativity helps. Confetti pancakes become “party pancakes.” Pancake bites with sausage are “moon rocks.” And an upcoming breakfast will feature “galaxy pancakes.” 

“The kids get so excited,” Black said. “Sometimes it’s just changing the name.” 

What kids like the most 

If there’s one universal truth in the Grant Elementary kitchen, it’s this: kids love cheese. 

“A lot of the creativity is obviously like putting the cheese with the broccoli, putting the cheese with the green beans, adding the things that we know the kids love,” Berrett said. “Kids like cheese and garlic. We use those a lot.”  

Pizza is another favorite. Students routinely tell the staff it’s the best in the district, and one teacher recently agreed. 

“We have two people who work in pizza places in town who work here,” Black said. “So, the best pizza is here.” 

Breakfast after the bell 

The school participates in the state‑required Breakfast After the Bell program, serving meals directly in classrooms. It’s made a noticeable difference. 

“They’ve noticed the kids are more engaged in their learning and happier,” Berrett said. “We’re very much supporters of it.” 

Black said the model consistently produces the highest breakfast participation because students eat together with their peers. 

A 15‑minute flip 

Because the cafeteria doubles as the gym, the space transforms multiple times a day. 

“Our sweet PE teacher loves us,” Black said. “The custodian flips it in about 15 minutes. Everything here is fast.” 

Students get about 20 minutes to eat once they’ve gone through the line, with recess scheduled before lunch as required by the state. 

Five years of feeding Ephrata’s kids  

Berrett, who has worked in the district for nearly five years, first joined food service when her own children were in school. Now, she and Black — along with their small but mighty team — keep hundreds of students fed, supported and smiling. 

For many children, the meals they serve are essential. 

“Food is so important to a lot of these kids,” Black said. “This is an important part of their day. We get to see them at a moment that really matters.” 

And even if their work happens behind the scenes, the impact is unmistakable. 

“This is the smallest kitchen,” Black said, “but the most meals.”

    After grabbing their fruit or veggie of choice, students choose either chocolate or regular milk to have with their lunch.
  

    A student checks out his lunch Tuesday afternoon at Grant Elementary. Grant serves the most students in Ephrata School District, from the smallest kitchen, according to Food Service Director Alain Black.
  

    Lincoln, a kindergartner at Grant Elementary, celebrates his birthday with a walking taco Tuesday.
  

    Students get sauces and toppings for their walking tacos Tuesday at Grant Elementary.
  

    One student raises his hand patiently during lunch Tuesday at Grant Elementary School.
  

    Grant Elementary Cooks Cynthia Berrett, right, and Shelley Fairchild, left, laugh and talk with one another as they wait for the next rush of students Tuesday during lunch service.