At 6 a.m. on a Monday morning in January, while the doors of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School are still locked and the sun still snoozing, one area of the school is already buzzing with energy: the cafeteria.
At 6 a.m. on a Monday morning in January, while the doors of the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School are still locked and the sun still snoozing, one area of the school is already buzzing with energy: the cafeteria.
The cafeteria crew is small but mighty, arriving before dawn each day and getting down to business, prepping the kitchen in order to serve both breakfast and lunch to about 650 students and staff members each day.
The crew usually includes six workers, but on this day is down to five as one member of the team is home sick. This doesn’t create any panic or anxiety, though. It’s business as usual for the staff, who all have many years of varying experience in the food industry.
The menu for the day includes chicken Alfredo, garlic bread and steamed broccoli for the main hot meal. But it’s the everyday staples that need to be prepared first.
Marc Brasefield, Marlucia Boulet, Janet Tolentino, Lorraine Picard and Marcia Lima.
Marc Brasefield, Marlucia Boulet, Janet Tolentino, Lorraine Picard and Marcia Lima.
Marlucia Boulet begins chopping and washing lettuce for the Caesar salads that are served every day. Janet Tolentino chops peppers, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers for the salad bar that is also an option available daily. The quinoa salad and a caprese salad are always crowd pleasers.
Ms. Tolentino runs ham and cheese through the slicers and then Marcia Lima begins assembling the ham and cheese wraps. Ms. Lima assembles power packs, containing homemade hummus, pretzels, cheddar cheese, carrots and pita bread.
Lorraine Picard oversees the 42 bagels that will be served for the breakfast rush.
Bouncing between stations is food services manager Marc Brasefield, taking inventory and helping wherever needed.
“I try to set people up for success, whether that’s bringing the pasta to the kitchen or other ingredients out,” he says. “It’s a great staff. Everyone knows what they need to do.”
Lorraine Picard adds Alfredo sauce to the pasta.
Lorraine Picard adds Alfredo sauce to the pasta.
Mr. Brasefield has worked in the food industry for 35 years. He moved to the Island from Connecticut in 2001 to work at The Black Dog Tavern. In 2017, he switched gears and took a job as a custodian at the Edgartown School, before finding his way to the high school cafeteria. He took over the top cafeteria job in 2021, and said he takes pride in expanding the menu and assembling an experienced staff who work seamlessly together.
Additional daily food options include gluten free, vegetarian and alpha-gal friendly choices.
“I want to make sure everyone eats,” he says.
Breakfast and lunch are offered to all students for free, thanks to the school’s participation in Community Eligible Provision (CEP), a federal program that helps qualifying schools offer free student meals.
The students start arriving for breakfast at 7:15 a.m. Some grab the bagels and cream cheese and others seek out boxes of cereal or apples. Ms. Tolentino works the computer for inventory purposes as students input their ID numbers.
Marlucia Boulet makes the salads.
Marlucia Boulet makes the salads.
This is Ms. Tolentino’s third year at the high school cafeteria. She and Ms. Picard moved over from Atria, a fine-dining restaurant in Edgartown. Ms. Picard was the pastry chef at Atria, known for her croissants.
Ms. Picard and Mr. Brasefield are in charge of the hot meal everyday.
“I love learning something new and cooking different things,” Ms. Picard says as she pours milk, heavy cream and cheese into a giant kettle for the Alfredo sauce. The secret is to add some cornstarch to avoid clumps, she says. Twelve trays of cooked pasta mixed with marinated chicken are arranged next to her.
Preparations continue as the first class bell rings at 7:45 a.m. and the main lunch rush looms just a few hours away.
Ms. Lima spreads garlic butter and a sprinkle of oregano on the bread — garlic bread is a student favorite. Ms. Tolentino oversees the playlist, providing a soundtrack to go with the sound of knives chopping and trays clanging. And Ms. Boulet finishes assembling around 70 Caesar salads, some with chicken and some without. She then sanitizes her work station before spreading sunflower seed butter and jelly onto bread for 50 sandwiches.
Marc Brasefield gets the garlic bread ready.
Marc Brasefield gets the garlic bread ready.
Ms. Boulet has been working at the high school for about a year, but has over 30 years experience in food service. She adds bits of chicken to each individual salad along with a scattering of croutons.
“We try to do a good job for the kids,” she says. “I like working here very much. [Marc] is good. Very human. I always say, I don’t care about how hard the work is, I care about the people I work with.”
While continuing to create today’s lunch, preparations are also underway for the next day’s meals. Ciabatta is sorted and tomatoes are sliced for a planned caprese sandwich on Tuesday.
When the bell rings for the first lunch period, the hungry students rush in. The conversations between the cafeteria staff and students are casual and friendly, catching up in the short amount of time available while moving through the line.
Junior Maple Martone weighs in on Monday’s lunch.
Digging in.
Digging in.
“The Alfredo is one of my favorites,” she says. “The garlic bread is a little too crispy for me, but that’s okay.”
Another favorite among Maple and her friends is the pizza.
“It’s so thick,” she says. “I like taking the crust and dipping it in ranch.”
Junior Abby Geary says she is happy there are numerous options each day.
“The salad bar is good,” she says. “Normally when I don’t like the lunch, I do the salad.”
Teachers also arrive to grab their meals, greeting the staff with enthusiasm.
“Our food here is incredible,” physical education teacher T.J. Reap says. “These guys do amazing work. This is more of a dining hall than a cafeteria.”
Once all the students are fed and the last lunch bell rings, the staff enjoys a moment of rest and time to eat their own lunch.
Then the clean-up begins, but since the kitchen functions on a “clean as you go” mentality the process moves quickly. Salad bar toppings are stored into bags — they have a shelf life of two days — and counters are wiped down and dishes run through the dishwasher.
Ms. Picard and Mr. Brasefield also begin assembling breakfast sandwiches that will be served for breakfast the next morning.
“It’s better to stay ahead,” Mr. Brasefield says, placing American cheese slices on top of biscuits. “If you can get the prep done, you’re in a good spot.”
By 1:30 p.m., most of the kitchen is spotless as the staff wraps up final preparations. Mr. Brasefield looks around with pride as another successful day is completed.
“This is my baby,” he says. “I want to make sure everyone gets taken care of.”
Tomorrow, before the sun rises, when the school hallways are still quiet, they will wake up and do it all again.
Comments
This team is so amazing -
Guinevere Cramer Oak BluffsThis team is so amazing - they work so hard to keep us fed and happy! I definitely have my favs! A big thanks to Marc & the crew!
Great piece all around. I’ve
Tom Engley West TisburyGreat piece all around. I’ve known Marc since 2001 at the Black Dog. He’s a great guy. Good work.
Wow!! That is good victuals.
Lorraine EdgartownWow!! That is good victuals. I might invite myself for lunch some day, as a tax paying citizen I would be delighted to have lunch at the school.
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