Northeast Area THANK YOU to ALL School Lunch Heroes
CHAPTERS
CHAPTERS
South Area THE value of Together
CLINTON
FRANKLIN
SAINT LAWRENCE
SUFFOLK
SOUTH AREA
JEFFERSON
ESSEX
NASSAU
LEWIS
NORTHEAST AREA
BY NAIM WALCOTT SOUTH AREA DIRECTOR
BY NICOLE GRANDJEAN, NORTHEAST AREA DIRECTOR
I know many of us are more than likely pretty tired of the virtual meetings, emails and presentations. Perhaps it’s just me but now in May of 2021, it still feels like the sands are shifting. We started this year with the uncertainty of the waiver guidance going into the fall of SY20-21. Our program began in NSLP, then SSO and finally SFSP. I believe there is some universality to all our experiences whether from the partial to then full district openings, students and staff quarantines and the fact many of our programs now resemble Door Dash & Grub hub. We could also include that Zoom and Google Meets have become pervasive tools for peer collaboration. One conclusion I’ve observed is in less than a year, my entire way of doing business has changed. Managing people, claiming meals, serving students, menu options and conducting meetings with peers are all dynamically done differently. Maybe that’s you as well. NYSNA as a whole has shifted as well. Even this digital publication did not exist a year ago. Online collaboration has become part of our new normal. Going forward the new phrase of the “Hybrid Model” keeps emerging with both online and traditional ways of doing business. The natural world exemplifies what we can accomplish together. (I promise I won’t geek out on a wolf pack or wildebeest herd story) The business world does this as well. Working together we have the ability not only to insulate our programs but also keep them fiscally viable departments within our educational ecosystems. A new series of questions can be asked pertaining to what does any of this look like for programs like ours? Front line staffs remain essential; there are no humanoid robots to serve our children yet. What are we doing about POS systems, reliable distribution chains, food production that is both reliable and local to our areas? Where is the state leaning on claims, waivers and grants etc? The point I am simply bringing to a close here is things are continuing to evolve rapidly. It has been pretty easy to get lost or even swallowed. However together we stand a much better chance. The story of the Japanese bamboo forests during earthquakes comes to mind. It was said that the bamboo forest was the safest place to be because of how intertwined their root systems are. Being a part of the NYSNA organization
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I would l ike to take this opportunity to thank each and every School Food Service worker. Whether you are in a school setting or industry. This year has been unprecedented and yet you ALL rocked it. I have never been more proud to be in the school food service industry. We kept our kids fed when odds were not on our side. We brainstormed, we adapted, we fed our kids. You all are heroes in my eyes. So again THANK YOU for all you do today and every day! You should be proud.
We kept our kids fed when odds were not on our side.
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and allows us to share our strengths (roots) and protect, educate, encourage, inform, manage and most importantly in these times Adapt. Now it is great to be someone enjoying the content, but frommy experience it’s even better to get involved. As you go through our delicious “Fresh Bites”, I want to encourage you to jump in, share your strengths & join our wolf pack. (Sorry I couldn’t help myself. It was that or Stampede) Sincerely, Naim Walcott
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
Being a part of the NYSNA organization and allows us to share our strengths (roots) and protect, educate, encourage, inform, manage and most importantly in these times Adapt.
- Christopher Reeve
NaimWalcott is the Food Service Director for the Westhampton Beach UFSD in Westhampton Beach, NY. He has been in the foodservice industry for over 20 years. The last decade of which has been in school nutrition management and service programs. He currently serves on the Long Island School Nutrition Directors Association and LI Food Purchasing COOP. Some of his professional history includes banking as well as polysomnography. With a diverse background in service, Naim focuses on improving the food quality and the student’s experience from service to bite. He also does woodwork and hikes, citing Breakneck Ridge in Coldsprings, NY as one of his favorite trails. NaimWalcott • South Area Director
Nicole Grandjean is a food service director for St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES. She was born and raised on the Tug Hill Plateau. After college Nicole worked in a long-term care facility as a dietetic technician. She then decided to take a job as a school food service director closer to her hometown. She has been in school food service for almost 8 years and has loved every moment of her journey! NICOLE GRANDJEAN • Northeast Area Director
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FreshBites
SUMMER 2021
FreshBites
SUMMER 2021
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