Claire Bailey, nutrition director at Montello Elementary, has been in Lewiston school kitchens for 28-plus years.

After a summer’s rest, she’s back, ready to ladle and take names.

“It gives you a really good feeling, like you’re feeding your own children,” she said.

Name: Claire Bailey

Lives: Poland

What’s an average day on the job have you doing? I supervise a staff of seven fabulous employees. My day begins at 7 a.m. and ends at 3  p.m. I record temperatures of all refrigeration, order product and receive product in daily. We serve 400 to 450 breakfasts every day. I record all money brought in by the students and staff into their appropriate accounts. I prepare production records and salad bar menus for the day and we provide every student with a fresh fruit or fresh vegetable snack each and every day. We also provide snack milk to students who purchase it. I keep all class lists and rosters up to date and accurate.

We serve 600 to 650 lunches daily with three or four different entrees and a full fruit and vegetable bar. I have a strict policy in our kitchen, nothing goes out unless it has been tasted, and we do not serve anything to our students that we would not serve to our own children at home. I document all amounts of food used and left over on production records. A final cleanup of the kitchen is then done and by the time everyone leaves the kitchen is shiny and clean to start all over again the next day. I also provide nutrition training to our students.

I hear you’re very good at remembering all the students’ names. How do you do it? We have a point of service system that requires every student to put in an ID number on a key pad. This brings up the name of the student on the register in front of me. I make it a point to say, “Thank you,” and then say their name. After a while you get to know every student by name and they are amazed when you see them in the hallways or even at the grocery store and say hello to them and call them by their name. Sometimes they will ask me how do you know my name? I tell them things like, “Well, you are the prettiest or most handsome student in our school.” These kinds of things create a special relationship with the students.

Kids and vegetables: What’s your strategy? Most children do not like cooked vegetables. The secret is to make it look appealing. Children make choices that appeal to their senses of smell and sight. They tend to take more broccoli if it is fresh and crisp looking than if it is limp or overcooked.

Two foods that you think more adults should give a second try: Adults tend to eat the same things over and over again. It is very important to select a variety and mix things up a bit. Select darker greens for your salads and make sure you get a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables every day. As we get older, we need more fiber to keep things moving through our system.

Cookbook or cooking website you’d recommend to a friend: Honestly, I am not a cookbook fan, although my husband loves cookbooks and has about 30 of them.

Highlight of your summer: Spending time with my family. I have seven grandsons, ages 4 through 20. I absolutely love spending time with them playing games and just being a kid again myself. It brings me back to reality and makes me realize how truly blessed I am. I also attended the National Education Association Representative Assembly in Atlanta, Georgia, as one of the NEA directors representing the state of Maine. There were 10,000 members there and it was a very positive and uplifting experience. Being around so many educators who have the best interests of our students at heart is just amazing.

Looking forward to most this fall: Just seeing the children come into school the first day. It is so wonderful to see the excitement and smiles on their faces. We want to keep that feeling going through them all school year long.

“Lunch lady”: Term of endearment or phrase you’d like to see retired? I am very proud to be called “Lunch Lady.” I even introduce myself to parents of students that I see out and about as their “Lunch Lady.”

Best compliment a student has ever paid you: The best compliment I have ever received is that we are the best cooks in the whole world, even better than their mothers. Feeding the children that will become the future leaders of the state of Maine is one of the most rewarding experiences in my life.

kskelton@sunjournal.com