and adult and community perceptions play into every decision I make during menu planning. Q. What do you wish more suppliers understood about your job? A. The food industry has really stepped up to support Child Nutrition Directors by creating products that taste good and help us meet the federal meal pattern. With the many changes in school food over the last several years, there has been a learning curve for every aspect of the supply chain. Taste, food cost, and nutrition parameters (like sodium and saturated fat levels and meal pattern crediting) are at the front of our minds when we learn about new products. Consistent product supply is also very important. Additionally, more student and parent customers are taking an interest about how their food is grown, raised and processed. Suppliers can help Child Nutrition Directors meet their customers’ demands by offering products with “clean” labels and made with wholesome ingredients. Q. What would make your job easier? A. Unfortunately, more hours in the day is not something I can add to the “food order.” So, I’d say that my job could be made easier if suppliers kept up with the latest nutrition standards and offered examples and menu ideas about how their products can fit the meal pattern in a cost-effective way. I think many suppliers are already starting to do this. Q. Finally, what’s your favorite thing to cook at home? A. Cheesy Jalapeno Yellow Squash Cornbread baked off in a cast iron skillet. Its a dressed-up boxed cornbread mix with a healthy twist. It’s a hit at potlucks and I adapted it for the district lunch menu, too. Q. What made you decide to work in K-12 food service? A. I’m an undercover food activist. Every day I get to serve students meals, often including local ingredients, that align with my values and beliefs about food. Our Child Nutrition Program creates an environment of health and good nutrition by serving healthy meals, promoting positive nutrition messages, and teaching kids where their food comes from. Our lunchrooms are learning environments, just like the classroom; so when our students grow to adulthood they will carry this food knowledge with them and be more likely to make food choices that are good for their bodies, the environment, and their community. Though they may not know it, the meals we serve daily teach students what a balanced and healthy plate (or tray) looks like. Q. What is one of the most challenging obstacles you’ve had to overcome on the job? A. Balancing the many factors that affect our menus. Nutrition regulations, industry trends, food costs, USDA commodity foods, complexity of preparation, staff skill, kitchen equipment capability, seasonality of ingredients, childhood feeding philosophy, student taste preferences, 13 Five key questions we served up to Ally Mrachek, Director of Child Nutrition, Fayetteville Public Schools. 5 Questions with a Pro What’s on the Line? “Our lunchrooms are learning environments, just like the classroom.”