Local

Not your ordinary cafeteria

John Patterson | Bishop O’Connell Student Correspondent

Bishop O’Connell chef Tony Dean hands food to seniors Darci Bevan and Leah Callahan.

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Everybody eats. So although the school day at Bishop
O’Connell High School in Arlington revolves around academics,
the cafeteria is often the hub of activitiy.

At the heart of the O’Connell cafeteria is chef Tony Dean,
who has served the school community for the past eight years.
Each week, he creates custom menus focused on locally sourced
ingredients to please the palates of 1,200 teenagers and more
than 150 staff members at O’Connell. Everything he and his
staff serve is made from scratch.

Every school day, when many students are just waking up, Dean
arrives at O’Connell to begin preparing the day’s meals. By
6:30 a.m. the kitchen is humming with activity as breakfast
items take shape and the prep work for lunch begins. Early
bird students are greeted by a wide-awake kitchen offering
fresh-cracked egg and sausage sandwiches, pancakes, crepes,
muffins and sometimes even breakfast burritos.

Once the morning bell rings, the serving lines close and the
lunch menu becomes the focus. The daily choices include a
meat or fish entree – one day it might be grilled salmon with
a fruit salsa, and another day it may be herb roasted
chicken, both served with an assortment of vegetables.
Notable highlights from a teenager’s perspective include
homemade staples that appear alongside traditional offerings.
Top on students’ lists might be stuffed shells, pizza,
chicken wings or yogurt parfaits. On any given “wing day,”
students have been known to consume as much as 480 pounds of
Tony’s Famous Grilled Chicken Wings.

It’s a team effort, according to Dean. “Our staff works hard
to put out a good product every day, and the kids respond
favorably.”

Student reviews reinforce the claim. “Their pizza has a crisp
but soft crust with a great blend of cheeses,” said O’Connell
student Marty Knauf. “One of my favorites is their mac and
cheese pizza, which is served rarely. It’s a must-have.”

Beyond what is served on the plate, there is a special
relationship between students and cafeteria staff. Many
students experience their first O’Connell lunch during
“shadow days” as eighth-graders. Now some of these students
are seniors, and the cafeteria staff has been an important
part of the past four years.

“It’s like an extended family,” said Dean, often referred to
as Chef Tony. “I do what I do for them because they treat me
with respect and I treat them with respect also.”

“Everyone is so friendly and open,” said sophomore Catherine
Nguyen. “I really appreciate what they do.”

The cafeteria staff ends the day as satisfied as its
customers. The recipe for the day’s success is a pinch of
culinary magic and a lot of caring.

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