On any given day, the central kitchen at Evanston Township High School in Illinois prepares 1,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables to roughly 3,000 students, and that’s just a side dish. This significant amount of food would fill four to five large residential refrigerator-freezers to capacity — and this doesn’t include the protein and carb that’s served alongside it.
The meals that the foodservice staff prepare daily not only serve the high school students, but also 12 neighboring elementary schools that don’t have a kitchen on site. Needless to say, an operation with such a high volume would need to run like a well-oiled machine. This is where Director of Nutrition Services Kim Minestra, SNS, comes in, along with her team of 18 foodservice workers.
“Running an operation of this size truly takes an incredible team effort and a whole lot of heart,” said Minestra, who celebrates 20 years with the school this year.
Meals by the Numbers Add Up Quickly
Each day, the staff prepares and serves approximately 300 breakfasts, 3,200 lunches, 100 adult meals for staff and faculty,150 after-school meals, 300 snacks for after-school groups, and another 300 meals for student organizations meeting outside of the café. Altogether, that’s thousands of pounds of food moving through our kitchens daily — powered by 142 hours of combined labor every single day.
“Our kitchen comes to life early. While most of the building is still quiet, our staff is already hard at work prepping fresh ingredients, baking, chopping, cooking, and organizing service lines so breakfast is ready when students walk through the doors,” Minestra said. “From there, it’s a carefully choreographed rhythm of preparation, cooking, packaging, replenishing, cleaning, and resetting to ensure every lunch period runs smoothly.”
Shelving Solutions That Keep a Busy Kitchen Organized
Behind the scenes, there’s constant coordination — managing inventory, placing orders, monitoring production schedules, ensuring food safety standards, and adjusting in real time to meet the needs of students and staff.
“I’m always looking for better ways of doing things,” Minestra said, so it’s no surprise that she enlisted the help of the Mirk Group, the local Cambro rep group. They recommended a variety of Cambro’s Camshelving products, all of which help her kitchen work smarter, not harder. All Camshelving has a lifetime guarantee against rust and corrosion, which is essential for any foodservice operation.
“The quick turnaround from Mirk Group was amazing — fast drawings, fast installation, and an awesome team to work with,” she said. “Total game changer!”
“Prior to Camshelving, we had metal shelving around the perimeter wall of the storage room. Things would get hidden and forgotten about. With Camshelving [Elements XTRA Series High Density Floor Track], we can see everything clearly,” Minestra said. “We instantly gained more space to move carts around, and my staff loves how cleanable and moveable these shelves are, unlike our old metal racks!” Composed of stationary starter units anchored to a raised floor track system, mobile units glide easily in between for easy access and space optimization.
The central kitchen is also outfitted with Camshelving Premium Series, with some units being used as holders for drying racks, designed to hold pans, trays, and other equipment, offering superior airflow.
Dead Wall Space Transformed with Elevation Wall Shelving
Another transformative project was the addition of the Camshelving Elevation Series Wall Shelving to their warewashing area. They added drying cradles to the shelves, allowing for drying and storage of cutting boards and trays. Hanging pegboards accommodate a variety of utensils, and shelves keep bowls out of the way until needed.
Minestra loved the wall shelving so much that in addition to the seven units in the central kitchen, she’s adding four units in the other cafes around campus.
Overall, Evanston Township High School has 100 units combined of Camshelving Elements XTRA Series High Density Floor Track, Premium Series shelving, and Elevation Series Wall Shelving.
“I love being organized — and Cambro’s shelving makes it so easy!” Minestra said.
Author: Cynthia Connally is the Digital Communications Manager at Cambro.
