What seven people in your school want you to know about the new school year

Dear Students,

I work in the school kitchen and I’m looking forward to a new year! Here are some things you might not know about your school kitchen staff.

When we make the food, we want everyone to like it. Obviously, everyone is coming from different homes and used to different kinds of food and cooking styles, so it’s inevitable that some kids won’t love the food. But we do our best. Remember, no cook is ever making food they want kids not to enjoy! Maybe if you knew how much we wanted you to like the food, it would help you have a better attitude.

I’m going to share a personal story with you. Due to a medical condition I have, I can’t eat any food at all. I get “food” directly into my body through an IV inserted in my vein. Appreciate that you can eat! Enjoy the taste of the food.

Since I can no longer enjoy the food I prepare, I work with food only as a mitzvah. It’s a chesed to prepare food other people can enjoy, to help them get strong and healthy.

Only Bnei Yisrael can take something physical, like food, and turn it into ruchniyus. When you thank Hashem that you can eat and when you make a brachah, you’re making ordinary food into something kadosh.

Once, my father-in-law had to go to the hospital on Simchas Torah. Baruch Hashem he was fine, but I found myself stuck in the hospital in the middle of the night over Yom Tov. There was a chesed organization there preparing big meals for everyone, and I offered to help them.

One of the patients there was a 13-year-old boy with cancer. I asked if I could get him anything. The boy said he really wanted schnitzel and french fries. I managed to find a piece of chicken breast in the fridge and made him the schnitzel. Another volunteer got him fries.

Later that day, I heard that the boy’s mother was looking for me. When I found her, she started crying. She told me her son had been niftar. She wanted to thank me that she had been able to give her son the last thing he had asked for. It’s an amazing thought that with a simple piece of chicken, we can make people happy and give them so much.

Wishing you a nourishing year in ruchniyus and gashmiyus.

Moshe Landesman,

School Cook