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It’s 7:30 on a snowy Monday morning, but the Upper School Dining Room and Breck’s kitchen are abuzz with activity. Upper School
students come in to grab pieces of fresh fruit and bowls of cereal for breakfast, some staying at the tables to work on homework before school.
In one corner, kitchen staff are preparing the salad dressings and other staples they’ll need for the week ahead. Dishes are already starting to pile up, and other staff work to get them cleared and cleaned. One of the dining tables is being used as a staging area where a cook prepares baking sheets for the oven-baked chicken patties they’ll be serving at lunchtime. On another, a catering tray is being put together for delivery to the Boardroom for a meeting. Sandy Stefl-Reese, the head cook, is boiling potatoes to be mashed before lunch. Most of the week’s deliveries have already arrived and been logged, as some of the staff begin their days at 6:00
In the middle of it all is Bob Miles, now in his twelfth year as Breck’s director of food services: a smiling, energetic, professional and seemingly unflappable presence.
Officially an employee of Chartwells, a division of the Compass Group, the world’s largest food service provider and based in the United Kingdom, Miles is devoted to his staff
(“We’re like a family”), Breck faculty (“They keep my life interesting!”) and, above all, the students. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for these kids,” he says.
Breck uses a six-week rotation for its menus, and Miles polls students in each division every year to keep track of likes and dislikes. Among the most popular entrees are anything the kids can build themselves: baked potatoes, tacos, fajitas and paella. But nothing can top the all-time student favorite grilled cheese sandwiches.
They’re not Miles’ personal favorite, perhaps because making them is an all-week affair. “We make 3,500 grilled cheese sandwiches every time they’re on the menu,” he explains. “It takes a full week to prepare them.”
Miles keeps abreast of trends in foods and nutrition, following the government’s My Plate (which replaced the old food pyramid) recommendations and adapting recipes to be healthier, fresher and more wholesome. “We never serve
something breaded, like chicken nuggets, without a non-breaded alternative like grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast,” he explains.
“And I really believe that on balance our kids are making good choices. Not everything they put on their plate is going to be perfect every day, but, on balance, I think parents would be surprised about how well their students eat while they’re at school.”
Over his time at Breck, Miles has seen fresh fruit consumption grow steadily. “You’d be amazed at how much produce we go through!” he laughs. Menu choices have lightened up — wraps replacing sandwiches, for example—and flavors have become more sophisticated. The cooks now prepare fresh pico de gallo to accompany Mexican entrees, for example, and salads with bean blends, local farm products, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are increasingly popular with students and teachers alike.
up with an idea for a menu or ask Bob if he can make some new recipe I’ve found he always says, ‘We can do that!’”
Second grade teacher Ty Thayer appreciates the enthusiasm as well. “I am constantly amazed by Bob Miles and his crew in Food Services,” he observes. “They feed people in three different lunch rooms in a fairly short amount of time, arrange special events, prepare food for our class parties and always remain so cheerful!
The staff in the Lower School lunch room are very aware of my students with allergies, and are an important part of ensuring that everyone has a safe lunch— even me!”
For his part, Miles says it’s truly a labor of love. “I always wake up wanting to go to work,” he smiles. “Breck has really embraced me as a part of the community, and I couldn’t be happier to be here.” JF
He’s always happy to work with families of students with food allergies, which Miles says makes him feel really good. But nothing energizes him more than the occasional curve ball that gets thrown his way. The morning we talked, he was working on some selections for a classroom whose teacher had emailed him to say, “We’re taking a virtual class trip to Russia later this week. Can you come up with a menu?”
“I love my job because it’s never the same from day to day,” Miles says. “Where else could I make sure 1,200 people are fed every day, do catering and special events and feel like I’m part of an amazing community?”
Catering is another area in which Miles has seen huge growth over his time at Breck. From banquets for sports teams to lunches at Anderson Ice Arena to special menus for groups of parent and alumni volunteers, Breck Food Services provides a cost-effective and flexible alternative to bringing in restaurant food.
Observes Director of Annual Giving Gay Gonnerman, “Bob and his team provide a lot of support to the Annual Fund program every year by helping me feed our volunteers — which is an important way to thank them for the work they do on behalf of the school. One thing I enjoy is that if I come
one of food Services’ most often-requested recipes, this one is adapted from several sources.
Winter Salad
Serves about 12
Dressing:
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs honey
1/8 tsp salt
Salad:
1 medium ripe pear, diced
1 medium Braeburn apple, diced
8 cups torn mixed organic baby salad greens
1/3 cup chopped nuts (cashews or toasted walnuts)
1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1/3 cup craisins
combine salad and dressing. Serve at room temperature.
Food Service Director Bob Miles
