A news story on McKenzie Schools lunches picked up by wire services has generated inquiries from around the country and as far away as Japan.  Everyone wants to know why the food is so good.

FINN ROCK: It's not unusual for a small school, under 400 students, to receive national attention for their athletic achievements, outstanding teachers, high student SAT scores, or other scholastic programs. What's unusual about the recent mass media attention on McKenzie Schools is it's centered on the healthy and delicious food provided by their cafeteria. This attention is generated by Bernadette Fleischer and her crew of ladies who day after school day cook and serve meals that are not only gobbled up by students and employees at the school, but are also ordered by community members to take home to their families.

           What's so different about these cafeteria meals at the school? They are all made from scratch, an art Bernadette learned while growing up in her family owned and operated restaurant in Blue River.
           That restaurant, The Forest Glen, burned to the ground in the 1990's. Her brother, who is also a chef, went to work at the Log Cabin Inn in McKenzie Bridge and Bernadette took her catering business home and began developing her cake baking abilities. Her creations were works of art, using fresh fruit and the finest of ingredients, and often centered around the health requirements of her customers. Using her imagination, one such confectionery delight, decorated with fresh strawberries, drew such rave reviews at a going-away party for a Lane County employee, she was swamped with requests for business cards.

           When she went to work for McKenzie Schools she carried her own recipes with her into the cafeteria. Surrounding herself with an outstanding crew of kitchen help, the group began experimenting with the menu.
           The school's cafeteria stands alone from the general fund and money had to be made to provide extras for the employees. Using a combination of government foodstuffs and seeking out bargains in the marketplace, Bernadette began to develop a menu of outstanding meals. She and her crew, cooks in good standing themselves, began offering meals to go to the community, even delivering lunch orders to businesses in Blue River.

           A typical workday begins at 5 am with the creation of fresh pastries and snacks for breakfast fare. Walking into the school most mornings, the aroma of these freshly baked offerings bring smiles to the faces of faculty and students alike.
           Notably, most kids are very hard to please meal-wise, but this crew has overcome most of the finicky eaters' concerns. Being kids, they are still drawn to the fast food type of snacks and the cafeteria offers a selection of these as well. But most of the diners, adults and kids alike, are often seen cruising the counter first thing in the morning to see what homemade offerings are placed there.
           It just goes to prove, good food will overcome the most particular of appetites, and good cooks are sure to be appreciated nationwide.
 

Text reprinted by permission of the Mckenzie River Reflections  (C) 2001
Illustration by  Jeff Jackson (C) 2001