As students rush into the lunch lines during A and B lunches, pushing and shoving to enter and exit, few ponder about how that food arrived on their plates. Yet behind the meals, treats, and drinks lies a team of thirteen dedicated members of Epicurean Food Group, a culinary company dedicated to utilizing sustainable, fresh, and local produce in their cooking.

Beginning their workday before dawn, at 5:30 a.m., Head Chef Nick distributes products and breaks down tasks, with each task being equally important. General Manager Robin Brevi orders locally grown and healthy ingredients from various purveyors, extensively planning the menu weeks in advance to minimize any errors. Yet, once in a while, due to human errors or simply unforeseen circumstances, shipments of food may be damaged, missing, or contaminated, causing the team to scramble to other sources to execute the menu to the best of their ability. As stated by Chef Nick, who has been executive chef for four months, the Epicurean Food Group is responsible for providing what is expected on the menu to the school and its students. By noon, when the first lunch concludes, the staff regroups and replenishes its stock, preparing and anticipating the second wave of students. By the end of third and seventh periods, chefs wind down the operation, cleaning their stations and preparing for the following day’s menu items. Meanwhile, Robin and Nick tally numbers, order fresh produce and plan for the next two weeks.

Though preparing a thousand meals is difficult enough, it is more challenging to develop the menu and keep students excited about their meal options. To accommodate the evolving needs and cravings of the student population, the staff sends out questionnaires to ASB and class representatives titled “What’s hot and What’s not” to gain a general idea of what students like and dislike. Furthermore, Chef Nick and others follow food trends, other chefs, and even influencers on Instagram and TikTok, attempting to create items inspired by novel cooking techniques and tastes. The chefs cook meals that are educational and designed to “let you out of your box” in terms of your eating habits and culinary behavior. Yet, comfort foods such as house-made staples pizza and pasta are always another option.  

Though there exist the occasional “unpredictable problems,” from receiving incorrect products, inadequate supplies, or from internal mishaps, the Epicurean Food Group, led by Robin and Nick, continues to serve Mitty’s faculty and student population, evolving the food to fit the needs and wants of the student population. As Chef Nick sums up, “We are here to cook food for the Mitty community, if you have an idea, don’t be shy. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know.” Regardless of the challenges they face, the thirteen members of Epicurean Food Group are committed to giving us the best gastronomic experience.