Cafeteria manager cleans plate after 58 years

NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Delores Byers (left) receives a hug from Becky Pate, an instructional assistant at Springdale High School. Byers served Pate lunch while she was a student at Lee Elementary, Central Junior High and Springdale High School.
NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Delores Byers (left) receives a hug from Becky Pate, an instructional assistant at Springdale High School. Byers served Pate lunch while she was a student at Lee Elementary, Central Junior High and Springdale High School.

She has hung up her spatula. After 58 years of feeding students in the Springdale School District, Delores Byers has retired as the food service manager at Springdale High School.

Her career didn't start so auspiciously. "A friend said they needed some help at Lee (Elementary)," Byers recalled. "I told them I didn't know anything about food service."

Her first boss was Mertha Byars, who, on Byers' first day, told her to turn on the mixer. The batter for a cake was already poured.

"They said all I had to do was turn on the switch, and the batter flew all over," Byers related. "They said they forgot to tell me it was set on high."

District officials asked her to move to the high school in 1973, and "I told them I didn't know anything about high school."

Through her career, Byers went from feeding several hundred students one meal on one line every day at lunch to feeding more than a thousand students on two lines with two meals and a wide variety of ala carte items -- and another few hundred students at breakfast.

"Just think of the thousands and thousands of students and teachers she's helped prepare meals for," said Jim Rollins, superintendent of Springdale schools. "Food is important to all of us. We realize we can't learn when we're hungry. And with 70 percent of our children living in poverty, our kids count on that nutrition."

Every generation has a different perception of how things should be, but Byers would go with their taste buds, said her daughter Peggy Haskins, who worked many years with her mother in the cafeteria. Byers' generation thought of home-cooked meals. "But families have gotten away from that," Haskins said. "She said, 'I'm glad I'm here to fill the void -- not just with food, but with a smile on my face and compassion.'"

When Byers started, one of the favorite meals was fried chicken. She recalled they didn't have to cut up the chicken but did have to mix the batter and stand over fryers.

"We used to do a whole bunch of stuff by hand, which we don't do anymore," said Jamie Conner, who has worked with Byers for 12 years. "And a lot of them were her personal recipes."

Conner recalled pie crust and filling made from scratch. But federal regulations on the nutritional value of the food served has changed that process. Byers said she's retiring because she just can't keep up with everything any more -- although she refused to reveal her age.

Today, the students' favorites include chicken strips, tacos, cheese sticks and cheese bread, queso and some Asian dishes.

"These burgers are pretty good, too," said Marquesha Davis as she ate her lunch on the last day of school.

"I eat here every day," said Emmie Anthony. She gave thumbs up to the Italian wrap and mac and cheese.

Jasen Miley, a special education teacher, mentioned the cinnamon rolls. "Springdale High School was known for its cinnamon rolls ... ," Haskins said. In fact, Byers was stopped in the Tulsa airport and a Kansas City mall by former students calling her the "Lunch Lady" and remembering the cinnamon rolls.

Byers was very meticulous and set in her ways, Conner said. "She was trained in the '50s."

"We had to follow the protocols," Haskins said. "After all, business was business, and you had to do it right."

"She knows the exact numbers for the servings," said Carol Godfrey, the district's director of child nutrition, who also is retiring this year. "And she was always ready to go with the new (regulations)."

When computers came in to automate some administrative duties, she taught herself to use them. She's very determined and accomplishes as much as possible," Haskins said.

Byers also trained several of the district's food service managers who have since retired. And as the food service staff prepared to pack up for the summer, Byers was right there to lend a hand.

But Byers was funny, too, Lesa Pennie said. "We'd get to singing back there, and she would just dance. She would dance with you any time."

"This program is her life," Godfrey said of Byers.

"The only time I have known her to miss work was four days when she was in the hospital," Conner said.

"I will miss her directness, her experience, her humor and the love she has for each of her employees," Haskins said.

But what will Byers do with her free time?

"That's a good question," she said. She said she will continue her daily walks. "It's 'just' two miles a day," Conner said.

But Conner expects her back in the kitchen at least three days a week as a substitute. Haskins said that's a very strong possibility.

"Thanks for being here. Thanks for watching us," Quaneishia Bohanon said goodbye.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Delores Byers checks on food preparation May 22, inside the kitchen at Springdale High School. Byers has retired after working 58 years in the Springdale schools' cafeterias.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Delores Byers got her start in food service at the request of a neighbor, who said Lee Elementary School needed some help.

NAN Our Town on 05/31/2018

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