National Culinary Review

Working for Lintons Managed Services, East Norriton, Pa., which does more than 20% of its business in corrections, Tom Lawrence has found job satisfaction in developing a culinary-arts vocational training program for juvenile detention centers (JDCs). He spent 25 years in the restaurant business and owned his own restaurant when the economy went downhill. He and his wife sold the restaurant, and he went to work for Lintons in 2008 as foodservice director at a JDC in Pennsylvania. Soon, the company’s Community Corrections division expanded, and he became district manager in charge of the division, serving 17 facilities.

The upside of corrections, he says, is that you know how many customers you will be serving, so you can schedule and order appropriately. Among the challenges, quality meals are expected with limited resources, including lack of equipment and diet/calorie restrictions. The facilities also are subject to strict regulations and inspections by such entities as the USDA, health department and Department of Public Welfare.

Most of the JDCs are part of the National School Lunch Program, and, therefore, are required to meet those dietary standards. The difference is that in a public school, students can forego parts of the meal and choose to purchase extra food from the a la carte lines, which is not possible in JDCs.

For the JDC vocational training, Lawrence developed classes and educational resources to train the residents in kitchen skills, with certification presented along the way in case a resident is released before completing the whole program. “We help support what the facility is doing to help steer the kids in the right direction,” Lawrence says. Additionally, the vocational training helps the JDCs meet necessary qualifications for accreditation as a school, allowing for more federal funding.

A job simply cooking for inmates in a corrections facility probably wouldn’t be any chef’s dream job, even with a contract management company, says John Covert, executive vice president for Senior Services and Corrections Services for Valley Services Inc., Jackson, Miss. He estimates that food costs per inmate in a county facility amount to 70-80 cents per meal, leaving no room for creativity. However, each facility must have an onsite foodservice director responsible for daily foodservice operations, which is a job perfect for a culinary professional. For Valley Services, that amounts to 50 county jails in Georgia alone, plus a few other facilities in other states.

dinner anyone?

Given the low government funding for foodservice in corrections, it’s no wonder that the menus are basic. But for the culinary professional working in this venue, the trade-off is the work schedule—usually, 40 hours a week.

“Anyone working in corrections has a very good possibility of doing something else on the side,” says J. Kevin O’Brien, CEC, foodservice director at the Michigan Department of Corrections Coldwater Prison Complex. “Many correctional foodservice staff have second jobs, and catering is probably the most frequent one.” Following is a sample dinner menu for two nights in the Lakeland Correctional Facility.

MONDAY Scalloped potato with ham or soy Collard greens Cornbread Whipped margarine Orange or sugar cookie Skim milk or other beverage TUESDAY Polish sausage on hot dog bun with catsup/mustard or Spinach au gratin and whole-wheat bread Simmered Western beans Steamed cabbage Whipped margarine Orange or bread pudding Skim milk or other beverage

One of the main advantages of a foodservice director job for Valley Services (and other contract management companies) is the possibility of switching to any of the other divisions within the company throughout the country—health care, business and industry, education and seniors.

Covert has observed growth in the number of self-operating county jails switching to contract management for their experience and purchasing power. “The sheriffs realize their business is to serve and protect the public, and they are not foodservice people,” he says.

JODY SHEE, AN OLATHE, KAN.-BASED FREELANCE WRITER AND EDITOR, PREVIOUSLY WAS EDITOR OF A FOODSERVICE MAGAZINE. SHE HAS 20 YEARS OF FOOD-WRITING EXPERIENCE AND WRITES THE BLOG WW W.SHEEFOOD.COM.