Jacquelyn "GG" Flowers Manager | Calhoun Preparatory Academy, Anniston City Schools, Anniston, Alabama
Jacquelyn Flowers didn't plan on a career in school foodservice. It was her sister, already working in the district, who opened that door. Sixteen years later, she has become one of the most beloved figures in Anniston City Schools – not just for what she puts on the tray, but for how she shows up, day after day, for the youngest students in the district.
After twelve years as an assistant, Flowers stepped into the manager role at the district's pre-K and kindergarten preparatory academy, where she and her team of three serve approximately 225 students every day. At an age when most kids are still learning the world, the cafeteria is often the first place they discover what it means to be cared for outside of home. Flowers takes that seriously.
She and her team scratch-cook three to five days a week, building menus around what young palates actually enjoy. Chicken nuggets and hot dogs are reliable crowd-pleasers, but Flowers has a quiet gift for making new foods approachable. She'll present dishes in creative ways without revealing what's inside until after the kids have already decided they love it. "See, you do like carrots," she'll say. General Mills waffles are a consistent breakfast hit, and cereal is a daily fixture. "I don't see a day without General Mills, really," says CNP Director Anita Suttle. "At some point, there's always going to be a General Mills item."
Flowers brings that same creativity to the cafeteria environment. Every holiday is a full production: the team dresses in matching themed outfits, the dining room is decorated inside and out, and at Christmas, a mailbox on each end of the room lets students drop their letters to Santa. For Halloween, a special treat might appear tucked alongside the tray. In a building full of four- and five-year-olds, these details land in a big way.
The story that best captures who she is began with a single little boy who called her "GG." She accepted the name without hesitation, and before long, every child in the building followed. They don't look for a cafeteria manager when she walks through the room. They look for GG. And she shows up not just in the cafeteria, but at school programs, church events, community performances, and graduations. When a parent can't make it, GG often does. She makes sure no child walks away feeling like they received less than everyone else.
Her leadership inside the kitchen follows the same philosophy. "If I'm not going to do it, then I'm not going to ask you to do it," Flowers says. That example extended far beyond her own school when the district was audited, and Flowers took it upon herself to help mentor new managers, supporting them through the paperwork and additional requirements. "I know if I can do it, you can do it," she told them.
For anyone considering a path in K-12 foodservice, her advice is direct: love the little ones, have patience, listen, work together, and know how to cook. "They will tell you if the food's not good," she adds with a laugh.
Jacquelyn Flowers has been feeding children in Anniston for sixteen years. But what she's really been doing is showing up, in every sense of the word, for a community of kids at Calhoun Preparatory Academy who know she's in their corner.