Heather Ehlke

Since beginning her career in school nutrition in 1996 as a lead cook, Heather has seen her fair share of changes along the way. She has rolled through them all with a positive outlook and winning attitude, an approach that's helped carry her through the bumps in the road through today. “There are going to be joyful times and hard times,” she says. “You just have to stick in there.”

One of those major transitions came in 2020 when the Maple River School District passed a referendum to consolidate their four smaller schools into one building. With the consolidation, Heather was faced with the challenge of a using just a single cafeteria facility to serve all her students. Though chaotic at times, Heather quickly figured out how to manage the varying ages of the district’s students and created a functional system during the two-hour feeding period. Her efforts have ensured students have a positive dining experience, regardless of their age. Jen Strehlo, a lead cook on Heather’s team says how, “She always has a positive attitude with the motivation to keep pushing through each day and making a difference.”

This diversity of age groups also poses unique challenges in providing meal programs that meet different nutritional requirements. Heather emphasizes the importance of staying focused, communicating with staff, and educating them on various meal programs to ensure every student receives the nutrients they need to learn and grow.

After navigating such an epic organizational shift, Heather undertook yet another unique project to boost student participation. By shifting to offer restaurant-like experiences, she introduced innovative ideas to the cafeteria based on popular fast-casual chains. On top of that, she began offering bento boxes. These choices helped overcome pickiness among students, making it easier for them to choose healthier options.

Heather also created a choose-your-own-ingredients bar like those popularized by Chipotle. As if that weren’t enough, students and staff can pre-order their custom meals using a Google spreadsheet menu of soups, salads, and sandwiches. The addition of these transportable options proved valuable during and after the pandemic.

Heather's team includes individuals with a variety of foodservice backgrounds, enhancing the school’s ability to create diverse and appealing meals. Leveraging this expertise, they make a variety of meals from scratch. The team takes pride in their ability to replicate popular items, such as Casey's Breakfast Pizza, which has quickly become a student favorite. Additionally, they offer fresh-made smoothies and parfaits to entice high schoolers who might otherwise skip breakfast.

In addition to custom and made-from-scratch choices, Heather and her team rely on a bevy of choices from General Mills such as Yoplait® ParfaitPro®, various individually wrapped items, cereal cups, and other snacking options.