Under the new management of Mr. Maws and FLIK Independent School Dining team, the revamping of the Dining Hall has been a resounding success. Over the summer, the location of the salad bar and deli bar were moved to decrease the wait time for students. Last year, congestion in lines was a large problem that students often faced, resulting in less time to sit down and eat. The Dining Hall staff hopes that students will now have unimpeded access to a more diverse food experience.
Mr. Maws noted that students previously lacked excitement and interest in trying new meals. He is focusing heavily on improving the quality of the food while also providing students with healthier and more nutritious lunches. When he was a student at Belmont Hill, Mr. Maws noted that “much of the quality could have been better, the freshness could have been better, and the variety could have been better.” Now as a faculty member, Mr. Maws is aiming to change those very issues.
One of the first actions that he took upon arrival was to deep-clean the kitchen, enabling the staff to prepare fresh and quality ingredients. After “gutting out” the entire kitchen, Mr. Maws concentrated on bringing the deli and salad bars together in the center of the room to accompany the large size of the student population. The former chef also commented on a secret “hidden-gem” of the Dining Hall: the sauces at the salad bar. He believes that students can get creative and add certain sauces to entrees to complete their meals.
Mr. Maws outlined his three main priorities for improving the Dining Hall experience: providing each and every student with the necessary foods, ameliorating the quality of each meal, and spreading the message of why each change is so important. Although acknowledging that nothing can be perfect, he mentioned that students should have the best experience possible. Mr. Maws values all of the student feedback greatly and is looking forward to reading reviews that students have posted on Veracross. If any student wishes to leave their own review, they can simply head into the website and click on the Dining Hall tab.
