Linda is marred to David Schwarzbach and has three children, Shaud, Scott and Shelly. Linda and Dave have eight grandchildren.
Linda was hired as a cook in the school lunch program in 1983. She wanted the job although knew little about institutional cooking. When her children were little, she wanted to be home with them when they were home. And coming from Eureka, Linda wanted to spend more time in the summer at her family home on Glen Lake than a regular job would afford. It looked to Linda that a job with the school would be just perfect to fit her needs.
Linda said that even though she didn’t know much about cooking, she was trained by three of the best cooks in the area. They were Arliss Craig who was the head cook and Shirley Kulbeck and Hazel Genereux.
Four years later Craig went her own way and Linda was appointed head cook.
“I worked for some really good superintendents through the years and they really made the program what it is,” said Linda. Linda noted that there was that one… “Enough said about him,” Linda said, laughing.
“Most Superintendents have shared my vision of lunch and breakfast programs. Kids come in eat, and it is all done in a stress free atmosphere,” added Linda. “You know kids have enough stress. I couldn’t work for a program that was any different than that.”
When asked what kids favorite Big Sandy breakfast was, Linda smiled and said, “it is maple bars. I am not proud of that. I really work to have many hot breakfasts but when we put maple bars on the menu they just love them.”
“Whether it be breakfast or lunch the biggest change has been the emphasis on nutrition. “I think we have always tried to cook nutritious meals but we are very careful. We do count calories,” Linda said.
Linda has been on nutrition boards for ten years now and works a lot with the Office of Public Instruction on providing good meals.
Linda related a time at the beginning of the Obama administration when school lunches and breakfasts were regulated for cities, not for rural towns like so many Montana towns. “Then the Feds came on very strong,” said Linda. “Kids were going hungry. Our Montana Board fought that and the Feds did back off. Sodium intake is still very low but we are all learning more all the time.”
Linda stated that that this is a farming community and farm kids need more calories than a city kid does.
“These days the government is really trying to help, continued Linda. “Why even the Department of Defense has a fresh fruit and vegetable program that we use here in Big Sandy.”
Linda said that the Big Sandy lunch and breakfast program teaches kids about foods that are very good for them and even teaches manners.
When talking about the favorite lunch of kids, Linda smiled and said that has really changed. If you had asked her that question as late as last year, the answer would have been pizza. It is all different today.
“Kids like potato bars, build your own sandwich bars and taco bars,” said Linda. “Kids like to put on their sandwich just what they want. Same with potatoes and tacos. And we cooks love that aspect too as the line moves much more quickly without us having to serve them.”
Linda said there are those days when it simply all falls apart. One time the water got bad at the school so the cooks had a large vat of water and heated dish water on the stove. When the electricity goes off, it causes problems and when half the school is sick, it really gets bad.
“One time we had so many sick, that Sherri Heppner came over and washed dishes and said she never worked so hard,” added Linda.
Don’t forget, Linda reminded, there are those perfect days where everything works so well and the kids are very happy.
School lunch in Big Sandy was very different until 2001 when the serving of breakfast came about.
“Before that we just cooked one meal a day. Now we come in and cook a full breakfast meal which just about everyone eats and then another full meal for lunch and then there is the fruit program in the afternoon. There is a lot more to do now than there used to be,” said Linda.
Not only that Linda is trying to get the school system to adopt a Back Pack program for weekends so that kids can take home food for their weekend. Summer lunches have been talked about as well.
Linda knows firsthand the need for this especially when there are not meals on Fridays anymore.
“One little guy comes in on Monday morning and eats and eats and eats,” said Linda. “I ask him often why he is so hungry. He says he has not eaten since Thursday at school as there has been no food in the house.
Linda says those situations need to be stopped right now in Big Sandy.
Talk to Linda for just a few minutes and you find out she is going to miss cooking for Big Sandy kids. However, if she turns in her cook’s badge and puts on her advocate’s badge, maybe that will even be better!
Until then she and husband David are going to visit relatives they have not seen for awhile.
“Dave loves to fish and I see myself sitting on the shore reading a book,” said Linda. “I have lots of projects. I don’t see myself getting bored.”
Lots of projects is right and don’t be surprised if some of them still involve food and kids.
Well played Linda! Keep it up!
