1. Visit to the canteen of the Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium Esslingen
On April 9, a part of our Humboldt-Reloaded team visited the canteen of the Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium (THG) in Esslingen, the first of in total nine canteens participating in our project.
The THG canteen is managed by Ms. Frohnmaier, a public employee, and is run by the city of Esslingen and the cafeteria organization. This year, the canteen is celebrating its 50th anniversary. It is the first school canteen in Germany using the system of cooking parents, in which around 180 volunteers - mothers, fathers and grandparents - prepare fresh and healthy meals for the pupils every day. The cooking parents cook once a month in fixed teams.
On average, 250 portions are prepared every day, with the quantity depending on the day of the week. Vegetarian meals are offered two days a week, with meat dishes on the remaining days. Salads and desserts are also served; free water is available from the drinking water dispenser. Pupils can always have seconds free of charge. In the THG canteen, payment is made via a chip card that parents charge in advance. Pupils in Years 9 and 10 also help out with the washing up.
The canteen attaches great importance to local suppliers and often uses seasonal fruit and vegetables. The canteen organizes a meat fondue evening as a thank you for the voluntary engagement of the cooking parents.
In conversations with the head of the canteen, some parents, teachers and pupils, we were able to obtain a lot of valuable information. We are particularly happy that our questionnaires were also passed on to other cooking parents and teachers. This allows us to gain a broad and comprehensive insight into the topic of sustainability.
During our visit, we were also allowed to help out in the kitchen and were therefore able to gain a direct insight into the voluntary work of the cooking parents. The visit to the THG canteen was a lot of fun and gave us useful insights.