4. Visit to the Lugeria canteen in Kirchheim unter Teck
Parents cook for pupils" is the motto of the school canteen at Ludwig-Uhland-Gymnasium in Kirchheim unter Teck. The Mensa is open from Monday to Friday. Mrs. Zoellner, the first chairwoman of the non-profit organization "Eltern kochen für Schüler e.V:", welcomed us. The association runs the canteen at Ludwig-Uhland-Gymnasium on behalf of the city of Kirchheim. Around 150 parents and grandparents help to prepare the lunches every four weeks under the supervision of three full-time employees. During our visit, we were able to ask numerous questions and had the opportunity to talk directly to 4 pupils. Through our interviews, we were able to gain many interesting insights into the relevance of the topic of sustainability, also from the students' perspective. The look behind the scenes at Lugeria was extremely informative. We were able to observe how topics such as the disposal of waste and the calculation of meals are organised and also learn about the high level of motivation of the cook parents to prepare a healthy lunch. We were happy to see the interest from both Lugeria and the school! The local newspaper TeckBote also visited us to publish a short article about our project.
A wide variety of dishes are on the menu at the Lugeria. The pupils can choose between a main course, various salads, a dessert, soup, fruits. On the day of our visit, we had lentils with Spätzle, fresh asparagus soup and fruit salad made from fresh fruit. Another special highlight is the cake, which is brought and sold daily by numerous parents. Thanks to the wide range of dishes offered, there is also a good selection for vegetarian and vegan pupils. In Addition, every Friday the pupils from the " Schüler kochen für Schüler" ("Pupils cook for pupils") group prepare various small dishes such as pizza, sandwiches, etc.
In our conversation with the pupils, we clearly noticed how much they enjoy this special activity.
Our visit gave us many enriching insights and showed us that it is possible to cook fresh and healthy food on a large scale.We were very happy to be able to visit the Lugeria.