|
|
| N.J. Finding Success as it Goes Lean on Prison Cuisine |
| By Gloucester County Times |
| Published: 06/16/2003 |
|
Dinner is served. Whether or not barbecued beef strikes your fancy, it's a recipe for success in a state that is trying to tighten its belt. The Central Production Kitchen at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton is humming 24 hours a day, five days a week. 'Our job is to feed the state,' said Regional Food Service Director Paul Simpkins. The facility, once intended to feed four institutions, now serves every prison in the state. That's 90,000 meals a day - 2.4 million a month. Many states face a budget crisis and prison food is often first to take a hit. But instead of curbing calories and cutting deserts, New Jersey is chowing down on the cheap. Today it costs about $3.17 for three meals a day per inmate. The figure was much higher before the kitchen opened in 1997. 'The taxpayers are getting the biggest bang for their buck,' said Deirdre Fedkenheuer, spokesperson for the state Department of Corrections. 'The only intelligent way to do it is to treat it like a big business.' Inmates get about 3,000 calories a day, which meets federal recommendations for a young American male, the majority of the prison population. Meals are balanced and nutritious. 'They're not great tasting - it's not cuisine,' said Fedkenheuer. The secret to success? Simpkins said the state buys huge truckloads of food at the lowest prices, shipping the goods directly to Bridgeton. Buying in bulk 'cuts the cost dramatically,' he said. 'Everything is fully prepared - ready to heat and serve,' said Simpkins. The state buys as much produce as possible from New Jersey farmers through Agri Industries, a local processing plant. Overproduced and undervalued produce costs less, said Fedkenheuer. The state hopes to expand the successful liaison - which offers farmers a new market - to lower meal costs even further. The kitchen cooks up more than 30 different meals in huge vats such as chicken cheesesteaks, au gratin potatoes, chili and beef stew. 'Everything we make is in a bag,' said John Holmes, Assistant Regional Food Service Supervisor. Other items, like hamburgers, hot-dogs and sausage, are pre-cooked here in large industrial ovens. Kitchen duty is one of the better-paying jobs at South Woods. And any job involving food is a top choice. The downfall: It's only a five-day-a-week gig. Inmates are paid from $1.30 up to about $3 a day. All are classified as medium security prisoners because they'll be around long enough to make training them on the equipment and safety procedures worthwhile. Newcomers start out washing pots - 'the best job in the house,' said Holmes. After showing a good work ethic, inmates move up to better positions. 'There's plenty of good jobs here,' he said. About 60 inmates, donning white coveralls and hair nets, work each of three daily shifts. Chris Connelly, one of 11 institutional trade instructors on staff, teaches inmates trade skills that will be useful in landing a job on the outside. 'They should be able to get a job in a restaurant with the training they get here,' said Connelly, a former restaurant chef. Inmate Dan Carter, 43, has trained in the kitchen for eight months. His job is to mix the ingredients into large, 200-gallon steam kettles - the hub of the kitchen. A job in a restaurant or food processing plant is probably not for him, he said. Once he's out, Carter will resume his career as a mechanic. But he's proved 'diesel mechanics can cook,' said Carter, grinning. Large bins of beef and onions are tipped into the steam kettle, then stirred with a 5-foot-long paddle. Once all the ingredients are combined and heated thoroughly, the mixture is pumped into 2-gallon bags and cooled with ice and water in the Tumble Chill. These bags are frozen and shipped statewide twice a week. Every step is checked and double-checked. Food is shipped as far as three hours north. If supplies come up short, it's expensive to ship more. And 'you don't mess with food in a prison,' said Holmes. Every batch is taste-tested before it's served. At the end of the day, Simpkins said his crew 'gets the job done.' Hard work paid off with a perfect health inspection in May, with not a single health violation - an anomaly in the state. 'It just doesn't happen,' he said. A typical lunch may include salad, a cheeseburger, baked potato, banana pudding, ketchup and a beverage. All this and desert too - ice cream, cakes, pies, pastries made at a bakery at Bay Side State Prison. 'There is still desert. We'd have a war without deserts,' said Simpkins. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think