North Clackamas
School District
A Terrific Toasted Tale from Lewelling’s Lunchroom
Ryan Moran says he has just two favorite things in life as a third grader at Seth Lewelling Elementary—his friends…and grilled cheese sandwiches from the school cafeteria.
“They’re just so delicious!” exclaimed the energetic eight-year-old before taking his first big bite.
Little did he know that it would take a very special friend to help him regain his love for the ooey, gooey goodness that made his mouth water every Wednesday during lunch.
“My mom makes grilled cheese sandwiches at home,” said the spirited student, “but they’re just not as good as they are at school.”
The Lewelling cafeteria is where this toasty tale all started. That’s where for the past two years, Ryan spent every Wednesday sitting next to “Mr. Steven,” a retired community member who happily volunteered to be Ryan’s “Lunch Buddy” at school. As a Lunch Buddy, Steven Watkins shared lots of stories with Ryan over lunch, but what they shared most was a common love for the beautifully browned, melt-in-your-mouth grilled cheese sandwiches that were only served on Wednesdays throughout NCSD lunchrooms.
“It’s so good because there’s no sauce,” reasoned Ryan. “There’s just cheese and bread, and the cheese is all melted in the middle.”
But earlier this fall, Ryan’s magical middays suddenly flipped like a spatula. Every year, certain entrees are rotated off the menu to make room for new choices, and Ryan’s lunchtime laughter suddenly cooled when he learned his savory sandwich no longer made the upper crust of available main courses.
“Wednesdays were the only days I ate school lunch,” described the picky eater. “I didn’t know what I was going to do.”
But sometimes, you just need a friend in your corner…or in this case, the cafeteria. Missing his Wednesday tall tales over toasted cheese with Ryan, Watkins decided to make a phone call to NCSD’s Nutrition Services Department, in hopes of buttering up Director Kris DeHut to give the grilled cheese sandwich a second chance.
“Grilled cheese is the only thing that Ryan will have off the menu,” said the enthusiastic Watkins, who wears pink streaks in his hair. “It’s the one thing he really loves, so I called up the Nutrition Services Department and tried to advocate for him. He’s just an amazing kid.”
DeHut’s heart instantly melted. “He explained that he and Ryan were missing the grilled cheese every Wednesday,” said DeHut, who introduces herself to kids as “Chef Kris.” “So I went in and worked a little bit of magic. We were able to get it on some Thursday menus and we were able to call it Ryan’s Grilled Cheese.”
Sure enough, take a look at the NCSD elementary lunch menu for November and December, and every school now has “Ryan’s Grilled Cheese” listed as an occasional Thursday lunch choice.
“Isn’t that great?” chimed in Watkins, chowing down his own grilled cheese right next to Ryan. “He really got a big kick out of that!”
“Before I was able to tell them the story, some of our cooks from other schools saw it on the menu and weren’t sure what to think,” explained DeHut. “They had to ask me if there’s some kind of special cooking method or if they need to learn some special recipe.”
Technically, “Ryan’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich” does take a special recipe. Sure, it may take two slices of bread, a little butter, and some melty cheese slices, but don’t forget about the secret ingredients…take a dash of eight-year-old excitement, add a hearty helping of Lunch Buddy love, mix in Chef Kris’ kindness…and you’ve got a taste-bud tempting tale filled with happiness that melts your heart.
Just ask Ryan. “I can’t believe I’m named after the grilled cheese!” he mumbled through a mouthful of melted cheddar. “Do you think they could also put my face on each slice of bread?”