Welcome to Food Connects’ series highlighting the amazing essential workers in our community who work hard every day to keep our children fed. Read on to learn more!

Jasmine Star Nightingale

Jasmine Star Nightingale, a.k.a. Jazzy, has worked in school food service in Brattleboro for over 5 years. She started in the kitchen at Oak Grove School and later switched to Academy School, where she was the lead cook prior to the pandemic. We sat down with her to hear more about how her work and life have changed over the past year. In this interview, she spoke about the fact that she was no longer cooking due to staffing changes, and she really missed it. Since we spoke, Jazzy is now back to cooking and she is currently cooking for 4 public and 6 private schools out of the central kitchen at Academy School. She does an amazing amount of work, sometimes cooking 4-5 different meals at once for over 500 students daily!

Sheila Humphreys (SH): How has your work changed due to COVID-19?

Jazzy Star Nightingale (JSN): I'm no longer cooking, which has its ups and downs. I'm working with new people, which I actually really enjoy. I love getting to know everybody, and they're all so wonderful, so that's really good. I’m not seeing kids, and that's terrible. That's the worst thing.

SH: Tell me more about your switch away from cooking.

JSN: One of my new co-workers, Danny, the chef from Guilford Central School, is cooking for all the schools right now from our central kitchen and I'm part of a team that is portioning and packaging. It’s a good switch, but I also love to cook.

SH: I heard about your tomato sauce that you were making before the pandemic. You started making tomato sauce from scratch for the pizzas on Fridays, right?

JSN: Yeah, that was really good.

SH: What are some of your favorite things to cook?

JSN: Mac and cheese, the kids love that, and tacos, that's fun! And pasta with meat sauce. That's easy, but it was so good. And tomato soup, I love making tomato soup.

SH: You make all that from scratch?

JSN: Yes, I do!

SH: What has kept you going during these unusual times?

JSN: Just knowing that I'm making a difference, and helping people that are in need. I’m lucky to have a very supportive family. They praise me every day and say thank you for what I’m doing, and that's really good.

SH: Do you have children at home?

JSN: I do! I have a one-year-old daughter.

SH: How are you managing with child care while you are at work?

JSN: Luckily, her grandmother is watching her. We’re so lucky for that.

SH: What has been your biggest challenge during this time?

JSN: My biggest challenge is not seeing the children. It is very painful. They're all just wonderful kids and just seeing them every day smiling...I miss that!

SH: How can the community support you and other food service workers during this time?

JSN: Just being recognized for our work is good, and our volunteers are so amazing. We're so lucky to have a lot of help from teachers, paraeducators, and everybody in the community.

SH: What advice would you give to someone who is interested in this career?

JSN: You have to be on your toes! You really do. Every day is different. There are new challenges that come with each situation, so just be prepared.

SH: You started this job when you were pretty young, right?

JSN: Yes, I was eighteen when I started part-time.

SH: And it has suited you?

JSN: Apparently, yes! I didn't think that I would be cooking now, but I'm really glad that I got the opportunity. It was a split-second decision that I decided to try it, and now I really enjoy it!

SH: Did you do the culinary arts program at WRCC when you were in high school?

JSN: No, I discovered cooking after high school.

SH: What brings you joy? 

JSN: My family and my daughter and knowing that I'm helping people and that they appreciate it and they need it.

SH: What are some things that you are grateful for?

JSN: My family, my daughter, same answer! I'm just glad that I can be here and be helpful.