The national, non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has named Erika Santana, Kitchen Lead at Seahurst Elementary School in Highline Public Schools, Washington, the Northwest regional Manager of the Year. The award recognizes the dedication, ingenuity and compassion shown by SNA members who have excelled in keeping students fed during the pandemic.
Erika Santana has created a welcoming environment at the school, she knows students by name and greets them in the cafeteria warmly each day. Students enjoy giving her ideas for menu items and talking with her about what is going on in their lives. She responds to the youngest customers in either English or Spanish based on their preference.
Santana’s background in the restaurant industry helped her develop incredible customer service skills, which can also be seen in her beautiful salad bar displays that feature local foods. She finds work in schools rewarding and has said that she wishes she made the change to school nutrition earlier in her career.
During school closures due to the pandemic, Santana served hot meals from a school bus. She also put up flyers in surrounding communities so families knew about the availability of school meals and where and when they could get them.
With schools back in session full-time, Santana has created connections from the classroom to the cafeteria by promoting various farm-to-school offerings and hosting a food fair, where students were able to taste-test new foods. She encourages members of the district’s school board to come to the school and serve meals, and she received an award from the superintendent for her work in the cafeteria.
“Erika Santana encourages, promotes, and gracefully nudges nutrition staff to reach beyond their comfort zones to benefit their students. She is an asset to her team and her background in restaurant management brings an added level of leadership and customer service skills to her kitchen,” said SNA President Beth Wallace, MBA, SNS.
Santana is an active member of the Washington School Nutrition Association (WSNA), where she brings her passion from the kitchen to the work of the organization. She encourages co-workers to become SNA certified, helping them understand the benefits.
The Manager of the Year Award is given in honor of Louise Sublette, a leader in school nutrition in her state and in the national School Nutrition Association. During her 43 years in the profession, Sublette worked in many areas of foodservice—public schools, colleges, hospitals and elderly feeding programs. Sublette dedicated her career to honoring school nutrition professionals and ensuring those who work in school cafeterias have access to professional development opportunities, empowering them to help their school meal programs flourish.
Santana was announced as the Northwest regional Manager of the Year during a School Lunch Hero Day (SLHD) online awards ceremony on May 2. The accomplishments of Santana and all of this year’s SNA award winners will also be recognized in a special publication and promoted in SNA's annual SLHD social media campaign on Facebook.com/TrayTalk and TrayTalk.org.
About School Nutrition Association:
The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 50,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals.
