Chopped or Not - KCI Food Review

By: Caleb Crawford and Ezekiel Gingerich

At lunch, KCI students have plenty of options when it comes to food. Whether that is the Tim’s down the road, Central Fresh Market right across the street, or even locations Uptown Waterloo. However, in our very own cafeteria, we have our own food options: the smoothie and salad bar.

We took the time to interview the primary staff sponsor of the smoothie salad bar, Mr. Kreutzkamp. We wanted to understand more about the ins and the outs of the smoothie and salad bar as well as the experience of those who help run it. We found out more about the process of getting started, some former and current challenges, and also threw in our own thoughts on the food itself. Let’s dive in!

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the school received a grant for a food program, and a couple of teachers took a stab at getting the smoothie and salad bar running. Unfortunately, the arrival of the pandemic resulted in two of the three teachers quitting the program. This meant that Mr. Kreutzkamp was left in charge of the bar. Despite this challenge, he was able to successfully fully open both the smoothie and salad bar last year with the money from the original grant.

Even after opening, the smoothie and salad bar faced significant challenges. One of the primary hurdles is the financial challenge of running a significant food operation. For many Canadians, the price of food and other necessities has significantly increased over the past couple of years. This increase also impacts KCI’s smoothie and salad bar. This results in higher prices for the ingredients used in the smoothie and salad bar, however, the grant money has not increased. 

One of the ways that Mr. Kreutzkamp and the smoothie and salad bar team have adapted to these financial challenges is through the use of a debit machine. According to Mr Kreutzkamp, KCI’s smoothie and salad bar is one the only schools with a debit machine. Despite the increased accessibility that the debit machine provides, due to school board policy, the specific machine they use is vastly more expensive compared to other options. Mr. Kreutzkamp expresses this is especially frustrating because all of the profits from the bar go towards Nutrition for Learning and other initiatives, so the extra money going towards the debit machine means less money towards these initiatives. 

Looking forward, Mr. Kreutzkamp wants to expand the offerings of the smoothie and salad bar, possibly offering a soup and bun at a reduced or even no price. In terms of impact, Mr. Kreutzkamp believes that the smoothie and salad bar is having a positive impact on students. According to the Durham Region Health Department, having healthy food results in students who are more attentive and ready-to-learn. Mr. Kreutzkamp also supports this idea, and believes that students who have either a healthy smoothie or salad are more productive. 

Overall, Mr. Kreutzkamp enthusiastically expressed that feedback is important to him and the smoothie and salad bar. He wants to improve the recipes and is completely open to communication and receiving feedback in order to make the smoothie and salad bar better.

Now, we wanted to give our own thoughts on some of the smoothies and salads that are offered. Starting off with smoothies, our writers each tried the three different flavours -- Classic, Mango Magic, and Green Machine -- and chose their favorite along with some general notes. Green Machine was a big hit with Caleb, with him noting that it is a newly introduced flavor that has an earthy undertone. He also appreciates the variety of flavors, especially the inclusion of spinach, mango and oats. Zeke really enjoyed the taste of the Mango Magic smoothie, which had a creamy texture and a rich taste of mango, and he also appreciated the use of honey as a natural sweetener. Moving on, our reviewers also tried the limited edition chicken caesar wrap. They noted its excellent flavour balance, great protein content, and its fantastic nutritional value. They highly recommend picking one up when it is available again. Overall, our reviewers were impressed with the flavour of the smoothies and the wrap, and recommend that all KCI students pick one up, especially if they bring their own reusable cups or container.