The sharp aroma of coffee fills the air in the Venice High cafeteria as Cynthia Garcia puts out the morning fruits, drinks, oatmeal, and eggs. The other workers prepare cookie sheets with the frozen foods for nutrition, or take their 15-minute dish duty. The workers are clad with aprons, hairnets, and protective gloves.

One staff member in particular has been in the Venice kitchen for 19 years, Consuelo Gomez, who speaks only Spanish.

“Of course she enjoys it, 19 years is a long time!” said her boss Marcileno Mejia.

Her quick heating, slicing, and dicing prepares the food faster.

“I like doing everything right, and if not, I’d like to be corrected,” said Ms.Gomez.

Ms.Gomez appreciates criticism, not something often found in a person whose been working for 19 years.

“We still have our fingers!” she joked when asked about safety.

Aside from the expectations involved in cafeteria work, a lot of the work is really a team effort. The staff of about seven works as a family.

“I’m here working with my sisters and brothers,” said Ms. Gomez.

The entire group is obviously very close. When reminiscing about a member of the staff who died, Ms. Gomez spoke of how a new group of people took over for the day, while the others attended the funeral. Ms. Gomez called it “weird” and “foreign.” Everyone in the kitchen pulls his or her own weight, always contributing to the team. Ms. Gomez and co-workers prepare the food for students every day.

“The kids are great and I like the school,” says cafeteria staff member Yu-Ye Wong.

She said she is a mom who works hard for the happiness of the students. She has only been working for a few months, but enjoys her work.

She likes serving burritos and mostly everything on the menu. Ms.Wong believes many of the students like the food as well because Ms.Wong told of a time when a student grabbed a meal and ran off without paying.

Even though some kids at the school take advantage of the cafeteria, Ms.Wong still loves them and wants to see them happy. She believes children are the future and will lead people to a better world.

Cynthia Garcia or Cindy, a worker at the cafeteria of seven years, is a local of the Venice community with two children of her own. She is Mexican-American, and speaks fluent Spanish and English. Before working at Venice, Ms.Garcia worked as a secretarial office clerk as well as in the retail business.

Venice means a lot to Ms.Garcia since it has been her second home for the past several years. She believes it is a good school beyond any gang-related issues.

“The ones (students) who keep on task succeed in their future,” said Ms.Garcia.

She occasionally eats the cafeteria food; the teriyaki bowl and chicken nachos are her favorites.

Ms. Garcia enjoys her job very much as do her co-workers.

“They’re like my second family,” said Ms. Gomez.

The cafeteria staff recently received a raise and more working hours. This has added more meal options to the menu such as pastrami sandwiches and tacos. They have also received new benefits with full medical, vision, and dental insurance.

Ms.Garcia is leaving Venice and is transferring to Culver High School to be a cafeteria worker.

“Marcelino Mejia is the best boss I’ve had for the thirty years I’ve been working,” said Ms.Garcia, when asked if she had any parting words before her retirement from the Venice cafeteria staff.

She said the staff always appreciates when the students smile.