The national nonprofit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has named Amber Ott-Underdown, cafeteria manager at Upper Bucks County Technical School, the National Manager of the Year.
A little more than a year since COVID-19 created new logistical challenges for school nutrition managers, SNA continues to applaud the dedication, ingenuity and compassion shown by its members who have excelled in keeping students fed during the pandemic.
Ott-Underdown, a graduate of the school where she now works, has consistently increased school lunch participation each year, in part by converting the cafeteria to mostly scratch cooking. Students’ favorites now include chili, chicken cheesesteak burritos, scratch mashed potatoes and roasted chicken on salads, sandwiches and soups. The monthly “Try It Tuesdays” has become a favorite day where students try a small portion of a new scratch-made item. Try It Tuesdays are the reason the school now offers chicken teriyaki bowls, smoked BBQ pork sandwiches and French toast casserole.
She also mentors her school’s culinary students. She involves them in the catering program she developed, training them in the culinary arts while preparing food for school events. For the past two years, Ott-Underdown has nominated two culinary students for scholarships from SNA of Pennsylvania. With students’ help, she also plans and prepares dinners for staff and community members to take home through “Meals to Go.” The meals, themed around different holidays and events that she advertises on Facebook, have provided a new line of revenue for the school meal program.
Ott-Underdown took over formerly defunct fundraisers and now plans, coordinates and executes Breakfast with Santa and Breakfast with Easter Bunny every year. The events raise funds for the Future Farmers of America (FFA) association, which also benefits her students.
This school year, she planned and implemented a food truck for the school. After the school secured grants and sponsors to fund the truck, Ott-Underdown staffed it with students under her direction. Vocational students at the school maintain the truck, everything from lighting maintenance, exterior graphics and diesel mechanical work to culinary students preparing and serving food. Ott-Underdown teaches her students about costs and quality control, menu planning/preparation, event execution and evaluation. Students learn to run a restaurant on wheels. She created an Instagram and Twitter page for the Food Truck so followers can see photos and videos of food preparation, service and the location of the truck.
She has trained other managers on new recipe ideas. She taught her staff how to work as a team and that work can be fun and rewarding if done in a positive and efficient manner. She helped get approval for her staff to attend SNA chapter meetings, receive valuable training to meet professional standards and collaborate with surrounding district employees.
Ott-Underdown was honored during the first Our Heroes: Celebrating the 2021 SNA Award Winners virtual event.
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