The Beginning of the School Food Service

While the exact day, month or even year is not know at this time, the beginning of a food service for the Fenton Schools, began after WWII, about 1947-48. The School Superintendent at the time was George Petersen. Superintendent Petersen contracted with Mrs.Eleanor Durant to prepare and serve a noon time lunch in the school building on Adelaide Street. At that time the High School occupied the older three-story building, and some of the lower grades were housed in a newer addition.

The food was served on the lower floor of the high school building in what was then known as the "Home Economics" classroom. However, while the food was served in that room, it wasn't cooked or prepared in that room. Mrs. Durant would prepare the food in her kitchen at home and with the help of her husband, Harry Durant, would carry the food to the "Home Ec" room in time to serve lunch to the students. The menu usually consisted of foods such as chili, stews, "sloppy Joes", and hamburger gravy and mashed potatoes. Foods that could be prepared on a kitchen stove using a limited number of utensils that could be transported readily to the school.

This type of service continued in this manner until an addition to the Furlong Building was completed in 1960.. At that time, the food service was provided a large kitchen and serving area. Similarly, as the space for the food service expanded, Mrs. Durant was permitted to hire some assistants. Her principal assistant was Mrs. Gertrude Barden, who was "Nell" Durant's older sister. Others were hired from year to year as the food service continued to provide excellent meals for the students. For years after retirement in 1962, "Nell" Durant would encounter former students in the local stores and on the street, and invariably they would talk to her about one of their favorites, such as her "hamburger gravy" or "macaroni and cheese". Most of the recipes were the "home" recipes of Mrs. Durant or the other ladies that worked in the kitchen. In the first year of the food service, Gertrude Barden began to make a large yeasty dinner roll, which, to this day, is one of the favorites served at the school. The origin of this dinner roll is now often mistakenly attributed to "Ma" Foley, who succeeded Mrs. Durant in later years.

The accompanying photo was taken in 1960 in the kitchen in the Furlong Building. The photo has from left to right: Mrs. Irene Cartwright, Mrs. Eleanor Durant, and Mrs. Gertrude Barden.