The Grille is the social center of Trinity, an area where students can gather during lunch and breaks. The number of students that go in and out requires the Grille to have a variety of options for food and enough staff to maintain and clean it.
Eighth grader Ashley Kozma is intolerant to gluten and has restricted it from her diet for seven years now. With the help of Grille staff, she’s found ways around it.
“I usually get a quesadilla with the gluten-free tortilla,” Kozma said. “If I eat gluten for a day, I think I’d be okay, but if I did (more often, my stomach) would go back to hurting.”
Kozma isn’t the only one who goes through this. According to a study by Harvard Health, 20-30% of the U.S. population follows a gluten-free diet, or around 69-104 million people. Additionally, the National Institute of Health reports that 16% of the U.S. population doesn’t consume dairy.
Allergies and intolerances limit lots of what people can eat and make it hard to find things that fit the necessary diet. However, Food Director Chris Behrens is able to make many changes to food in order for it to fit people’s dietary needs.
“There’s one young lady that’s super gluten-free,” Behrens said. “I need her to come in early in the morning to say, ‘Hey, I want a quesadilla’ because I have gluten-free wraps and I have all this stuff I can make for her.”
Chris’ willingness to accommodate these changes allows more people with food restrictions to enjoy the Grille.
“Tell me ahead of time, and I’ll have it ready for you,” Behrens said.
Although students are the majority of people in the Grille, they aren’t the only ones with these limitations.
“I have a dairy and an egg allergy, and then I also avoid shellfish and soy, I was diagnosed when I was a baby,” English teacher Hannah Schuttler said. “So Chris is awesome with dietary restrictions in general. He usually has a plan with every meal. There’s something that everybody can eat.”
Although allergies and intolerances limit lots of what people can eat and make it hard to find things that fit the necessary diet, the Grille’s food menu day by day includes a plan for everyone and allows people to always have options.
