At Benjamin there is no cafeteria, so students either purchase their lunches from the School’s contracted vendors (Big Apple or Chef Corp) or bring their own lunch from home. Of course, purchasing lunches is easy because students and/or their parents don’t have to make them or worry about taking home leftovers, but some students prefer to bring their lunches as it allows them to be more creative with what they eat.

Eighth grader Gregory Marino sometimes brings in a lunch that would make many mouths water in anticipation – sushi, a Japanese dish that consists of raw fish surrounded by white rice held together by a thin skin of seaweed. “Sushi is awesome and is better than all the school lunches,” said Marino.

Although, not all good food has to be fancy. Seventh grader Grey Waxman brings Hot Pockets’ Mini Pizza Bites that, according to him, are delicious even when they aren’t hot. “They taste like cold pizza, so cheesy and delicious,” he said. So even when the School isn’t serving pizza (which Big Apple provides on Wednesdays), Waxman can still have pizza for lunch.

However, for some people, bringing lunch is a necessity. “I’m allergic to like, everything,” said seventh grader Julia Kirschenbaum, who brings her own lunch to school every day. For Julia, it’s peace of mind and safeguards her against having an allergic reaction at school, a reality of which several middle school students need to be cautious.

But students aren’t the only ones with great lunches, as teachers also bring in delicious things to eat. One of those teachers is Mrs. Marci York, a French language teacher and head of the world language department. She is married to Michel Personnaz, head chef at the esteemed Jupiter Island Club in Hobe Sound.

According to York, her husband is a French Master Chef, meaning he is one of the 350 best French chefs in the world! He sometimes prepares mouth-watering lunches for his wife, like foie gras de canard, a delicacy in French cuisine that is specially fattened duck or goose liver pǎté and happens to be York’s favorite dish. “Another yummy French dish that he makes is typical French comfort food called a  ‘Blanquette de veau,’ said York. “This is a veal stew that has a creamy white sauce, baby mushrooms, baby carrots and little pearl onions. It is usually served with simple white rice.”  Now who wouldn’t mind having that kind of a chef prepare your lunch every day?

Whether students bring their own lunches because they want to or have to, it certainly allows for more variety, freshness, and flavor. Plus, if students are eating healthy food that they like, it not only makes the students happy, but also their parents and the School administration.