Confessions of Micheline Piekarski

Micheline Piekarski wishes she could visit Woodstock, wants to golf in Scotland, and loves spaghetti and meatballs.

Q. What is the best part of your job?

Feeding our future leaders.

Q. What is the worst part of your job?

Finding Smart Snacks that my students find acceptable.

Q. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?

Working with a core group of fellow directors to develop a purchasing cooperative that has gone from 11 districts to 77 districts representing more than 190,000 students.

Q. What is the most unusual foodservice/catering request you have ever received?

I worked for the Archdiocese of Chicago Food Service and we did a lot of catering. We were asked to convert one of our kitchens into a kosher kitchen for an event.

Q. If you weren't in foodservice what would you be doing?

Elementary school teacher.

Q. If you had a time machine what historical event or era would you visit?

Going to Woodstock.
 

Q. Which talent would you most like to have?

Athleticism; I would love to be a better golfer.
 

Q. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To have more patience.

Q. What is your greatest fear?

Failure.

Q. What is your favorite meal?

Spaghetti and meatballs.

Q. If you could eat dinner with anyone living or dead, who would it be?

My grandmothers.

Q. What is your guilty pleasure?

Mrs. Fisher’s Potato Chips.

Q. What will people always find in your refrigerator?

Milk, beer, barbecue sauce and baking soda.

Q. What food fad do you wish had never started?

Whole-grain pasta and pizza.

Q. What activity is at the top of your bucket list?

To golf in Scotland.

Q. What is the weirdest food you have ever eaten?

Vegemite.

Q. What are your words to live by?

Management by moving around.