At the Elementary School Valašská Bystřice, the school canteen prepares around 400 lunches every day. Besides pupils and staff of the nine-year school, meals are also cooked for the kindergarten and for outside diners, such as seniors or employees of local companies. For the kindergarten children, morning and afternoon snacks are also prepared.

How many types of lunches do you cook, and what are the most popular meals?

On Mondays and Fridays we cook one type of lunch, on the other days two options. The most popular are sauces, spaghetti, lasagna, and sweet dishes. Then we have two queues – one for the meal, the other for second helpings.

Who creates the menu?

The whole cooking team. As the head, I fine-tune it afterwards.

What do you use the Retigo combi ovens for?

Mainly for rice and meat. Generally for everything that would otherwise be prepared in an oven. Also for cakes and steamed dumplings.

Which programs do you use most often?

We use some preset ones, for example for rice, and some we adjust as needed. Mostly baking, steaming, and also reheating and regenerating dishes. This morning we cooked rice in the combi oven. Now we’re preparing Tuscan-style chicken breast.

How satisfied are you with it?

Very much. The cooks learned to use it quickly. It’s very intuitive. They found the programs and everything they needed on their own. They’re satisfied. It’s also convenient – they don’t have to bend down to ovens like they used to. We also use the loading trolley, which makes work easier.

Which feature or function do you value the most?

It reduces physical strain. It’s fast and accurate. The cook can plan it so that during serving time, according to the schedule, fresh food is ready step by step without being, for example, dried out. She can simply step away, switch on the combi oven, and doesn’t need to worry further.

Would you recommend the combi oven to other school canteens?

Definitely yes. The newest one we have is already the third. And we’ve always chosen Retigo. It’s reliable, and if there is ever a problem, we immediately have service available. Even a chef will come to advise us when needed.

Jana Růčková

Head of the School Canteen