Fred Gilbert, SNS

Please share a little of your K- 12 school nutrition journey.

After working in the college/university segment, I had the opportunity to become a director for a small school district with a management company contract.  I faced a huge learning curve, continually pivoting as I learned  all the rules. Today, I’m an area supervisor for the second-largest school district in North Carolina.  I’ve been an SNA member at the national and state levels for 18 years and have attended 13 Annual National Conferences. My first was in 2008 in Las Vegas, where I was amazed at the size of the event—all of the other school nutrition professionals who were there, the numerous education sessions and all the vendor partners in the Exhibit Hall. I even got to meet the legendary Frankie Valli, who performed at the Closing Event!

Did you eat school lunch as a child?

Not every day—I had some cool lunch boxes—but I did, and my favorite was English Muffin Pizza on Fridays. It was a split English muffin that had pizza sauce and a chunk of melted mozzarella on each half.

What is your favorite global cuisine?

I love different Italian dishes. There are so many flavor combinations you can produce from the same basic ingredients: pasta, sauces, cheeses and fresh herbs.

What do you do to cheer yourself up on a bad day?

I go for a run or take a yoga class. An immediate fix is to interact with students and talk to them about their day. I’ll ask them how they liked their lunch and they’ll ask me if I’m the new “lunch lady!”

What TV series are you binge-watching these days?

I’ve been a fan of Marvel comics and cartoons since I was a kid, so I’m enjoying shows like “Daredevil” and “Falcon and the Winter Soldier” on Disney. And if I could have my own super power, it would be “spidey sense,” anticipating when something bad was going to happen and then trying to prevent it.

What famous person would you want to spend time with?

I would like to spend a day or more with Teddy Roosevelt. He had so many interests! In addition to being a tremendous statesman, he was a great outdoorsman and conservationist. I would have enjoyed traveling with him as president (1901-09), deciding on different places to preserve as a national park or historic site. I also would have enjoyed being a member of his Rough Riders cavalry during the Spanish-
American War in 1898. And when he was working to reform the New York City Police Department as commissioner (1895-97), I would have liked to patrol the streets together.

What items would you place in a time capsule to be opened in 100 years?

Pictures of my wife from our wedding, plus of my family and friends. My first 5K medal. An autographed baseball from Tom Seaver and autographed hockey puck from Billy Smith. My New York Islanders 50th Anniversary jersey. The pin from when I served as President of the School Nutrition Association of North Carolina. Pictures of students eating school lunch. The recipe for English Muffin Pizza. And a copy of this article!