FOOD SERVICE
ASSISTANT
…you are important
YOU MAKE IT
HAPPEN!
Lesson 1 T1
How Important
Are You?
“How one is being fed, and how one
eats, has a larger impact on the
personality than any other human
experience.”
“Eating experiences
condition our entire
attitude to the
world…not so much
because of the nutritious
food we are served, but
with what feelings and
attitudes it is given.”
—Bruno Bettelheim, PhD
Lesson 1 T2
You Make It Happen!
What you will learn in this lesson
You will learn three
or more ways to help
students develop
healthy food habits.
You will learn the
roles you play and
some of the skills
you need to be
successful in your
job.
Lesson 1 T3
Four Roles of the Food
Service Assistant
Interpersonal
Getting along with people
The school nutrition team is made up of people who are
different in a variety of ways. The key to success is
working as a team to get the job done.
Informational
Using and sharing information
The Food Service Assistant (FSA) uses information in
performing all tasks, including recipes for preparing food
and putting signs on the counter to let students know the
menu.
Decisional
Deciding how to do the job
The FSA decides to get to work on time, be pleasant, work
cooperatively, use recipes, and operate equipment properly.
Technical
Knowing how to do job tasks
The FSA knows how to complete each job task correctly
and efficiently.
Lesson 1 T4
You Are Important
Because You
• prepare and serve quality
meals and food.
• make sure that the food
served is safe.
• are friendly and caring.
• encourage students to
select a complete meal and
eat a variety of food.
• use standard work
practices that help control
costs and stay within the
budget.
• help create a workplace
that makes other FSAs
want to be part of the team.
Lesson 1 T5
FSAs Need Three Types
of Skills
People Skills
How to get along and work with many different groups of
people—your coworkers, the manager, students, teachers,
parents, and others
Technical Skills
How and when to do
each of your job duties
Personal Skills
•Work Ethic
•Attitude
•Education
•Physical health
Lesson 1 T6
Examples of FSA Skills
People skills, or how you
get along and work with
people
•
•
Technical skills, or how
you do your job
•
•
Personal skills, or what
others see in you
•
•
Lesson 1 T7
What You Learned in the Lesson
You Make It Happen!
• How important you are
in helping to meet the
goals of the school
nutrition program
• Ways you help students
develop healthy food
habits
• Four roles you play
each day as you do your
job
• Skills you need to be
successful in your job
Lesson 1 T8
This training was conducted
by the
National Food Service
Management Institute
The University of Mississippi
www.nfsmi.org
800-321-3054
Lesson 1 T9
National Food Service
Management Institute
The University of Mississippi
• Mission: To provide information and
services that promote the continuous
improvement of child nutrition programs
• Vision: To be the leader in providing
education, research, and resources to
promote excellence in child nutrition
programs
Lesson 1 T10