Nutrition manager earns top statewide award

Ginni Vaccaro, Mentor Schools nutrition manager, has been named by the Ohio School Nutrition Association as the state Manager of the Year.

The award honors school nutrition managers who demonstrate dedication and ingenuity towards improving the school meal program. It is also the highest award a school nutrition manager in Ohio can earn, according to a news release from the state School Nutrition Association.

Vaccaro, who has been with Mentor Schools for 18 years, demonstrates all the qualities a great manager should possess, said Jeni Lange, supervisor of school nutrition for the Mentor and Kirtland school districts.

Vaccaro will be honored during the annual Ohio School Nutrition Conference on June 14 in Cleveland, where she will receive a plaque, certificate and probably flowers, Lange said.

“(Ginni) Vaccaro is a solution-based manager,” Lange said. “She daily brings a genuine smile, engages with staff and students with enthusiasm, and demonstrates that no obstacle is too difficult to overcome. She truly brings her best to the cafeteria each day and is known for her positive attitude and problem-solving skills.”

She also has served as a local chapter president for the School Nutrition Association.

In her current position, Vaccaro does what she describes as a little bit of everything: ordering all the food, arranging all the catering, making sure everything is on task, getting all the deliveries out — it’s a lot.

The Mentor Schools kitchen, based at Mentor High School, also provides all of the food for the elementary schools.

Vaccaro manages a cafeteria that she estimates puts out about 1,000 reimbursable lunches at the high school level and another 1,300 for the elementary schools daily.

Vaccaro said she did not know about the award, and was unaware that Lange had nominated her for it prior to being announced as this year’s recipient.

“I really love what I do. I really like the high school kids ... I probably see every single student here every single day in this school,” Vaccaro said. “I get to see them when they start and I get to see them when they graduate. It’s very exciting.”

Vaccaro said she was shocked when she received the statewide award.

I know what me and my staff do every day, its a big job,” Vaccaro said. “So I am very humbled and very honored.”