A pre-K-12 school boasting a 100% college acceptance rate, Lamar School in Meridian, Miss., needed a new dining operation to support its growing enrollment. The original cafeteria and kitchen were built in the 1990s to serve 400 students and faculty. The student body has grown to 658 students, and the staff totals more than 90.

The foodservice staff had been working with old kitchen equipment to prepare a menu with limited choices, served to students and faculty on a covered porch. “We had been repairing kitchen equipment as needed and making minor serving changes for many years to serve a limited menu, but this was no longer enough to serve more students and faculty,” says Lamar’s Head of School Leigh Ann Ballou. “We also wanted to expand the menu, offer more healthy choices and host events in a more attractive seating environment.” 

Photos courtesy of Lamar School, photos by Shumarka Burrage

After weighing many options for renovating and expansion, Ballou recommended to the school board a simple yet complete expansion. “We didn’t want to go into debt with the project,” she says.

Ballou’s Lamar School tenure spans 20 years, first as a teacher and then as elementary school principal; since 2013 she has served as the top administrator. Ballou grew up learning how to read floor plans and visualizing spaces for renovations and construction from her father, a contractor. Her husband is an architect, so she was comfortable working with Singer Equipment Co., J&J Contractors Inc. and foodservice provider Elior Independent School Dining to oversee and contribute to the project design.

Sabrina Brewster prepares garlic knots on the circular oven.Private donors contributed funds for the renovation. The school does not receive government funding for academics or the foodservice program, so it does not participate in the National School Lunch Program. Students and faculty pay for their meals, and the school contracts with Elior North America to execute the program.

The design team took the existing covered outdoor seating area and added approximately 1,200 square feet. “We demolished the concrete pavers, dug new footings and poured a concrete slab to match the kitchen and cafeteria finished floor elevation,” says Jay Joyner, project manager, J&J Contractors Inc. “We demolished a window in the kitchen and made that a cased opening for foot traffic to flow from the cafeteria to the serving area.” In addition, two existing exterior storefront doors were removed and replaced with rolling overhead doors for exit points back into the cafeteria. At the area where the old serving area met the cafeteria, Joyner’s team installed a knee-wall with a stainless-steel countertop to serve as a dish return station. 

“We utilized the existing roof of the outdoor seating area and installed new exterior walls to the roof to enclose the addition,” Joyner added.

“We were locked into the existing space that was the primary kitchen,” Ballou says. “However, we were able to put in the serving line with cooking equipment, which was not available before the renovation. We did all this to keep costs down so that we could afford all new kitchen equipment. We were so well planned that we came in under budget.” 

During the renovation, which started in September 2024, staff prepared and served food from a trailer. The trailer was fully equipped with hot boxes, hot wells, fryers, a three-compartment sink and kettles. Students and faculty ate outside under a covered patio. “The trailer was very nice, having been built for FEMA during Hurricane Katrina,” says Kevin Dean, district manager, Elior Independent School Dining.

The trailer was provided by a generous Lamar School donor who owns a national disaster relief service. “Without this remarkable contribution, completing the project during the school year would not have been possible,” Ballou says. During this time, while students were attending classes, they ate meals at outdoor picnic tables and inside the gymnasium.

Pots and pans stay organized on wire shelving.“For the renovation, we needed to create a space that would flow freely from the cafeteria to the serving area and back into the cafeteria,” says Joyner. “Layout of entry and exit points were important as well as placement for new electrical and mechanical requirements, including new plumbing and gas connections for the equipment, adding a new HVAC unit and bringing a new duct into the addition through existing walls. We also needed to match the existing exterior facade to make the addition blend in with the original building.”

Joyner says that the design team originally planned to match the split-face concrete masonry unit but were unable to find any in the existing color. “We were able to locate a match for the brick, so we changed from concrete masonry walls to stud walls with brick. Once the addition was connected, it tied in nicely.”

The interior space received an uplift with a poured epoxy floor. “We were able to cosmetically upgrade the existing kitchen and cafeteria and tie it into the new addition,” Joyner says. “The epoxy looks good. It’s tough and durable and is easy to clean. You see this system in anything from hospitals to locker rooms and airplane hangars.”

The new flooring contributes to the long-term sustainability of the space. “We used to have to strip and wax the floors every summer and we won’t have to do that anymore,” Ballou says.

Back-of-the-House Production

After food deliveries arrive at the school, staff place them in a walk-in cooler and walk-in freezer located outside the school building and in dry storage inside the building. Prep begins in the kitchen where staff wash and cut vegetables and prepare mise en place for hot food preparation.

Raveon Armstrong stirs a pot of pasta at the six-burner range.On the hot cooking line staff use a combi oven to cook proteins and vegetables and a flattop griddle to cook burgers and other proteins. They also cook sauces, stir fry, quesadillas and Philly cheesesteaks on a six-burner range and prepare french fries, house-made chicken tenders, house-made chips and cheese sticks in three fryers.

Staff bring food from the kitchen to the servery stations. Staff at Sauce and Stone, the pizza and pasta concept, roll out dough and top it with sauces held in bains-maries. The culinary staff uses a circular deck oven to bake the pizzas. They also bake calzones, garlic knots and fresh daily-made pizza in the oven. “We’re looking into making pasta bowls in the future,” says Shumarka Burrage, foodservice director.

Greens, the salad station, features lettuce and at least 12 vegetables that students and faculty access when building their own salads.

Flame, a grill concept, features prep tables and display wells for bacon cheeseburgers, popcorn chicken, chicken tenders, buffalo wings, chicken quesadillas, griddled three-cheese sandwiches, meatball subs, patty melts, Philly cheesesteaks, barbecue pulled pork sandwiches, french fries and cheese sticks. Staff heat the sandwiches in a high-speed oven.

A circular deck oven, refrigerated rail and refrigerator support meal production.

Classic Kitchen receives menu items prepared in the kitchen and displayed in serving wells. The menu includes hamburger steak, white rolls, seasoned white rice, honey-buttered baby carrots, baked and fried chicken, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and green beans. Rice bowls are especially popular. On Wednesdays, elementary school students enjoy breakfast-all-day menu items such as french toast sticks, bacon and sausage, eggs, pancakes and fruit. 

“We started offering rice bowls and also salmon, which students love,” Burrage says. “Students also look forward to ice cream on Tuesdays and chicken nuggets on Thursdays.”

Another station, Fresh to Go Market, offers grab-and-go menu items such as individual and pre-portioned fresh fruit, white cupcakes, red velvet cake, baguettes with roast beef, cheddar, spinach and a combination of other ingredients, quinoa spinach and mushroom and other bowls, burritos, salads and more. The beverage station contains fountain drinks, tea and raspberry lemonade. An ice cream freezer sits nearby.

A high-speed oven allows staff to heat up sandwiches.

In addition to the cooking and serving equipment, the new lineup also includes an industrial sprayer and an upright, two-rack dishmachine that is upgraded from the previous one-rack machine. “We’re eliminating the need to use paper by serving all the menu items on unbreakable plastic ware,” says Dean. New LED lighting brightens the kitchen, servery and dining area. New tables and chairs with various configurations for small and larger groups encourage students to socialize throughout the dining periods.

The renovation project is receiving rave reviews from students, faculty and parents. “One person who toured the new kitchen said it was as nice as any restaurant in town,” Ballou says. 

Ballou and the Elior Independent School Dining team put a lot of effort into promoting the new foodservice offering. They display sample menu items, share pictures of these on social media and encourage teachers to eat at school. “Word of mouth goes a long way to encourage students to order more,” Dean says. “The quality of food matters. Knowing the students you serve and their likes and dislikes makes a big difference.”

New tables offer diners choices in eating with small and large groups. A donor, the Wilburn family, is giving an art display in the seating area with images of students’ work and projects. The displays will be changed monthly.

Floor Plan Equipment Key

Lamar School floor plan and equipment key

About the Project

• Lamar School: Pre-K-12 school
• Number of students: 660
• Size: 3,360 sq. ft.
• Seats: 200
• Average check: $5.50 for pre-K through 5th grade; $7 for 6th grade through 12th grade
• Menu concepts: Greens (salads), Flame (grill concept), Classic Kitchen (fried chicken, hamburger steak and macaroni and cheese), Sauce and Stone (pizza and pasta) and Fresh to Go Market (grab-and-go items)
• Total annual sales: $376,558
• Staff: Foodservice director and 8 employees
• Total project cost: $750,000
• Equipment investment: $280,000
• Opened: Feb. 3, 2025
• Scope of project: Kitchen renovation, servery equipment and seating
• Website: lamarschool.com

Team member Cameron Scott inspects the display case with deli sandwiches that can be heated in a high-speed oven.

Key Players

• Owner: Lamar School
• Board of trustees president: Brandon Dunn
• Head of school: Leigh Ann Ballou
• Foodservice provider: Elior Independent School Dining
• Vice president, operations: Todd Hickman
• District manager: Kevin Dean
• Foodservice director: Shumarka Burrage
• Supervisor: Robin Bell
• Cook supervisor: Michael Eason
• Equipment dealer: Singer Equipment Co. Meridian, Miss: Keri Allen, sales manager
• Construction: J&J Contractors Inc., Collinsville, Miss.: Jay Joyner, project manager