This is a developing story. The Journal will continue to update this story with more information as it becomes available. Once information is available, we will update this story as soon as possible.
(MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. / The Journal) — According to one of the Mount Vernon STEAM Academy's representatives in the 2019 MVCSD Superintendent's Student Advisory Committee for Middle & High Schools, Ibrahim Conteh (9th grade), this year's members were presented with a big issue that affects many students across the district. The issue: school lunch. Now, traditionally, members of the committee were given a special lunch for their hard work during every meeting of the school year. Now, the circumstances here change a bit. As their final issue, it was a matter of not just how they would think of the meals, but how the students they represent — their classmates — would think of the meals.
He couldn't say much, but he what he did say surprised me to some extent: the Mount Vernon City School District is getting a new food services vendor. His eyewitness reports were corroborated by a post on the District's Facebook page, stating: "The district sought proposals for a new food service provider. As part of the selection process, students from across the district are taste testing selections from the two finalists..." Why could the District want to get rid of Sodexo now? But, Sodexo is still the current food services provider of all 15 schools in the District. Possibly, a renegotiation of the current food services contract didn't work, but since they are still serving kids, they are a finalist? We don't know exactly for sure, but according to Ibrahim, the committee's final recommendation to Superintendent Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton was that, in the best interest of the students, we should move forward with a new company.
As stated before, we are still processing this information and will make sure you are the first to know. What could have spurred their decision? We still don't know. But the post by the District does mention Sodexo's competitor in the selection process: a local and smaller company that still has a great reputation. That company is Whitsons Culinary Group. According to the company's website, it was founded 40 years ago by Elmer Whitcomb, a longtime Huntington, Long Island resident. He quit his day job as an mechanical engineer, and together with his wife, bought the Bon Bon restaurant and then the Blue Chip restaurant a year later. The restaurants became successful, and soon, the family was then finding contracts for food services operations in large companies. They now have more than $150 million in sales and over 3,000 team members across the Northeast, and is still a family-owned private company. 40 years later, their headquarters are still on Long Island, in Islandia, Suffolk County.
What happens now is still to be determined. The final decision lands to the Superintendent, who will take into account the District's last few years working with Sodexo, but also the recommendation made by the committee members. But, as Ibrahim's tone seemed to suggest, nonchalantly, that he will side with the students. Of course, he even ends most letters with "for the sake of all students", so it does make perfect sense.
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