The Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department Adult Detention Division Support Services is dedicated to providing services relating to food and laundry with continuous efficiency and cost effectiveness, responsive to the needs of staff and inmates at all detention facilities within the Sheriff's Department.

Central Kitchen:  The Central Kitchen staff are responsible for providing meals for the three Stanislaus County Adult Detention facilities.  In addition, we contract food services for Amador County Sheriff's Department.

The Central Kitchen is dedicated to providing a comprehensive food service purchasing, production and delivery system to all applicable county facilities. Our goal is to provide meals that comply with dietary guidelines of Federal, State, and Local laws, mandates, and requirements.  We strive to meet the average daily nutritional requirements needed for overall body maintenance and working efficiency adjusted for age, sex, and activity of our clients. This will be accomplished in a manner that ensures safe and sanitary food preparation and delivery, adequate allocation, and overall waste reduction.

Central Laundry: The laundry unit is responsible for providing laundry services for the three adult detention facilities. The laundry detail presently uses twelve inmate workers to process close to 5000 pounds of laundry a day, five days a week, washing and drying inmate clothing, linens and towels for the Men’s Jail, Men’s Honor Farm and Public Safety Center.  The laundry has one 125-pound capacity and three 250-pound capacity washers, and one 75-pound capacity and five 125-pound capacity dryers.

Our goals are to be accurate, comprehensive, competent, efficient, effective, organized, productive, professional, progressive, and responsive.

Lt. Brenda Suarez began her career with the Sheriff's Department in 1986 as a booking clerk at the Men's Jail. She became a Custodial Deputy in 1990 and has been a Facility Training Officer, Classification Deputy and Title 15 Compliance Deputy. After her promotion to Sergeant in 1997, she worked at all three facilities, as well as supervising the Classification Unit, the FTO program, and Inmate Programs. Lt. Suarez received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Management from the University of Phoenix in 2001. Lt. Suarez was promoted to Lieutenant in 2003 and has managed the Programs Unit, Men's Honor Farm, the Records Unit, the Men's Jail and the Public Safety Center.

Lt. Brenda Suarez is currently assigned as the commander of the Bureau of Administrative Services, Support Services and Commissary.

• 1 Food Services Manager
• 2 Supervising Cooks (one for outside facilities; one for central kitchen)
• 6 Adult Detention Cooks (assigned Central Kitchen for actual food preparation)
• 3 Assistant Cook II (supervisors at the various facilities)
• 8 Assistant Cook I (work the sites and drive transport truck)
• 1 Clerical Support Staff
• 2 Community Aids (part time positions that work the staff dining room)
• 2 stock delivery drivers
• 55 inmate workers are utilized among three receiving kitchens

The Central Kitchen provides over 4,900 meals a day to three county jail facilities and Amador County Sheriff's Department.  In fiscal year, 2003-2004, we produced, packaged and delivered 1,778,399 meals with a budget of $3,319,091.

MENUS

We have a five-week menu cycle for all our customers.  Each menu is formulated for the specific needs of the adults.  All are created to meet the low sodium and reduced fat requirements of the Board of Corrections and the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs.  Nutritional analysis is completed on all menus.

RECEIVING AND STORAGE

Deliveries can be received daily.  Perishables such as produce, milk and bread are delivered several times a week.  A typical bread order can be 1600 loaves a week.  For adding savings, we receive deliveries from the distributor on Saturdays, which saves us 4%.  All deliveries are  to be received on pallets from another 1/2% savings.  The Central Kitchen has 3500 square feed of refrigerated storage, 1850 square feet of freezer storage and 1550 square feet of dry storage.  Food is rotated every 5 weeks, with one-fifth of the inventory coming in each week.

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COOK CHILL PROCESSING

The Central Kitchen uses the Cook/Chill system of food preparation.  Recipes are prepared in a 200-gallon kettle.  That equates to 6400 1/2 cup servings of say ~~ chili beans.  Once cooked to a minimum temperature of 185 degrees the product is pumped into 2-gallon barrier bags where it is labeled and dated with the last date that that product can be used.  It is then conveyed to a tumble chiller that cools down the bagged product equating to about 3400 pounds of food from the 180 degree to under 40 degrees within a 40-minute period.  This process keeps the contamination to a minimum and inhibits the growth of microorganism.  This food is then stored in the food bank where the temperature is held at 28-32 degrees until needed for the menu cycle.  The shelf-life of this product is approximately 49 days and with the five-week menu cycle very little food is wasted or lost.  The food remains chilled from this point, until it is rethermalized at the sites.  The kettle has a computer-controlled temperature gauge that records the temperature by degree from the moment the kettle is turned on  until it is turned off.  Currently, we are doing approximately 53 different menu items on the kettle ~~ everything from cooked cereals, to gravies, casseroles, dressings and sauces.

Cook Chill methods of food preparation is ideal for serving multiple locations.  It delivers high quality, consistent products, extensive menu variety and optional food safety.  More products can be offered daily because of the production efficiency.

BAKERY

The bakery also has state of the art equipment with two large rotating ovens.  One oven can bake 60 pans or 1200 rolls in about 25 minutes.  These rolls are made in little over one hour and that includes measuring, mixing, proofing and baking.

Ninety pounds of flour is used to make 1200 rolls.   The dough is divided into 4 1/2 pound "piles" that are put into a dough shaper that rolls out 36 2-ounce rolls in about 10 seconds.  Along with rolls the bakery does cakes, cupcakes, cobblers, pies, muffins, cornbread, breakfast pastries and large variety of cookies.  The cookie machine can drop about 40 cookies per minute. The bakery is also responsible for jello, pudding, and other dessert items on the menu or for catering.

TRAY ASSEMBLY AND PREP ROOM

The Public Safety Center and Men's Jail receives cold meals served on disposable trays that are rethermalized in the housing unit.  The Men's Honor Farm receive cold bulk food, which is heated at the sites and portioned onto trays for distribution to inmates.  Amador county receives cold meals on disposable trays, transported to their county in a refrigerated truck, and rethermalized at their facility.

Any food that is not prepared in the bakery or the kettle is done in the Prep Room for the tray line.  This might include opening cans of fruit, mixing egg salad and slicing luncheon meats for sandwiches.

In the tray assembly area of the kitchen is where the inmates are most heavily involved.  They assist in the assembly of the food on the trays.

Each meal consists of a cold and hot tray.  Each tray has 3 compartments.  Immediately after the trays are filled, they are rolled into a refrigerated unit, where they stay until they are distributed to the various sites.

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DELIVERY IN REFRIGERATED TRUCKS

The food is pulled, bulked, and put on pallets for delivery in a refrigerated truck to the three outlying jail facilities.  Our general production schedule is to pre-tray the food today, transport tomorrow and have the food consumed on the third day.

CATERING

We have expanded our catering.  The majority of our catering is done at the county level by providing breakfasts, lunches, snacks and beverages to various county functions.  Last year we provided catering for 419 events, serving over 14,000 customers.

Our highlight of the past year was to cater a luncheon for 52 County Sheriff's, the Governor and other elected officials.

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR FUTURE

Safe and Healthy Community:
Continue to meet nutritional needs of clients (inmates, staff); provide training to staff and clients regarding food safety, food receiving and storage, cleaning, and sanitizing.

• (Training in functions of safety, security, and interaction with inmates will be stressed - in general and specifically for each facility - will take a high priority)

Economic Development:
Expand sources of revenue by providing additional senior meals; responding to grant requests; continue to develop cost effective packaging and delivery of food product.

• (As budget allows for the purchase of equipment, more jail facilities will be receiving pre- packaged food, heating them in re-therm ovens).

Efficient Government Operations:
Expand kitchen services; improve technology (computer programs relating to food service); provide effective training; educate clients and public regarding services provided.

• (Job standards and policy and procedures manuals are being developed)

Multi-Jurisdictional Cooperation:
Coordinate with other agencies providing similar services (i.e.: menus, purchasing, product information; avoiding duplication of services; needing a central referral of services to proper jurisdiction.

Community Leadership:
Attending community functions and organizations, educating and informing about services offered through Central Kitchen.

PROBLEMS/CONCERNS

• Cost - of food, of crockery, of staff, of equipment, of maintenance
• Waste - of food, of supplies
• Staff - (Full time/part time/volunteers/GAIN/PIC) attitudes, personalities, abilities, knowledge, skill level, and inmate interaction

SOLUTIONS

• Cost - sending only food and supplies that is required, utilizing proper storage when received, proper handling of items delivered, and accounting of food and other products when using, appropriate training regarding food production, packaging, delivery, and facility training regarding equipment and supplies.
• Waste - educating in the proper storage, handling, accounting of, and distribution of food, equipment and supplies such (ie. beverage containers; feeding trays, utensils, paper goods, and cleaning supplies).
• Staff - whether they are full time, part time, or volunteers, they have been cleared as Sheriffs Office employees and are to be treated as such; If there is an employee issue, there is a Supervising Cook that needs to know about problem. When placing food service personnel at a facility or into a job task, it is taken into consideration their abilities, skills, knowledge. We cannot work with them to improve unless we are aware of problems that are observed.