After years devoted to feeding school children in Columbus, Dot Reichle is taking off the chef’s apron. Tuesday was her last day as food service manager at Heritage Academy. It marks not only a departure from school service, but from a career also spent feeding the community at large. Although she has been gone from the Kountry Kitchen restaurant since 2007, Reichle is still remembered for the Southern homestyle menu served by the busy eatery for the 13 years she was co-owner, then owner. What a lot of restaurant customers sitting down to biscuits, gravy, country vegetables and fried chicken may not have realized is that Reichle and the staff were simultaneously providing daily meals to Heritage Academy and Annunciation Catholic School students. After getting a count each morning, meals were cooked, individually boxed and delivered to the schools in time for lunch.
“The restaurant was going at the same time we had two private schools (to feed) — plus Heritage had two locations, the elementary and high school (to deliver to),” Reichle said.
It was an intense exercise in management and efficiency, not to mention good cooking — all skills at Reichle’s disposal when she was hired in 2012 by MMI Inc., a hotel and food service managing company out of Flowood, to help Heritage establish its own cafeteria, The Patriot Cafe.
MMI District Manager Cynde Houston said at Reichle’s retirement reception Monday at the school, “Once I met Dot, I knew by her love of Heritage Academy and her love of food, she was the perfect fit for school food service manager at this location. She has been wonderful to work with.”
Heritage Academy Headmaster Greg Carlyle added, “Dot’s many years of providing meals for (the school) from her restaurant made her the perfect choice to open and lead Heritage Academy’s first on-campus cafeteria in 2012.”
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That Reichle found her way into the food service industry should not have been a surprise.
“When I was a little girl I always wanted to have a restaurant, and never in the wildest dreams did I think I would,” she said. “I’ve always loved cooking, and if I wasn’t cooking, I was watching my mother, my grandparents, or my aunts or neighbors cooking.”
Reichle’s rule in food service is to only buy quality food. At Heritage, almost everything is made from scratch.
“I think that’s part of the trick to be successful in what you do, buy the best of the best, or at least make your own. I won’t feed these children anything I wouldn’t feed my own family. Heritage can truly say they give a healthy, well-balanced meal,” she said, noting the cafe has a salad bar, soup bar, potato bar, sandwich bar and hot plate lunch, in addition to a full breakfast line.
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A devoted mother and grandmother, Reichle has enjoyed being surrounded by students every day.
“I think the children make the difference in my life, just being around them. I will miss the children and the staff immensely, but there comes a time, and you’ll know when it’s time.”
Reichle said her own children are her greatest blessings, and spending more time with them — particularly four of her nine grandchildren who are still in high school out of town — is a factor in her decision to retire.
“I don’t want to miss anything; I want to be there for all their activities,” she said, adding that two grandchildren will be seniors next school year. She is confident the Heritage cafe is left in capable hands; Consuela Gray, who has worked with Reichle for the past four years, will step into the leadership role.
Of Reichle’s departure, Carlyle remarked, “Her impact on the lives of our students and staff were farther reaching than the delicious meals she prepared in The Patriot Cafe. Dot’s love for the students and serving others has made a lasting impression on the Heritage Academy family, and we wish her the best in her retirement.”
Of course, after a lifetime of it, Reichle doesn’t expect to stop cooking altogether.
“The gift is I enjoy it — and if I enjoy it, I feel like it’s one of my assets,” she said. “There will be another chapter; whatever God has in store for me, I’ll be open to it.”
APPLE ENCHILADA DESSERT
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
1 (21 ounce) can apple pie filling
6 (8 inch) flour tortillas
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
■ Preheat oven to 350 F.
■ Spoon fruit evenly onto all tortillas, sprinkle with cinnamon. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down on lightly greased 8-by-8-inch baking pan.
■ Bring butter, sugars and water to a boil in a medium sauce pan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.
■ Pour sauce evenly over tortillas; sprinkle with extra cinnamon on top, if desired. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Makes 6 large tortillas; may be cut in half to serve 12. Top with ice cream if desired.
(Source: Dot Reichle, a favorite from The Patriot Cafe)
HASH BROWN POTATO CASSEROLE
1 package block hash browns
2-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups sour cream
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups cornflakes, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted
■ Preheat oven to 350 F. Layer a greased 9-by-13-inch casserole with the hash browns, cutting some to cover the bottom. Combine the cheese, sour cream, soup, 1/2 cup butter, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Cover potatoes as if icing them. Toss cornflake crumbles with 1/4 cup butter in a bowl until coated and sprinkle over the top of the potatoes and topping.
■ Bake for 45 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Can be prepared one day in advance and stored, covered, in refrigerator. Bake just before serving.
(Source: Dot Reichle, a favorite from The Patriot Cafe)
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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