James Valles — Impacting classrooms, one bite at a time

--- Published on December 15th 2015 ---
FILED UNDER:
News & Alerts

James Valles gives you plenty to sink your teeth into.

He’s a cook for Natomas Unified, producing thousands of cafeteria meals per day from the District’s Central kitchen and filling plates at special events ranging from a luncheon for new teachers to a celebration of last summer’s youth meals program.

“James is a living example of a committed team member,” said Vince Caguin, Coordinator of NUSD Nutrition Services. “He strives daily to be a better culinarian. The result? More students who receive nourishment from school meals and can therefore perform better in the classroom.”

One of Valles’ most memorable gigs, perhaps, was to help teach cooking to kids in an after-school program at Natomas Park Elementary last year.

Valles played a key role in cooking 55 turkeys recently for a district-wide Thanksgiving feast for elementary youth.

For Parent CORES’ Strengthening Families program, he cooked a supper of Orange Chicken and Chow Mein noodles this week.

American continental, Mexican, Asian, Italian cuisine — he can cook them all.

Not bad for someone who has excelled at cooking since childhood but initially balked at it as a career, considering it “kind of girlie.” That changed when he became unemployed in 2009, enrolled in a Le Cordon Bleu cooking program, and graduated among the top in his class.

“I really excelled in what I did,” Valles said. “I think I’d be a fool not to run with it.”

Asked how he feels now about cooking, Valles said he enjoys being part of a talented NUSD team and takes great pride in cooking for students, particularly when he can get them excited about different kinds of fruits and vegetables – French green beans, for example, which he served to one group recently.

 Kids’ palettes seem a little more sophisticated now than in decades past – they seem more willing to try different things, Valles said.

“I love it, feeding the kids, especially when I get out of the kitchen, from time to time, and go to the different sites,” Valles said.

 “I just love to see people smile, and enjoy themselves. Obviously, food brings people together.”