Usually, Missouri Avenue in the morning is packed. Gridlock extends over the block as cars enter Largo High School’s parking space.
But a few hours before the traffic nightmare, at 5:30 a.m., Largo is eerily silent.
Some cars zoom by, and one pulls into the empty lot.
Helen Lee, Largo High School’s cafeteria manager, has beaten the traffic to prepare for Monday’s breakfast. On Mondays, Lee, 49, comes in a bit earlier. She says she has gotten used to the early mornings.
Still, one item remains a necessity.
“A coffee is a must,” she jokes, pouring the sizzling liquid into her cup.
Largo High School serves the most meals of any school in Pinellas County. Just this year alone, Largo High has served over 41,000 breakfasts and nearly 150,000 lunches – all for free.
But these enormous numbers belie the true effort that Lee and her staff put in on early mornings. Lee has taken the lead on Largo High School’s food operations for three years now, managing nearly a dozen staff members.
The Largo Tribune received a behind-the-scenes look at how Largo High’s cafeteria team meticulously prepares hundreds of meals every day.
Numbers and More Numbers
For Lee, numbers are the name of the game.
She checks the refrigeration temperatures for the food storage first thing. Deep in the freezer, she pushes some carts aside to move carefully to the thermometer.
“5 degrees,” Lee says, jotting it on her log.
That’s perfect for the freezer, which is supposed to stay under 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Lee is anemic, so the cold can be wincing at times. But just like the early mornings, she says she can bear it.
Before breakfast is served, Jacqueline Rosa-Santiago, a food specialist, checks the temperature of each chicken biscuit, recording and double-checking the numbers. Rosa-Santiago says this is her favorite part of her job.
Along with temperatures, Lee must track and project how much food to prepare for the next day. The cafeteria staff generally likes to stay a day or two ahead, and these records help Lee predict what ingredients will be left.
But toward the end of the school year, Lee relies on some guesswork amid exam season.
“It’s a fun time of the year, guessing how many students are coming,” she says.
On average, Lee and her staff’s work culminates in 1,000 lunches and 220 breakfasts every day.
Safekeeping and Sanitation
Largo High School’s roughly 2,000 students don’t see it for the most part, but sanitation and storage are top priorities behind the scenes for Lee’s staff.
Ingredients and canned goods sit on neatly organized shelves and cabinets in a storage room.
Often, Lee gets food deliveries for bread, milk, and produce—or, as she calls the delivery driver, “the bread guy.” The storage component of Lee’s job is also essential to her planning. She directs menu choices based on the available inventory, creating a steady food rotation.
On top of storage, Lee emphasizes food safety among her ten staff members. Before working in school food service, Lee was a general manager at First Watch—“in another life,” she says. The principle remains the same, though.
Food safety is paramount.
Lee checks the pH of the dishwasher every day with litmus paper. This process is just a slice of her staff’s cleaning duties. Next to the sink, shelves of dishes and trays sit in different stations: wash, rinse, sanitize, and air-dry.
“Just about right,” Lee mutters.
Lee must also ensure that her staff doesn’t let its guard down regarding proper sanitation. At random, the Pinellas County Health Department checks the cafeteria and food department to verify standards are being met.
Leading by Example
Above all, Lee strives to be a model for her staff.
Throughout her office hang countless motivational mottos and cheesy puns. Beside her cluttered desk, one poster reads, “Be grapeful.”
Lee’s keen management has earned her a litany of awards, which she proudly hangs in her office. Some are from her time at Mildred Helms Elementary, and others are from Pinellas County Schools’ Praise Awards.
Ultimately, her spirit was tested when Largo High School received a false active assailant alarm last October.
As students were corralled into closets and classrooms, Lee remembered that she and her staff hid in a back room. Some of her staff—who also had kids attending Largo High School—panicked as they frantically sent texts, worrying about their children’s well-being.
That moment, Lee recalled, put her leadership to the test.
In 2024, Lee, who also serves as the shelter coordinator for Largo High School, had to muster the same grit. Amid the chaos of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, Lee and her staff served breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner to nearly 6,000 evacuees.
During these stressful moments, Lee emphasized that it was truly a team effort.
“I make sure that they are thanked each and every day for their hard work and dedication,” she added.
As Largo High closes most of its doors for the summer, the food team is still delivering meals to credit recovery students, driver’s education students, and providing meals to several local elementary schools.
“It takes a village and I couldn’t do it without my amazing team,” Lee said.
“Behind the Scenes” is a new Largo Tribune series examining the true driving forces behind our community. This series profiles the unsung people and teams—often overlooked by headlines—whom Largo relies upon. Let our writers know your potential story ideas in the comments.
David Huyck • Jun 17, 2026 at 12:18 pm
What an amazing read and an amazing person! Thank y’all so much for giving Ms. Lee well deserved “props!”