Duchesne High School

Overview

Duchesne High School, an all-girls Catholic institution with over 100 years of history, had a unique set of challenges in their existing kitchen layout. The kitchen was open to the dining room with no walls, and the warewashing area was located far from the kitchen in an outdated, dimly lit room. The current setup caused students to gather and eat at the same time, leading to inefficiencies.

In alignment with the school district’s zero-waste and environmental goals, the new kitchen was designed to be 99% electric-powered, supporting sustainability efforts. Previously, there was no dedicated kitchen space—only an open area at one end of the dining room—leading to sanitation and security concerns. The new design provides a fully equipped, enclosed kitchen space that enhances food safety, operational efficiency, and overall sustainability.

The kitchen area is located beneath the school’s chapel, and the space was constrained by existing walls, low ceiling heights, and the engineers’ need to run piping through the kitchen. Despite these challenges, we optimized the layout to plan for future enrollment growth. The renovation included larger walk-in coolers, a well-organized dry storage room, a new janitor’s room, and the doubling of the cookline, which now features an updated exhaust hood.

To improve efficiency in the servery, we also doubled the serving line and redesigned it to be scrambled, allowing students to flow through multiple lines instead of waiting in one large line at the same time. This redesign not only improves meal service but also supports the school’s goal of reducing congestion and promoting a more organized dining experience.