Darla Kohls and her staff serve lunch to over 600 kids every day. I took the liberty to interview her, as I always wondered how she made the food, and somehow still managed to handle her personal life. Some of the questions were not-so easy to answer, and I commend her on how she helped me, as it was my first ever interview and, of course, I wasn’t the best.
Mrs. Kohls was born in Prasser, Washington on May 19, 1963. Prasser is a small town located in Eastern Washington. “That town was strange,” she said, “there wasn’t much stuff to do other than play with friends and family. It was nice, in a way.” When she was young, she wished to be a teacher, although, she added, “I’m glad i’m not now. I mean, i’m still involved with the kids but I don’t think I would be that nice of a teacher. I wouldn’t wish that on the kids,” she laughed.
As stated, there wasn’t much to do in the little town. She went to football games, basketball games, and played with family. although is was boring, she loved her town.
When she had the opportunity to go to elementary school, she chose Smith Elementary in Grand View Washington. She thought that it was amazing. She had lots of friends and family, and since it was a “church school,” as she called it, everyone was super close and nice to each other. When she was little, she always wanted to have a puppy. Now, she says, she has more animals than she can count! “Cows, horses, dogs, and many others are commonly seen at her house everyday. The most important question to her was about her mentor. “Mrs. Gran helped me, a lot. she helped me realize what I wanted to do with my life.
However, her life would change forever when her sister brought up the idea of moving to Grand Junction. she didn’t want to move, mostly because of her friends and family. however, her pleas were not heard, and her and her and her sister moved across the country to the great city of Grand Junction, Colorado. After the move, she worked odd jobs until she finally landed a job as a lunch lady for Fruita 8/9. “I needed a job, I was desperate.” Ever since, she has been feeding the kids of Fruita 8/9.