Perris Elementary School District Nutrition Manager

The national, non-profit School Nutrition Association (SNA) has named Angelica Recinos, Multi-Site Kitchen Coordinator for Perris Elementary School, California, the Western Region Manager of the Year. The award recognizes the dedication, ingenuity and compassion shown by cafeteria managers who have excelled in providing high-quality, nutritious meals to students throughout the school year.

Angelica Recinos excels at providing delicious, nutritious meals while ensuring each student leaves the cafeteria well-fed and cared for. She makes every interaction with students positive and meaningful, and takes pride in creating an inviting and engaging dining environment. Her dedication to making mealtimes special enhances the student experience. Recinos enthusiastically decorates the serving line for holidays, creating Thanksgiving feasts and tables beautifully adorned with tablecloths, pumpkins and fall leaves. She supports events like National School Breakfast and Lunch weeks with cafeterias festively decorated with balloons and themed decorations. On School Lunch Hero Day, she proudly displays student artwork along the serving line.

Leading by example, she works alongside staff to encourage teamwork and initiative and is able to identify and leverage staff strengths to support their professional development. Approachable and supportive, she has built a strong team bond, ensuring that staff feel valued and comfortable sharing concerns. Recinos supports the nutrition staff, empowering them to make informed decisions and allowing them to operate with confidence and minimal supervision.

A passionate advocate for her food service program, Recinos actively participates in the district’s annual food fair, designed to highlight menu items and invite community members to sample the nutritious meals served to students. Her welcoming nature builds trust among families and fosters a feeling of confidence about meals their children enjoy each day. Recinos has been a key contributor to the district’s "Picnic in the Park" program for over a decade, supporting everything from planning and logistics to helping prepare and deliver meals to multiple community parks.

“Angelica is dedicated to creating high-quality meals and a positive environment for students through personal engagement,” said Shannon Gleave, RDN, SNS, School Nutrition Association President. “She makes sure every student is seen and valued by learning their names and engaging them in friendly, thoughtful conversations to build strong, trusting relationships.”

Recinos dedicates countless hours to practicing and refining recipes and plate presentations with her team and demonstrates a strong commitment to professional growth and excellence. She regularly attends local SNA chapter meetings and summer workshops. Recinos recently was part of a three-person team for her chapter’s Trayed competition, which challenges participants to combine all foods in a provided basket into one creative, nutritious, kid-friendly tray. Her leadership and advocacy for SNA involvement strengthens and inspires her staff to participate professional development opportunities.

The Manager of the Year Award is given in honor of Louise Sublette, a leader in school nutrition in her state and the national School Nutrition Association. During her 43 years in the profession, Sublette worked in many areas of food service—public schools, colleges, hospitals and elderly feeding programs. Sublette dedicated her career to honoring school nutrition professionals and ensuring those who work in school cafeterias have access to professional development opportunities, empowering them to help their school meal programs flourish.

Recinos was announced as the Western region Manager of the Year during an online awards ceremony on April 30 in advance of School Lunch Hero Day, celebrated on May 2, 2025, to honor dedicated school nutrition professionals. The accomplishments of Recinos and all SNA regional award winners will be profiled on SNA’s Instagram (@PowerofSchoolMeals), Facebook (@SchoolNutritionAssociation) and (@TrayTalk), and on TrayTalk.org around School Lunch Hero Day. SNA award winners will also receive recognition in School Nutrition magazine, SNA e-newsletters, on schoolnutrition.org and at SNA’s Annual National Conference in San Antonio, TX, in July.

About School Nutrition Association:

The School Nutrition Association (SNA) is a national, non-profit professional organization representing 50,000 school nutrition professionals across the country. Founded in 1946, SNA and its members are dedicated to making healthy school meals and nutrition education available to all students. For more information on school meals, visit www.SchoolNutrition.org/SchoolMeals.