The property was the original Firland Tuberculosis Sanitorium (a hospital dedicated to treating tuberculosis), built in 1913 on 53 acres with 35 massive buildings. It even had tunnels underneath the main hospital that originally led to a morgue. This was my first school cafeteria with a morgue on the premises, although it was no longer operational.

When the school began in 1950, the property hadn’t been in use for years and had fallen into disrepair. The weeds and grass had grown, and the building sat empty awaiting its next assignment.

There are currently two campuses for King’s Schools — the King’s School in Shoreline (where Mackenzie attends) and King’s West on the Kitsap Peninsula.

King’s Junior High is located in the old pediatrics ward of the former tuberculosis hospital.

Mackenzie, an eighth-grader at the time of my visit, sings in an award-winning jazz group at the school. The group, called Celebration, had just won two jazz competitions — the 2005 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival and the Northwest Vocal Jazz Festival.

The school is also involved in missions work. Both the junior high students and the senior high school students go on missions trips and sponsor children in orphanages. Mackenzie and her family sponsor two children.

History and science are Mackenzie’s favorite subjects, but as far as future career goals go, Mackenzie would like to be a Christian singer and/or songwriter.

From what I could tell, King’s School served plenty of food choices. It all looked good! Mackenzie opted for the sandwich bar, so I did, too. She picked the turkey sandwich, and I went for the egg salad. This was one of the best egg salad sandwiches I’ve ever had. It wasn’t nearly as crunchy as mine. (Apparently removing the shells BEFORE mixing the egg salad is the secret.) Besides liking the sandwiches, Mackenzie is also a big fan of the broccoli and cheddar soup.

There are many fun things to do and see in Washington. Whale watching, the Seattle Space Needle, fishing, river rafting and hiking are just the beginning. Washington has plenty of glaciers, is known for its apples and, of course, Starbucks: the nation’s biggest coffee chain.

A big thank you to Mackenzie Weber for inviting me to her school; thanks to the school staff for making me feel so welcome and especially to the cafeteria workers who made my egg salad sandwich!

Looking for the Winner
I had hit the west coast and trekked my way across the United States in search of the best school cafeteria food in our country. I wish I could’ve visited all 50 states, but time ran out. I gave it my best shot and had eaten my way across the mainland United States. I logged many miles on the Caf-Mobile.

It was now time to judge all the chicken tenders, the salmon pea wiggles, the seafood chowders, the hot dogs and hamburgers, the taco salads, the pizzas, and all the rest of the delicacies that I had eaten and determine which cafeteria wins “The Cafeteria Lady’s Best School Cafeteria Food in America” contest. It was time to . . . see if I could have seconds on that egg salad.

Discover the winner and read through The Cafeteria Lady’s journey by looking in the Too Funny section.