Lunch Lady Stole 11 Thousand Pounds Of School Chicken Wings
A Lunch Lady in Illinois has been sentenced to nine years in prison for making away with 11000 cases of chicken wings meant for students. Lunch Lady Vera Liddell stole the food over 19 months around the Covid-19 pandemic. The 68-year-old had been charged with theft and operating a criminal enterprise. The total cost of the wings is estimated to be 1.5 million dollars. Lunch Lady Liddell was the food service director for the Harvey School District 152. She had reportedly been working for the district for more than 10 years.
Wings Were Ordered From The School Food Delivery Service.
Prosecutors stated that the Lunch Lady had ordered chicken wings from Gordon Food Services – a main supplier for the district, reported ABC7 Chicago. She placed orders from July 2020 to February 2022, billing the district but keeping the food, according to prosecutors. Local TV station WGN quoted a source at Liddell’s bond hearing saying “The massive fraud began at the height of COVID during a time when students were not allowed to be physically present in school. Even though the children were learning remotely, the school district continued to provide meals for the students that their families could pick up.” As per reports, the food never reached the school or any of the students. Lunch Lady Liddell would drive a district cargo van and pick up the orders for herself.
Liddell’s theft came to light when a routine audit showed that the district’s food service department had already exceeded its annual budget by $300,000, halfway through the school year. During the mid-year audit, the district’s business manager found “individual invoices signed by Liddell for massive quantities of chicken wings, an item that was never served to students because they contain bones,” said prosecutors, according to WGN. Looks like Liddell will be the prison Lunch Lady now!
Speaking of chicken, there’s a new chicken and gyro place opening in Bricktown! Check it out here.
These Ocean County Places Have Excellent Chicken Francese
This list for excellent chicken Francese in Ocean County was compiled by sifting through social media food and community pages and by asking our listeners where they go to get this luscious lemony dish.
Chicken Francese is one of my favorite dishes to make at home. I have my own personal recipe that results in a velvety lemony white wine sauce that sticks to the cooked egg and flour dipped chicken cutlets.
I’m not overly fond of a thin consistency when it comes to Francese sauce. I like to add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it up a bit. I am firmly planted in the slightly thicker sauce brigade.
I know people who use butter and flour to make a roux to thicken their sauce. I’ve tried that and it comes out pasty and hides the lemony flavor of the sauce.
More About Chicken Francese
The French version is called Francaise and it’s basically a lemon beurre blanc which means “white butter,” and that recipe relies on the butter to create the silky texture and yellow color, while the lemon juice, white wine, and shallots create a slightly tangy flavor.
Adding garlic to the sauce gives it an Italian twist. It can be made in many ways with the key ingredients being butter, white wine, chicken broth or stock, and fresh lemons.
I’ve had some lousy, flavorless Chicken Francese in my time and I’ve had Chicken Francese that rivals my version. I’ve even had Chicken Francese that leaves my version in the dust.
A few months ago, Bruce and I went to chef Umberto Turelli’s intimate restaurant, Zi Marie’s Trattoria, located in the mini mall on Jamaica Blvd. in Toms River.
Bruce ordered the Chicken Francese and after the first bite his eyes lit up and he started making those ooooo and ahhhh sounds. I knew immediately that he found the best Chicken Francese he’s ever tasted.
I wasn’t bummed or insulted that he thought this version was slightly better than mine. I was curious about Umberto’s recipe. The chef wasn’t talking, he kept his mouth shut and gave us that Chesire cat smile.
Also See: Locals Are talking About This Ocean County Restaurant
Aside from Zi Marie’s, there are several places in Ocean County who make stellar plates of Chicken Francese. Take a look at the list of places below who make excellent Chicken Francese.
