Mother/Daughter cook combo Shannon Reina and Bee Jackson are a dynamic duo cheffing it up in the Salt River Schools kitchens: Shannon is head chef and food service manager and Bee is our resident baker. The pair are featured in the latest edition of School Nutrition Magazine (Fall 2026).
Bonus: The photos used in the magazine were taken by Hannah Lewis, Salt River Schools Digital Communications Specialist.
From the magazine:
Inspired by Generations: When Child Nutrition Runs in the Family: [School Nutrition Association] members share how they chose this career path after observing the dedicated efforts of a parent, grandparent or other beloved mentor who came before them.
We copy/pasted the article below, but you can
click here to view the PDF article (pages 26 & 27), or click here to view the magazine on
School Nutrition's website (a free membership is required to view). Enjoy!
MY INSPIRATION
Shannon: My daughter, Bee Wood Jackson, recently switched from being a cook in a restaurant to becoming a baker in our school nutrition program, and I couldn't be prouder of her work ethic and desire to do her best for students. I have been in school nutrition for 18 years and have shared many stories with her about the work I do. I know she understands how important this profession is to me and how passionate I am about serving students. It makes me incredibly proud to see her learning, growing and carrying that same passion into school nutrition herself.
THE JOURNEY
Shannon: I started as a part-time cook aide in 2008 and moved up to cook within a year. I had a lot of good mentors and moved up to kitchen supervisor within five years, and five years after that, I became the food service program manager. The more I learned, the more I fell in love with the work, and I realized the difference we make in students' health and the way nutrition services support education and learning. We are from the O’odham and Piipaash from Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. My big goal is to introduce more fresh-made items and more of our Indigenous foods. So, when Bee is baking—today she was making sheet pancakes, and we also make something called a lazy tortilla (Sko:v Ce:mait)—she uses a whole grain flour provided to us by an Indigenous farmer. Bee is a really good worker, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my daughter! She is one of our best workers, and it’s enjoyable to have her here because she is dependable, works hard and stepped up to take on the position of baker.
Bee: I started in restaurants as a dishwasher and then prep cook and moved up from there. I trained on the job from the beginning, and after a couple of years, I started training other people. After I changed restaurants, I started baking: bread work, pretzels, cakes, things like that. Like my mom, I think I just like feeding people, and making something people enjoy eating gives me a lot of gratification. Working for the school like my mom was always in the back of my mind. Who wouldn’t want to help feed their community?
WHY I SHOW UP
Shannon: This work is an opportunity for me to make a difference in my community, teaching kids healthy eating habits so they can stay healthy throughout their lives. I have lost a lot of family members to diabetes, so I am just trying to make a positive change, and that starts with the kids.
Bee: I am still new, and I am still learning a lot about school nutrition. I feel like the work I do now is going to make a difference for kids now and later down the road. I want to find a way to present healthy food to kids to make them more willing to try new things.