Welcome to Sparty’s!

Gaston Day School’s dining community experience takes “school lunch” beyond the cafeteria.

Enjoy high-quality, unique, and ethnically authentic lunches from Chef Dave. Sparty’s combines fresh, seasonal ingredients, regional produce, and creative seasonings for bold, spirited flavors that nourish and inspire you.
HOW IT WORKS:
Lower School: Pre-School & Pre-Kindergarten
PreSchool & PreK students eat lunch in their classroom. These students’ lunches must be ordered ahead of time so that they can be delivered daily. Your lunches must be ordered by Sunday evening prior to the start of the school week. Parents, you’ll find a link on Sparty’s website to place your students’ lunch order. Each day, you’ll see they have the option to order the hot lunch- which will be served with a starch and a vegetable. You will also have the option of ordering a sandwich for your student. All lunches will include a drink. Drinks will vary from water to juice to milk. Please utilize the comments section to note any food allergies. Lunch for all lower school students this year will be $7.00. Parents, watch your email for any updates or changes at the end of the semester. If you ever have any questions, please reach out to Chef Dave
Lower School: Kindergarten – 4th grade
Each day, your students will have the option to purchase lunch from the main hotline.  This will include a protein, starch and fruit/vegetable. Your student will also have the option of substituting a sandwich for the main protein. All lunches will include a drink. Students will be able to choose from a variety of water, juice and milk daily. Lunch for all lower school students this year will be $7.00. There will be scheduled “ICE CREAM” days for lower school students where they have the opportunity to purchase $1.50 ice cream cups, pops and novelties. This schedule will be coordinated with grade level teachers.
Middle and Upper School: 5th grade – 12th grade
Beginning in 5th grade, the students will have multiple options daily. A menu will be posted on the Sparty’s page detailing what is available. On a typical day, students & staff will be able to select from the HotLine, Chef Station and Grab & Go Sandwich & Salad Bar. From time to time, the dining team will create additional options that are limited in quantity. Students & Staff lunch for 2024/2025 will be $8.00 and includes a drink. 
Sparty’s Birthday Treats
We know that your child’s birthday is a special day. We also know that it can be hectic for parents to rearrange their schedules, pick up snacks, get to school, zoom back to work and everything else that comes with birthdays during the school year. Why not let Sparty’s help out with that? Thanks to a great idea from a parent, we’ve created a classroom birthday party package that can be delivered to your child’s classroom on their big day! Some of our most popular birthday treats are our JUMBO chocolate chip cookies, ice cream cups, and rainbow push ups. Items range from $1.00-$2.00 and can be delivered to your child’s classroom. Reach out with any questions. We’re happy to customize a birthday treat for your birthday boy or girl! 

What’s New?

» ADDING FUNDS
Your lunch account is what we call a “declining balance account”, which is similar to a bank checking account. You add funds to your account and when a purchase is made, the funds are deducted. There are a few ways to add funds. 
  1. CASH: students may bring cash to the dining hall and give it to the cashier to add to their account. 
  2. CHECK: make the check payable to GDS and in the memo line put “SPARTYS- student name”. Multiple checks are not necessary for multiple children. Simply note the breakdown you wish
  3. CREDIT/DEBIT/BANK: To add funds electronically, set up an account with mypaymentsplus.com and link your student with their student id number to your account. From there you can use your credit card, debit card or bank account to add funds. Please note, MPP charges a fee to process all payments.
    » NEGATIVE BALANCE POLICY
    We understand that from time to time a check gets lost in a backpack or there is a delay in money getting to the dining hall. If an account is $-150.00, sales will be limited to lunch only. Sales on all extra items will be blocked. “Extra items” would be items such as, but not limited to candy, ice cream, beverages other than water, cookies and chips. If an account is $-250.00, sales will be limited to boxed sandwich lunches only. Should an account get to  $-400.00, ALL sales will be blocked. We never want a child to go hungry and understand that “things happen”. If you are experiencing a special circumstance, please reach out to discuss options with Chef Dave.

Chef Dave 

Chef Dave believes in bringing people together through food. Born and raised in Butler, Pennsylvania, he attended Penn State University and graduated with a BS in Social & Behavioral Sciences and a BS in Political Science. In 2006, he moved to Charlotte and discovered a passion for cooking. In 2011, he added a degree in Culinary Arts from Central Piedmont Community College to his growing resume and began to cultivate his signature approach to cooking that combines cultural creativity, history, vision, and comfort.
Chef Dave has worked at various places in the Charlotte area, including Asbury Park Grove and All-Star Cafe, as well as his own private chef and catering business. He brought this experience to Gaston Day and turns the ordinary into the extraordinary on a daily basis.
Chef Dave shares his life with his wife Alicia and their three children, David, Jackson, and Zoe. He enjoys baseball (especially the Pittsburgh Pirates), playing golf, drinking coffee, traveling, and exploring new food on every trip he takes.
Feel free to reach out to Chef Dave: dreed@gastonday.org


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Next Steps

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