(In the years we’ve been reporting on the prison food, this isn’t the first time this quote has been documented. We hoped the new vendor, Aramark, would not be sexist, but we were wrong. One of the reasons we think this doesn’t change is Aramark hired the same Trinity workers and just gave them a blue shirt to wear. Same attitude, a different color shirt. Many reliable sources were interviewed for this story, and we have the real names of Aramark (Trinity retreads) employees, but we’ll just use initials.–Ed.)

COMPLEX KITCHEN- Perryville: There are 3 Trinity retreads, R, C, and S. Ms. R. reportedly has been working there for 26 years. Complex kitchen also feeds a men’s prison and all Perryville units. These supervisors have repeatedly told the female inmate workers to ” keep the men’s menu exactly as written, cuz they’ll get mad if it isn’t.” “Just give the women the leftovers.” When the gals ask why this is, all 3 supervisors say, “Because that’s the way it’s always been.” Recently the kitchen ran out of sweet potatoes, which were on the menu for both genders, and indeed the men all got sweet potatoes. What did Perryville get? Mashed up, dehydrated regular potato slices from breakfast, in a cold lumpy paste! Supervisor C. said, “The women will take whatever and no one cares.”

Inmate workers all agree Aramark has superior fresher ingredients than Trinity. They were also impressed that Aramark prepared food only one day in advance, versus Trinity’s three-day prep which tended to spoil. Workers appreciated the little things, like butter instead of water in baked goods. Apparently, Aramark requires a full “state issue” serving, so that’s good too.

Now brace yourself. Our sources are terrified of what will happen when the REAL Aramark employees go home. What? Since the transfer of Trinity to Aramark, full-time Aramark employees from back east were staying in hotels, and supervising everything from food service to hiring people. (retreads) In a few short weeks, they are all flying home! That leaves Perryville in the clutches of Trinity’s failure team and bad habits. There are guardrails on the retreads now, what will happen to the food when Aramark supervisors leave? We’ll be keeping our eye on it, and reporting back to our readers.

Since the advent of Aramark’s good food and nutrition on Sept 30th, the entire population of San Carlos wants to eat in the chow hall. Instead of making this transition easier, DW Tony Baloney is making it much more difficult. There are TWO kitchens at Carlos, for breakfast and lunch he makes all the women funnel in ONE door at one chow hall. Only at dinner does he open both dining halls.

A Carlos inmate now has her entire life revolve around eating three times a day. Hey, it’s a step up from zero in her miserable existence, before it was 24 hours of sensory deprivation PLUS lousy food. At least now standing in line for 3 hours per day nets her something gratifying…. delicious food.

One thing we know for sure about the first 24 hours of Aramark food is….it’s VERY popular with the residents. All units report long lines “to the I-10 freeway” (hyperbole obviously), but the meaning is clear, people that never ate prison food, are going to the chow hall.

Our research shows that Trinity/Keefe started at Perryville in 2010. That means nutrition and taste have been mostly missing from the women’s diet for 14 years. Initial emails extolled the bliss of the “fresh fruit cup” with bananas, apples, and orange slices. Raves poured in about the sausage….no longer “shmeat” (mechanically separated chicken parts mixed with TVP, a textured vegetable protein infused with solvents) but a real sausage patty, tender and delicious, and pancakes with REAL maple syrup! The only thing negative we heard was the way the DOC handled the unusual crush of people going to the kitchen. We will report back with more foodie reviews after a few weeks!

After more than a decade of making residents sick and their wallets lighter, Trinity/Keefe has finally been given the heave-ho by ADCRR. If you look through the archived articles we’ve written about rats and rotten food directly attributed to Trinity, you’ll understand why we’re happy to see them go. May they rot in their “shmeat”!

We’ve been sitting on this story for a month now. Why rush to press when there was so much info and interviews to gather? We actually have a source, that talked to real live women in three states, that have Aramark as their food vendor. They like it. The gals especially enjoyed the food that could be bought by them, like Keefe’s Trinity meal, and the meals available for purchase by their families, like Keefe’s Secure Pak. We’re not sure we believe the $20 steak meal, salads, fresh veggies, fresh fruit, but one can always hope there’s a Santa.

Apparently, the daily food in the chow hall is tasty and healthy. Go ahead and look up their catalog online like we did…wow. That $50 banquet is going to make some lucky inmate very happy.

Of course, here’s the caveat….. what will the DOC let them sell? Keefe allegedly had good food in their catalog too, that doesn’t mean the DOC let inmates buy it. If the ADCRR wants to keep them eating nothing but junk food, then by golly that’s all Aramark is going to sell.

We have to report the not-so-good side of Aramark too, so here it is: Prison Legal News, May 2024/ “Aramark, Prison Food For Thought.” That article will make your hair curl. The reality for Perryville women will probably be somewhere in between. We interviewed people who remember when Keefe first started. They had good stuff too, large portions, etc., but every year their quality and quantity tapered off into garbage. All profiteers that make money off mass incarceration, can’t be expected to provide good service to inmates. After all, the inmate is NOT the customer….. the state is…and that’s who they have to keep happy.

The profiteering Trinity gives women an average of 4 chicken nuggets in a bag, while McDonald’s CHILDREN’S meal has 6. The women receive food portions not deemed adequate for a child. Half-sized food portions are the norm, and mechanically separated chicken (bone, beaks, legs, gristle no extra charge) are the main staple.

Our sources on Lumley, Cruz, and Carlos report ROACHES and RODENTS permeating the living quarters. Inmates on Cruz and Lumley are mostly infested with roaches, while San Carlos has problems with mice and rats. At C bay on Carlos, 3 mice were reportedly caught in sticky traps in one day. A bay has had a similar infestation.

The women’s food supply is being eaten through by hungry little mouths. In general, the inmates say the staff are ho-hum about the whole thing and refuse to put more traps out because “it costs money”.

Our readers can Google all the diseases rodents carry so you can see for yourself how serious it is. What galls us, even more, is the women themselves are called on to carry the dead rodents out to the trash. One eyewitness account of CO PEARCH completely ignoring the dead mouse in the laundry room (11-6-22 am shift), she wouldn’t even call it in. An inmate had to deal with it.

Large rats are breeding under the buildings, while mice seem to have nests inside the buildings. Stay tuned.

The Keefe/Trinity Corp has found yet another way to scalp inmates of their precious few dollars. Not happy with a complete monopoly on food that inmates have no choice but to consume, but they want MORE money for their “restaurant meals”.

Billed as restaurant quality, and big portions, of meals like Angus Burger, Carne Asada, and Chicken Tenders. Comes with a bag of chips and a soda! You should see the photos on display of each meal….yummy. And for the amazingly low price of $10.75!

According to the women on PeeVille, the reality is different than advertising. Consumers report the meals are tasteless, as the Carne Asada was gray, boiled, gristle, and portions are typical prison amounts (small). Most gals reported spending $10.75 on chips and soda. Rip off!!!