LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) — The smell of meatloaf drifted through the air as knives hit cutting boards. Hands grabbed salad mix and placed it in Styrofoam lunch boxes. An assembly line of people scooped mashed potatoes, baked beans, cookies and crackers onto brown trays.

In the back of the kitchen, University of Louisiana at Lafayette students wore white chef’s jackets and white hats. They listened intently as a man in a light and dark gray striped jumpsuit, black apron and black hair covering gave them tips on how to cut sausage.

The four hospitality management students arrived this week at the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center to start their internship. The jail’s kitchen is where they’ll learn to prepare meals for hundreds of inmates and staff members.

“You’re not talking about quarts,” said Chad Williams, “you’re talking about gallons.”

Williams and Duquean Lewis are inmates who serve as the main cooks in the jail’s kitchen. They help cook the main entrees for breakfast and lunch, make sure food is prepped properly and fill in when someone else is sick or needs help.

About 3,000 meals are prepared at the correctional center every day and about 21,000 meals are prepared every week.

It’s the quantity of food being prepared that surprised Kelu Acrhbold, a senior at UL. She’s worked in the service industry for seven years and has enjoyed learning about the ins and outs of the industry.

When she learned her class would be interning at the jail as opposed to the university’s student union, Archbold was shocked.

“I didn’t know what to expect,” the 24-year-old said. “I was scared at first because I didn’t know what the atmosphere would be like.”

But the jail’s staff made her feel comfortable. She found the experience interesting and enjoyed working alongside the inmates who understand how to serve large crowds.

“Chad (Williams) had a lot of knowledge,” she said. “He knew what he was talking about.”

Dr. Jennifer Jackson, a dietician for the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, works to create balanced menus for the jail and works with inmates to understand their individual dietary needs, such as understanding what foods help manage diabetes. It was her idea to bring in the UL students for an internship.

“When you think of college, you’re getting an education to get a job,” she said. “Now (students) can come here to get experience.”

The inmates who work in the kitchen work to get the same state food safety certifications that UL students do. Both Williams and Lewis have food handler and manager certifications.

“This helps an offender like myself build a solid work ethic,” Lewis said. “It takes away the feeling of being incarcerated.”

The 36-year-old was excited when he was able to join the kitchen staff about a year ago. He wanted to learn and was one of the first to raise his hand to answer questions in class.

Inmates who work in the kitchen are paid for their time, which has taught Williams valuable lessons in the six years he’s worked to feed others.

“It’s teaching me to manage my money and the value of hard work,” he said. “I’m responsible for what I get.”

It also means when Lewis, Williams and the other inmates who work in the kitchen are released from jail, they have opportunities.

“When the inmates leave from here – and they all eventually will – every one of them can get a job,” Jackson said. “And that’s the goal.”