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Kitchen
The Food Service Section is responsible for meeting the nutritional needs of inmates housed in the Harris county Jails and is comprised of three kitchens, one in each of the main jail facilities.
 The Food Service Director, a Registered and Licensed Dietitian (eatright.org), is responsible for the overall operation of the Food Service Section and plans the menus that are served in each of the jails. The menus are planned to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances following the Food Guide Pyramid. There are six types of diets: regular, heart healthy, soft, full liquid, clear liquid and renal. Other specialty diets can be prepared when found to be medically necessary. Questions concerning medically ordered diets or supplements need to be directed to the Medical Division. The menu is planned and served without any pork or pork products.
Personnel in the kitchens purchase, prepare and serve approximately 11,800,000 meals each year. The kitchens operate following the Texas Food Establishment Rules and are inspected by the Harris County Health Department on a quarterly basis.
 Each of the three kitchens performs specialty functions in addition to the regular inmate meals that they prepare and serve. The 1200 Baker Street jail prepares and serves approximately 260,000 medically ordered diets and dietary supplements annually. The 701 N. San Jacinto Street jail participates in the End Hunger Network by insuring that leftover foods are properly stored. This food is subsequently provided to this organization for distribution to homeless shelters in the Houston area. Two thousand sandwich bags are also prepared in this jail each day to provide interim meals for inmates in court or being processed into jail. The 1200 Baker Street jail prepares approximately 13,500 meals monthly for the Peden Substance Abuse Treatment Facility for probationers housed in the facility. The 1307 Baker Street jail provides approximately 4500 meals monthly for the Precinct 2 Senior Nutrition Program, which provides both congregate and homebound meals for senior citizens in that precinct. Additionally, this jail prepares approximately 48,000 meals monthly for the Joe Kegan State Jail, which is part of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Each kitchen also provides daily lunches for those inmates who work outside the jail.
 Houston Community College provides a Culinary Arts class within the 701 N. San Jacinto Street jail kitchen. The class provides inmate participants with knowledge of basic food handling, preparation and nutrition. Inmates who successfully complete the class program receive a certificate in Culinary Arts. This certificate can be beneficial to the inmate in obtaining food service related employment after being released from jail.
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