
PA ProStart Blog |
Jennifer Delaye CEO, The JDK Group Briefly describe your job and responsibilities.
In charge of overall vision and direction of the company. Oversee the financials. Work on new initiatives and projects for the growth of the company. What does a "typical" day at work look like for you? Currently I am working on a new program installation for the company, so my day is filled with working on the program, training the team members on the program. I also work with the culinary team on strategy and programing. So, a typical day has me working on the program and working with key members of the team to push the projects forward. What was your first job? I was a waitress at Bob's Big Boy when I was 16. When did you know this industry was right for you? I didn't figure that out until after my first catering job. It provided a creative outlet and an adrenaline rush. After this first catering job, I never looked back. Briefly describe your career path and how you got to where you are today. I was never “supposed” to be in the hospitality industry. I graduated from college with a bacteriology degree. My goal was to go work for the CDC. The summer before I graduated, my family opened the food stands on Harrisburg’s City Island (Riverside Village Park) and I came home to work it with my brother and sister. It turned out to be a huge undertaking and a very large operation. It was not going to be a one summer gig. When I graduated, I came home to continue to run the business (with my brother and sister). We added a restaurant in Harrisburg, and soon after started catering out of the restaurant. What is your favorite part of your job? My most favorite part of the job is relationships formed with the team I work with. Every person has a passion and brings something special to the team and I love working with them and getting to know them. What is the most challenging part of your job? The most challenging part at the current moment is maintaining a healthy environment given the circumstances surrounding COVID. What advice would you give to students interested in your profession? Whether it is in this profession or not, my best advice is to find what it is you are passionate about—something that excites you to get up every morning—and find a job doing just that. When you find your passion, you will never "work" another day. Find a purpose for doing what you do; one that impacts the lives of others and learn from others in the process. That is the best way to build a strong community and a strong sense of self. What achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of the unique, highly talented and passionate team that is the heart of JDK. Without them, the company would not be what it is today. What do you like to do outside of work? I love to do hot yoga, take my dog for walks, and I love to be on the water! What is your favorite food to make or eat? I love to cook any food. Cooking is a way to bring the family together. Each of my kids takes an item and we cook the meals together. It is a great time to bond, laugh and work through life's issues. As far as eating, I will eat anything once! If I had my choice, I would eat fish every day. What's at the top of your bucket list? Sailing around the Galapagos!
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Cynthia Smith In-House Counsel, Hoss's Steak & Sea House/Marzoni's Brick Oven & Brewing Vice Chair, PRLA Board of Directors Briefly describe your job and responsibilities.
- Ensure compliance with various laws/regulations applicable to our business. - Secure & maintain required licenses & regulatory approvals. - Track legislative changes that impact our business; communicate with legislators accordingly. - Maintain corporate records for various companies affiliated with our business. - Intellectual property management. - Provide legal guidance/training as needed. What does a "typical" day at work look like for you? I generally work in my office at our corporate headquarters 8:30-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. A typical day might include working on regulatory compliance tasks such as a license-related renewal or application, or a beverage registration; reviewing or preparing business records as issues arise or changes occur; consulting with Human Resources or Customer Service personnel on an employee, customer or vendor issue; and responding to miscellaneous questions or requests from other corporate staff or restaurant managers. What was your first job? I became a hostess and salad bar attendant at Hoss's in Altoona, PA as a junior in high school. When did you know this industry was right for you? My family founded our company in 1985, and it quickly grew into a multi-unit chain. I worked in various areas of our restaurants in high school and through college. The HOSSpitality mission is in my blood. When I completed college and decided to go to law school, I knew I could bring those skills into our business and hopefully contribute to our ongoing success. Briefly describe your career path and how you got to where you are today. I started my restaurant career as a teenager in high school, working as a hostess and salad bar attendant at Hoss's in Altoona, PA. I continued working as a server at various other Hoss's locations while attending college. From there I attended law school, graduating in 1995, and began working in-house for my family's restaurant company, Hoss's Steak & Sea House. I began working in the Human Resources department for several years, then began to get involved in other areas of the business, with my current focus being regulatory compliance and corporate records management. What is your favorite part of your job? I love working with a company that promotes family values, truly cares about people, and remains committed to doing the right thing in every situation. (And access to lots of delicious food, of course!) What is the most challenging part of your job? Uncertainty! I'm a person who likes to plan ahead and analyze every situation carefully. Sometimes this just isn't an option. I've had to learn to expect the unexpected and work through some things on the spot. This is a work in progress! What advice would you give to students interested in your profession? Spend some time working in a restaurant that's part of a chain, and learn as much about the operations and the regulatory side of the business as you can. What achievement are you most proud of? Raising two wonderful kids with my husband, Tom. What do you like to do outside of work? Spend time with family and friends, travel, and read Ted Dekker novels. What is your favorite food to make or eat? Dessert - the sweeter the better! What's at the top of your bucket list? I've never had a bucket list, but I've always wanted to go on a mission trip overseas with my family. Tom Neely CEO, Thomas E Strauss, Inc. Briefly describe your job and responsibilities.
Entrusted to lead this family owned group of iconic brands seated in the heart of Amish Country in the greater Lancaster, PA area. The company was born in 1929 when Anna Miller began to serve meals to weary truckers stopping at her husband’s service station on PA Rt 30. From there it has grown into what is known today as Millers Smorgasbord Restaurant, a fabulous feast of fresh made local delights. We also proudly operate Millers Bakery (shipping nationally through the gold belly platform), Locally Made Food Shop which features our bakery items as well as numerous private labeled and local food products, Millers Quilt Shop featuring beautiful handcrafted quilts from local crafters, Amish View Inn and Suites a wonderful high-end select service hotel with a fabulous full country breakfast, Smokehouse BBQ and Brews with some of the best smoked brisket in Lancaster County and additional retail shops supporting our restaurants. What does a "typical" day at work look like for you? It is important to me to touch each of the businesses in our portfolio daily so I try to do that at least once during the day at a time that might make sense for them and certainly if they are in need of any assistance in the operation. What was your first job? As busser at the Copper Kettle Restaurant, which was part of the old Hershey Lodge (before their renaissance). When did you know this industry was right for you? From an early age, I lived in a household where we did a significant amount of entertaining, primarily surrounding my father’s colleagues. It was not unusual, at least once a year to have over 200 people in our home. As a 1 of 5 children...we were the staff. :-) Briefly describe your career path and how you got to where you are today. After obtaining my degree from Penn State's School of Hospitality Management, I set sail into the Hotel industry as a Housekeeping Manager with Interstate Hotels. After moving and changing roles throughout every department of a hotel and a few years at the Corporate Office, I started working with family-owned companies in various roles leading me on a path to my current role. What is your favorite part of your job? I love the creativity of people. As a self-proclaimed "spaghetti thrower," I think the greatest failure is not to evolve and try new things and the best ideas almost always come from the team. What is the most challenging part of your job? In this day and age – staffing. This parlays into the advice I would give young people. What advice would you give to students interested in your profession? To be engaged and try EVERYTHING. The most wonderful thing about the hospitality industry is there is a place for nearly every skill set and interest. And those that engage, now more than ever, have a fantastic opportunity to gain great success. What achievement are you most proud of? Developing people. I take great personal satisfaction in seeing people that I have worked with flourish and succeed in their own careers. What do you like to do outside of work? I am a woodworking hobbyist....there is nothing better at the end of a stressful time than to run a board through a saw and create something unique. What is your favorite food to make or eat? While I know I should probably not eat as much as I do, there is absolutely nothing better to me than a juicy steak perfectly cooked on the grill. What's at the top of your bucket list? Probably tied but to travel to Ireland and Austria, both countries fascinate me a great deal. Briefly describe your job and responsibilities.
I prep and cook food to order for customers. What does a "typical" day at work look like for you? I come in at 10:30 am and prep before the lunch rush. After lunch, I make sure everything is ready for the dinner rush. Around 6 pm I start cleaning for when we close at 7 pm. What was your first job? My first job was when I was 16, at McDonald's. I was a cashier. When did you know this industry was right for you? I had worked at lot of kitchen jobs, but it wasn't until I worked at a high end catering company that I realized it was what I want to do for the rest of my life. Briefly describe your career path and how you got to where you are today. I started working in fast food and short order cook jobs. When I moved to Pennsylvania, I got a job at a high-end catering company and fell in love with cooking beautiful food. From there I want to culinary school and joined the ACF. After I graduated, I worked for a job that let me cook great food but also gave me benefits. That is what lead me to the job I have now. What is your favorite part of your job? I love interacting with the residents that live in my building. Many of them a very happy to see me every day. What is the most challenging part of your job? The most challenging part is during dinner rush. We get a lot of pre-orders and trying to fill those orders and make the food for the walks can be hard at times. What advice would you give to students interested in your profession? Work in different kitchens—fast-paced restaurants, catering jobs, food trucks, health care kitchens, etc. There is no cookie cutter job in the culinary arts. Find what fits you and your needs. What achievement are you most proud of? I am most proud of graduating from culinary school. What do you like to do outside of work? I am very involved with my local ACF. What is your favorite food to make or eat? I love Asian food. It is my comfort food. What's at the top of your bucket list? I want to own my own food truck. Rob Billet Owner, ShreddRRz LLC, Food Truck & Restaurant Briefly describe your job and responsibilities.
Daily operations of carry out restaurant and food truck including food prep and customer services. All product ordering and overseeing a small staff including one manager and a few part time employees. What does a "typical" day at work look like for you? Arriving at the restaurant and doing inventory. Prepping for the day and opening the restaurant to serve guests. If the food truck is going out that day, we also have to establish the food needs for the truck and prepare them as well. At the end of the day, completing daily paperwork and any miscellaneous items that need to be taken care of. What was your first job? Hourly employee at McDonalds. When did you know this industry was right for you? When I was promoted from an hourly employee to an assistant manager at McDonalds, I figured I would be in this business at some capacity. Briefly describe your career path and how you got to where you are today. I started as an hourly employee at McDonalds. I eventually became a general manager and attended Hamburger University in Oakbrook, Illinois. I spent ten years with McDonalds and was looking for more opportunity. After searching and many interviews I ended up being hired as an assistant manager trainee at Hoss's Steak & Sea House. Hoss's was expanding rapidly at that time, and I was promoted to the general manager position at the Hoss's on East Market Street in York. Based on my abilities to manage a profitable restaurant, I was used in several different struggling locations to turn things around. I also opened several new locations. I was eventually promoted to a district manager position and oversaw as many as 12 different locations. During my tenure as a DM, I was also heavily involved in creating new promotional products. Eventually this led to my being positioned as director of menu development. This involved creating new menu items, salad bar products and various other food ideas. During this time, the food truck craze really started to happen. Along with a friend of mine, we developed and operated a food truck concept (ShreddRRz) on the side mostly for fun and to develop and create some different products. We only operated about once a week with the intent of someday possibly doing it full time. Fast forward to 2020 and COVID struck. Due to financial concerns some cuts had to be made and with no new restaurants or a need for product development, my job was eliminated. Having the food truck in my back pocket, I made the decision to pursue opening a carry out restaurant and still operating the food truck as well. What is your favorite part of your job? The ability to create foods that make people happy when they eat them. I find great joy through making people happy with food. What is the most challenging part of your job? Regulations and government bureaucracy. What advice would you give to students interested in your profession? Learn as much as you can from as many people as you can. Follow your dreams and pursue them. They may not lead exactly where you expect but stick with your intuition. Eventually you will end up where you are supposed to be. Most importantly, do what you love and enjoy the journey. What acheivement are you most proud of? Opening the ShreddRRz location. What do you like to do outside of work? Actually I love cooking for friends and family. I am a huge Disney fan and love to go to Disney World. We enjoy traveling and especially visiting our grandchildren in Colorado. We also like traveling to the beach, scuba diving when we can and hiking as well. What is your favorite food to make or eat? This varies often. Most recently I bought an outdoor pizza oven and currently I am experimenting with dough and various pizzas. What's at the top of your bucket list? Happiness in whatever I am doing at the current time. Trip Ruvane |
PA ProStart BlogThe PA ProStart Blog is for Pennsylvania students and teachers of the ProStart Program- a nationwide, two-level high school career and technical education program that teaches culinary arts and restaurant fundamentals. Archives
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