We're not sure if it's cheating to feature our own employee on the blog?but we felt that nothing was more appropriate for our anniversary than celebrating the fact that Good Food Jobs has become more than an outlet for searching unique opportunities in food - it's also creating them. Marketing our site - or 'spreading the word' as we like to call it - has been one of the biggest components of what we do every day, and we learned pretty quickly that we needed more time to do it properly. Thankfully, Jen came into our lives and provided exactly the skills (and enthusiasm) that we were seeking, even as she continued her full-time day job. We wouldn't have asked for it any other way, since she's providing another example of the creative multi-tasking that is sometimes required to get one's foot in the door to their good food dream job. Every week she helps connect us to business and organizations that match our mission, and her unpaid internship quickly turned into a part-time paid position. We can't wait to find out what she'll do next.
When did you know that you wanted to work in food?
There came a point in time when the truth was unavoidable - the thirty bookmarked cooking blogs, the sheaves of printed recipes, dreaming about the next day's dinner as dishes are being cleared from tonight's, meal memories spoken aloud with a soft sigh of longing - this was it. The jig was up. I realized that what drove me to get through each day in my corporate cubicle job was the sheer joy I derived from thinking, scheming, preparing, and imbibing each evening's dinner. When my cube mates tired of hearing about my weekend conquests from Suzanne Goin's "Sunday Suppers at Lucques" and the artisan grocery store clerks started to know my name, the question became apparent: if I was spending all of my free time lost in a food fantasy land, why shouldn't I spend all of my paid time too?!
How did you get your current good food job?
In an effort to satiate my never-ending curiosity about particular topics (i.e.: all things related to food and travel), I've developed some serious internet stalking skills over the years. This "super reconnaissance" absolutely paid off when I stumbled upon Taylor! I've been saving up my pennies (and practicing my Italian!) in preparation to attend the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy. In researching the university, I decided to reach out to past and present students to gain a bit more insight into the program. I soon stumbled upon an alumna (Taylor) who had accomplished something truly great after earning her degree (the launch of a good food business), so I sent her an email with a million questions. Thankfully, she wrote back and answered each and every one of them. Her friendliness and enthusiasm for a fellow foodie prompted me to start incessantly checking Good Food Jobs. One day I noticed a post for a GFJ Outreach Intern, swallowed my uncertainty, and applied. The rest is history!
How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job?
Great meals often have little to do with food. They're about the time and the place, they're about the sense of community and belonging and memory-making that surrounds them. All of my previous jobs - from waitressing in college to giving presentations in boardrooms - have taught me that a community can be created from any group of like-minded people. Get together a group of people who love what they do and it will be invigorating, stimulating, and a whole lot of fun.
And isn't that what any good food job is all about? Becoming part of a group that will challenge you and help you grow and allow you to create your own community? All of my jobs and experiences leading up to this point have provided differing viewpoints than my own. Each has challenged my ideas and opinions. I think that it's so important to keep your mind open - you never know what your next meal will bring.
What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your Good Food Job?
I still feel as if I'm overcoming obstacles each day to pursue my Good Food Job dream! My internship (and subsequent employment) by Good Food Jobs has truly been a blessing, as it's opened my eyes to the sheer volume and diversity of food jobs available. I'll be the first to admit, however, that it's challenging at times to juggle a 40+ hour corporate work week, my commitment to GFJ, and all of my other interests and hobbies. I stay up late, I get up early, and I make it work because no one else is going to do it for me.
One of my favorite sayings is that you should live your life by design, not by accident, and I strive to pursue that mantra each and every day. I'm still in the designing phase - constantly seeking out new opportunities and adventures, challenging myself to learn new skills, and basically ensuring that my life doesn't just happen to me. Perhaps the biggest motivator for me is the idea that "Yes! I can love what I do and do what I love!" Believing in this helps me persevere. If there are people out there working in good food and enjoying every second of it, well, dang it - count me in!
What can you identify as the greatest opportunities in food right now?
I feel like urban agriculture is about to take over communities in a huge way. In the past few years, there has been an enormous surge of interest in seasonal, local, and slow food. People get so excited to make their own jam, grow their own veggies, and incorporate regional products into their daily lifestyle. Community gardens and urban farming are becoming big movements and I think that there will be a lot of opportunities to get involved. Maybe it starts as a veggie patch right in your backyard, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turned into a city-wide food feast. In my work as a scout for Good Food Jobs, I've seen many urban agriculture programs post internships and I have a feeling they're just going to keep coming. Be an entrepreneur - get out there, get growing, and start your own good food business!
If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?
I'd like to be compensated with mounds and mounds of cheese! Travel is another great passion of mine, and I'm not sure any other local food product can describe the terroir of a place quite as well as its cheese. Many of my favorite travel memories involve a hunk of local farmstead cheese, a crusty baguette, and a sun-dappled park.
Alternatively, an extra eight hours a day would be nice so I could have a second dinner!