Week 1:
Hit the Ground Running

June 4, 2022

On a sunny Wednesday morning, I arrived at work with a stereotypical approach that I would have to sit at a desk for the entirety of the day. Thankfully, that misunderstanding was corrected as soon as the Chief Executive Officer at Amazing Edibles greeted me and took about 45 minutes out of her time to explain my responsibilities as an intern and answer any initial questions I had. I was thrilled find out there would be at least one to two events every week–events such as weddings and gatherings hosted by different clients, including universities–and I would sit at tastings with Andrea (the CEO). At the moment, I did not know what tastings would entail and what my responsibilities would be at gatherings. Regardless, I was excited to learn more.Speaking with Andrea gave me an idea of what to expect, but my mentor was the person who really got me comfortable with the work environment and has taught me everything I know regarding what I am supposed to do. The picture above shows the desk where I work and have enhanced my skillset, learning how to navigate both complex websites like CaterXpert and simple ones such as Survey Monkey, which are essential to the work we do here. For most of my first day, I was shadowing my mentor (Kris) in the sales department, and learned how she completed the tasks assigned to her so I could do the same in the coming days. As the first day ended, I felt like I had learned a lot and I was more knowledgeable than at the beginning of the day. Everyone was so helpful and patient in teaching me things I did not know that I felt I belonged here.

One of the benefits of being an intern at a catering company is that there is a complementary meal and that meal is usually served during lunch. The timings of work and work hours are quite flexible as what the sales team does is mainly dependent on the clients communicating to us (through email or phone) that they would like Amazing Edibles to cater their event and subsequently filling out our surveys so we know what their specific needs are. The ‘Amazing’ team works tirelessly to serve their clients as best they can, which includes long phone calls and responding to 200 emails in one day. Just as the whole staff at Amazing Edibles want to do the job perfectly for the clients, so the Kitchen team wants to for the employees, and that is evident through the picture above. In fact, that is just the tip of the iceberg.

On Friday, there was a tasting during which I got to sit across the table from Andrea to shadow her and take notes. She explained to me what was going to happen before we sat down so that I was clearer on the details. Basically, a couple was supposed to come and taste the food we would provide for their wedding in the near future, and they were supposed to pick what they would prefer to have served. Before the tasting began, I had to set up the table you see in the above picture, and I got to know minor details like what the different glasses and plates are for. Shadowing Andrea for a time was a fruitful experience for me as I got to see firsthand how a salesperson makes a deal and what ‘tasting’ actually is.

Overall, I could not have asked for a better first three days, and I think now that I have learned many of the operations that go on here, the following weeks will be even better.