Induction Day!

a very cool intro to the restaurant group I'm working for

It’s always nerve-wracking starting a new job and not knowing how your supervisors are going to be. I feel it can be a pretty even toss-up between them being the worst or them being really nice. Luckily, I think I’ve ended up with a really nice one! That feels really good, LOL. Everyone has been so insanely lovely since I’ve started. The work can feel really tiring sometimes but it’s always made so much easier by the people around you. Luckily, the senior team is so helpful and answers all my questions (even though I have about 500 every single day). They never shoo me away or make me feel stupid, instead, they encourage my curiosity and always make me feel at home in the kitchen.

I think this attitude probably derives from the upper management as well. Since my restaurant falls under a larger restaurant group, there’s senior management as well that helps facilitate the new start. One way they do this is an induction day for all new staff across their restaurants.

We get to have a day where we meet the owners, managing director, and HR department. We also got to meet three of our suppliers, which was crazy cool and something I really loved. We met Natoora (our fruit and veg supplier), Neal’s Yard Dairy (our dairy supplier), and Liberty Wines (our wine supplier). We were also introduced to a mental health specialist who they employ in case any of us need some support in that aspect.

It made me feel so valued and appreciated- and on the plus side, the food was amazing!! Let me show you some pics.

winter tomatoes (black iberiko) ; rainbow carrots ; beetroot, tomatoes, & russet apples ; gorgy radishes ; miyagawa mandarins

Next, we got to try some cheeses from Neal’s Yard Dairy which was MY personal favorite!

from clockwise:

2 year Lincolnshire poacher cheddar

4 year Lincolnshire poacher cheddar

Wittenham goat cheese (2 weeks)

Brightwell ash goat cheese

Stichelton blue cheese

Stilton blue cheese

And finally, we finished off with a lovely demo by Liberty Wines. We tried two reds and two whites.

Givry- South Burgundy ; Momento- Grenache Blanc, South Africa ; Copper Pot- Pinot Noir, South Africa ; Albe- Barolo, Piedmot, Italy (nebbiolo) grapes)

It was really a lovely day and made me feel very appreciative of the people I work with (and of course the food!).