Freshbox Blog

Meet LeNan: Our New General Manager!

LeNan took over for Joe DeLoss as the new General Manager of Freshbox Catering on May 9, 2011.  Her many years of experience in catering, sales, and the restaurant industry make her a welcome addition to the Freshbox team.  Aside from LeNan’s work experience, her energy and maternal instincts will be key in maintaining enthusiasm in the kitchen and keeping everything running smoothly.  Now that we’ve had a chance to get to know her, we’d like to introduce her to you too!

Can you tell us about yourself?
I was born and raised in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  I moved to Columbus to study at OSU and graduated in 1996 with a degree in communications.  I love the fact that Columbus feels like a small town but actually has a vibrant, diverse community that offers a lot for everyone.

I don’t have children but I do have a Rottweiler named Roma who I adopted from rescuers.  My family is really interesting; I’ve got a brother living in Dubai, another who just moved back from Rio de Janiero, and a sister who’s a talented artist in Boston.  My father designed and constructed the only lighthouse built in the U.S. in the 20^th century; it’s called the Great Point Lighthouse and it’s in Nantucket.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at Freshbox?
I’m an avid sports enthusiast, both as a participant and spectator.  I love to golf.  My favorite sports teams are the Ohio State Buckeyes, the New England Patriots, and the Boston Celtics and Red Sox.

I spend a lot of time gardening in my yard.  I just got a new lawn mower and now I actually enjoy mowing the lawn!   I also love to cook and entertain; I have people over a lot.  I love to make low country food and I make fierce jambalaya.  I’m known for making soups and stews from scratch and my lobster bisque is legendary.

I’m an active member of Trinity Lutheran Church…I’m in the bell choir and alter guild and I’m the church council secretary.

Why did you apply to Freshbox?
Lutheran Social Services staff sought me out and asked me to apply for the position of General Manager.   I’d heard of Freshbox Catering because I’d worked in catering myself.  I knew that it was a nonprofit with a social mission but I didn’t know all the details.

I decided to apply because it would give me the opportunity to do what I loved, which is catering and impacting lives.  I feel really lucky to be able to help people while doing what I love.

What were your first impressions of Freshbox?  Was there anything that surprised you?
Well, for the first two weeks I was here at 5:30am every morning so my first impressions were that it was early and dark.  Jokes aside, there was a really generous, positive energy and I could tell that people genuinely wanted to help each other.  Also, I was surprised by how consistently busy we are.  My first week we did 200-300 meals per day.   Even without much experience in the food industry, Joe and Kelly put together a great catering machine.  I’d never had a Freshbox sandwich before and I love them!

What’s your favorite sandwich so far?
I think the Napoli.  It’s just delicious.

What part of the job do you look forward to when you arrive in the morning?
Everything.  Just being with everyone and knowing that we’re helping people.  When I get to work I look forward to finding out what music we’re listening to for the day; I love music.

Any exciting changes coming up at Freshbox?
We’re contemplating adding a seasonal sandwich or two.  We’re also considering adding breakfast to our repertoire.

We like to play two truths and a lie…each member of the team shares two true things about themselves and one lie.  The reader has to guess which two are true and which one isn’t.  Want to play?

Sure!

a)      I don’t care for chocolate; I don’t eat cookies (except a few Freshbox Oreos here and there) and when people put dessert down in a big spread, I don’t eat it.  I’m a great baker, though, and I cook desserts for other people.

b)      I’ve driven cross-country by myself twice.  On one of the trips I read through the entire book The Graduate each night in the hotel to keep from getting bored or lonely.

c)       Once I had great seats at a Clippers game right behind the batter’s box.  The guy who was at bat let the bat go and it actually went through the net tail-end first, right over our heads, and landed in the seats behind us.  The net’s there to prevent that from happening so the odds of the bat going through tail-end first are very small.  At the same exact game a person was walking with a tray of beer and a ball actually landed right on the tray.

Scroll down for the answer…

…

…

…

…

Lie:  b

Truth:  It’s true that I’ve driven cross-country twice, but I didn’t read The Graduate while I was in the hotel rooms…I read it while I was driving through the desolate Plains states.  I just held up my book, rode, and read.

We’re excited to have LeNan on board.  The door’s always open at Freshbox or if you want to shoot LeNan an email to say hi, her email address is gm@freshboxcatering.com.

Comments are closed.