Freshbox Blog

Meet Youmeakia: Crew Leader

After starting  at Freshbox in June of 2010, Youmeakia has worked her way through our 3-tiered employment program and has been promoted to the position of Crew Leader. Shes responsible for daily operations, ensuring food orders are out the door on time, and that our work environment stays energetic and positive.  She shows up as early as 4:30 in the morning to make sure that the prep work gets done and the sandwich-making goes smoothly.  It’s been a pleasure watching her grow into her new role at Freshbox and we want you to get to know her too.  Here’s what Youmeakia’s got to say about her personal investment in Freshbox and what she’d like to accomplish down the road:

How did you hear about Freshbox and why did you decide to apply?
I first heard about Freshbox from the resource manager at Faith Mission.  She said it was a small catering company that was looking to hire someone.  So I went online and did the application and I’ve found that it’s been a really good fit for me.

Why do you personally choose to stay invested in Freshbox?
Freshbox was a fit for my life.  I like the company and I like the people I work with.  We get along, we tease each other, we have fun, and if someone is struggling with something, no one has a problem stepping in and saying “I got you.”  Everyone has everyone’s back.  I like the fact that since it’s a growing business I learn all the aspects of a new business.

What’s something that sets Freshbox apart from other jobs you’ve had in the past?
The biggest thing is that everyone works together…everyone’s goal for the day is to produce a good product.  At a lot of places, if your superior is doing something wrong, you’re supposed to turn your back on it and keep going.  Here, if you see someone not doing something correctly, you can let them know how to correct their actions.  It can be something as little as “remember to wash your hands.”  It is so fun working for Joe and Kelly.  The two of them are hilarious.  They’re very fair.

What Pandora station do you pick when it’s your turn in the kitchen?
Mary J Blige – she’s one of my favorite singers. Whether you’re in a good mood or a bad mood, she has a song for you.

How did you feel when you got promoted to kitchen leader at Freshbox?
I was happy.  With this being a small company, they could have decided to hire somebody with more experience, but seeing that they had the faith in me to send me to the ServSafe class in order to have that behind me and run the kitchen, I felt honored.

What’s ServSafe?  Can you tell us more about your training?
It’s a national certificate that’s good for five years and it shows that you have passed a test, knowing your restaurant sanitation, cleaning temperature, proper food prep, proper ways to maintain the facility, etc.  Servsafe is a two-day eight-hour class.  The final test was a 90-question test.  I was stressed out before the test, but once I started taking it, it was like I knew the information.  When I found out that I got a 92%, I was happy.  My niece was in town with her two children and they were sleeping when I got my scores.  I kind of yelled and jumped and I woke them up.  They were happy for me.

Managers note: All Freshbox employee’s are required to earn their PIC certification from the Board of Health. Its an expense that is covered by Freshbox pending an employee’s successful completion of the Prep 1 position. Employees in their third level of employment, Customer Rep, have an opportunity to complete ServSafe as an elective to our training system.

What are some challenges you’ve faced in your life?
My mom passed away when I was 18 and I went through a really tough time.  I was pregnant at the time and I needed my mom but she couldn’t be there for me.  And it wasn’t that she didn’t want to be, it was that she was in dialysis three days a week and that really wore her body down.  On the two days that she wasn’t taking dialysis, I would work, because I knew that she’d have enough energy to at least move around some without me.  It was like I missed that last year with my mom.

What do you look forward to in the near future?  In the next 10 years?
Here at Freshbox, I’m looking forward to getting my driver’s license back so I can go out and do more deliveries.  For me personally, I’m waiting to hear back from a few publishing companies on my novels.  I’ve always loved to write poetry and short stories.  When the color tube on my television broke, I just picked up a pen and started writing. Writing is like a freedom.  You can express yourself, tell all your feelings, but you don’t have to make it personal, you can put them on someone else, but you know that those are your thoughts and feelings.

In ten years I want to have my own restaurant…a family style sit-down restaurant where you come in with your family and you order one meal and you sit down like you sit down at home and eat, but no one has to do all the cooking.  I’d like to have published both of my books, and maybe a couple more.

Fun facts?
I’m just a big nerd.  My favorite show is jeopardy and I spend most of my free time doing puzzles or reading books.  Right now I’m kind of addicted to Sudoku.  Also, I love to cook.  One of the things I like to do is go to different restaurants and try something, and then go home and improve on it.

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