Job Description: Kitchen Assistant

 Job Description: Kitchen Assistant 

When I was 16 and in high school, over the summer, I got my first job. It was at a yogurt shop, but not frozen yogurt, actual greek yogurt. It was pretty much a parfait bar that offered different toppings like chocolate, fruits, and even spinach. It was run by two men who quit their corporate jobs at Oracle and decided to go all in on the business. The storefront was little, but on a busy street called Burlingame Avenue in my hometown. 

After getting in trouble with my parents, they drove me around town with copies of my paper resume until I found someone to take it. All the other jobs had told me to apply online until I came across Jougert bar. The only other employees were other 16 and 17 year olds that attend the local high school next door. 

My job consisted of three main aspects: 

• Kitchen Prep 

• Cashier 

• Dish Washer 

Kitchen Prep 

The prep in the kitchen consisted mostly of washing and cutting fruits. My favorite thing that we offered however, was the granola. I never got to prep the granola, but occasionally would put in it mason jars to sell. It was labeled as homemade granola, and some people went crazy for it. After further investigation, I found out that it was actually crushed up Nature Valley Granola Bars that they were using as topping and selling in jars. To be fair, it was good, but it definitely was not homemade or made from a special recipe. 

Cashier

Learning how to use the POS system had a slight learning curve, but was pretty straight forward for the most part. I would take peoples orders and then turn around and prep them because there was usually only one or two people working at a time. My favorite part was when people would be shocked by the prices when I rang them up. I would almost feel bad charging them because it was unjustifiably expensive (especially knowing that the granola was what it was). During closing I would also count up the cash and deposit it in a little slit in a safe, making sure it was separated and correct. 

Dish Washer

This was my least favorite of the jobs, but I like to think it built character. I washed all the cutting boards, bowls, utensils, and mixing bowls in the back. I learned about the three step sanitation process and how gross yogurt can look floating on the top of water. When I closed at night I would also be in charge of mopping the floors, covering all the ingredients, and washing all the leftover dirty dishes. 

Jougert is no longer in business, but it was definitely a summer job that built character and gave me good stories to tell for a lifetime.