Alicia Jenish-McCarron, Culinary Director at Good Eating Company

What is Good Eating Company?

The Good Eating Company (GEC) is a nationwide culinary company that brings restaurant-quality food to onsite dining. The core of the company is based on diversity, inclusivity, and sustainability, which influences the sourcing of their ingredients and the menus they create. They partner with local, small-scale, BIPOC-owned, and women-led organizations to create a variety of dishes and to educate the community on different cuisines and cultures in order to celebrate something that brings us all together: food.

What does a Culinary Director do?

Alicia has four main buckets of work as a Culinary Director:

1. Menu Writing and Planning -? It takes about eight hours to plan a full week of eating (ten meals: five breakfasts and five lunches). Alicia is always doing research on different cuisines, reading cookbooks, and paying attention to the details that ensure her cuisines are authentic and diverse. She then shares the menu plans with each station in the cafe (there are 8) and the station leads customize the dishes with their personal recipes and style as they carry out Alicia’s plan.
2. Guest Engagement - Alicia’s job goes beyond the food. She creates experiences. Whether it’s celebrating Halloween with fun treats, decorating the cafe to make guests feel like they’re in Hawaii, or taking over the cafe with Filipino cuisine for Filipino Heritage Month, Alicia is always planning to celebrate cultures with food and decorations.

3. Collaboration with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) - Alicia works with ERGs like BIG (Black Inclusion Group) and the LIAA (LinkedIn Asian Alliance) to celebrate events like Black History Month and Filipino Heritage Month. She works with the ERG leads to learn more about the history and culture and even asks for family recipes to highlight in the cafe.

4. Sustainability Management - Alicia and The Good Eating Company are passionate about sustainability. They work with their stakeholders at the tech company on sustainability education and initiatives to ensure their carbon footprint is light. Check out this article that highlights Alicia’s work to shift food menus to a 65% plant-based menu that aligns with GEC’s mission to be sustainable and carbon neutral.

How did you get this job?

Alicia’s entire professional career has been in the culinary industry. She started cooking when she was 16 and she has over 30 years of cooking experience. Alicia attended culinary school at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NYC where she earned a full ride scholarship. Upon graduation, she started working in restaurants, then hotels, and then start ups to diversify her experience. She is also certified in FDA and USDA inspections and has extensive experience in food safety. In her role before GEC, she was working with a headhunter that helped her find her current role as Culinary Director with GEC.?

What skills do you need to be successful in your role?

Click on the below skills to expand your learning on LinkedIn Learning.

Time management - Alicia has to prioritize and reprioritize her time and energy. It’s critical to use time efficiently and effectively to meet her objectives.

Continuous learning - It’s important to invest in your development. Alicia learns through trying new restaurants, reading cookbooks, and networking with others in the industry to keep her work creative and dynamic.

What do you like/dislike about your role?

Alicia loves her team. Her team at GEC is one of the best teams she has ever worked with and she feels grateful to lead such amazing people. She appreciates the creativity she has in her role, especially with sustainability. It keeps Alicia on her toes and allows her to always be learning. She also appreciates the working hours as a Culinary Director. She has her evenings and weekends off. In her previous roles, she was working most evenings and weekends. The more challenging part of her role and managing the team is adapting to people being out sick or on leave. People have specific jobs and it’s sometimes hard to find a suitable replacement. Alicia is also challenged with dealing with multiple stakeholders, especially when they disagree with one another.? Alicia must find middle ground to satisfy all parties.

Advice for others pursuing careers in the culinary industry?

Alicia recommends getting a variety of cooking experience working in multiple restaurants and companies to learn how different organizations run a kitchen. This will help you establish your own style and strategy. She also recommends the newsletter Tablehopper to learn about new restaurants, bars, and events. Many chefs are drawn to partnering with tech because of the more consistent hours, so Alicia recommends following your passions and diversifying your skillset to make you a competitive applicant for a job in this field.

Want to check out more of Alicia’s work? Follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram (@cheffypants)!

Thank you for reading #whatsupChuck! Tune in next month for more inside scoop to the world of work.