WK 10 EOC: My Plans for the Future

Today we were asked one of the toughest questions posed to most mid-twenty individuals.... What are your plans for the future??? I have goals set for my very near future as well as were I want to see myself in about 10 years. After graduating from AI, I plan to join the peace corp and take the information and skills I have gathered from my education and share them in the youth division of the corp. While serving in the corp, I hope to learn as much as I possibly can about the foods served in the country I am assigned to while being a part of an amazing team that is going to help shape and mold the youth of that region! Once I come back from the corp, I plan to come back to Vegas and study under a chef I know who was the executive chef for a culinary team that prepared meals for a band. I hope to gain the experience and knowledge necessary from him to be able to branch out and work as a private chef for a band within the next ten years. I am already gaining experience in the private chef-ing and catering sector by interning, and now working for a catering company called "Delightful Chefs". My superiors are a doing great job at teaching me both the financial and execution side of owning a catering company. One of the items that I have learned will be necessary for me to become a bands private chef is networking. In the culinary industry It is all about networking. By building a network of business contacts, I will be able to have communications with individuals who can help lead me to a potential band to work for.

WK 9 EOC: The Apartment

In week 9's class for human resources we watched a program called the Apartment in order to discuss common forms of harassment in the workplace. According to the text, "Harassment relates to unwanted and annoying actions by one or more persons, including threats or demands." When watching the apartment, one could see multiple instances of such behavior. One of the very first examples of harassment within the film was when one of CC Baxter's bosses uses Baxter's apartment for his own private reasons and speaks of a possible promotion. This first example of harassment from the film is known in as Quid Pro Quo. According to our textbook, the word Quid Pro Quo is "From the Latin phrase meaning “this for that.” In the movie's case the boss is asking to use the apartment (the this) in exchange for speaking highly about Baxter to Personnel (the that). Another example in the film of harassment was when one of the administrator's got in the elevator girl's bubble without her permission. This example is known as a hostile environment. According to the text, a Hostile environment "is an atmosphere that is characterized by unwanted sexually demeaning or intimidating behaviors in which a person is treated poorly or feels uncomfortable." And, " The conduct may be physical, verbal, or nonverbal in nature. A final example of the many harassing moments that took place in this film was when the supervisors would blackmail Baxter into letting them use the apartment. According to the text, "An employer is automatically liable for harassment by a supervisor that results in a negative employment action, such as termination, failure to promote or hire, or loss of wages." If this instance occurred in real life, the employer could have faced serious legal ramifications for Baxter's supervisors' misconduct. 

Wk 8 EOC: 9 to 5 Workplace Harassment

In the movie 9 to 5 there were various examples of workplace harassment. At the beginning one can see gender bias when the boss decides to give a position to a man instead of Violet, who is much more equipped for the position. When telling her she did not get the position, he seems to dance around the real reason she was not promoted, giving her every reason under the sun but the truth.  Another example of harassment was when the boss called Judy inappropriate names in the xerox room. There was no need for him to call her names, no employee deserves to be treated that way. An additional form of harassment was the way the boss acted towards his secretary. No one should have to suffer through such treatment, no matter how badly they need a job. It also seemed highly unnecessary when the boss had an employee who had been let go for a very minor infraction escorted out by company security. There was no need for such a procedure. Such a display may cause every one to be on their toes, which may possibly cause a decrease in productivity. Another form of harassment that was portrayed in this movie was gossip. It was highly inappropriate for the employees in the work room to discuss what they thought was happening between Doralee and the boss. Gossiping can cause un-cohesiveness and lead to a decline in productivity.  Another inappropriate action executed by the boss was when he asked violet to pick up a scarf for his wife and also threatened her possible promotion. An employee should not have to take care of their bosses personal tasks unless it was otherwise discussed and is part of the job description. The boss also showed a form of harassment in this instance when he threatened Violet's possible promotion. It is highly inappropriate for a boss to use a promotion as means of bribing someone to do something.

BOC Week 8: Five Plus Five Soft Skills

What are your soft skills and how can you review them through your resume?

• One soft skill that I possess and was mentioned on my resume was organization. I reviewed this in my resume under Objective. I portray this characteristic in the occupational setting when I create a timeline and a prep-list for an event we are cooking for at work.

•  Although it was not mentioned on my Dropbox resume, another soft skill that I possess is punctuality. I portray this characteristic in daily and work settings when I arrive to my destinations, such as school and work, early or on time. I also make sure that a task for an event is completed by or before its deadline.

• An additional soft skill that I possess that did happen to be mentioned on my dropbox resume was communication. Although I did not state it directly, one can see that I communicate well because I stated that I work well in a team on the objective section of my resume. One can see that I portray this characteristic at my work setting when I work on a team in order to succesfully complete all tasks for a catering event. 

• Even though it did not happen to be mentioned in the resume I submitted in the drop box, another soft skill that I possess that is critical to a work environment is adaptability. This skill is shown in the work setting when last minute details for an event are changed by the customer and our catering team has to adapt to those changes, such as changing a menu item very last minute. 

• Having a friendly personality is an additional soft skill that I possess. I implied this characteristic on my resume when I mentioned positive attitude in the Objectives section. I display a friendly personality at work when I come in with a smile and a positive attitude towards my coworkers and our clients. I do my best to ensure that our customer receives the best experience possible by answering all their questions and assisting them in preparations for and during the parties. 

WK 7 EOC: Profile Statements

Possible Profile Statements:

1. Proactive Culinary Professional with educational experience in World Cuisine, European Cuisine, Garde Manger, and Baking and Pastry. Accomplished in primary culinary techniques and industry procedures. Through catering, experience in high stress culinary environment where positive attitude, teamwork, and quick thinking are essential.

2. Efficient individual of Culinary Arts highly educated in World and European Cuisine, Garde Manger, and Baking. Understanding of essential culinary skills and practices within the industry. Trained in culinary environment with high stress level that sought out individuals who worked well with others, could handle high stress situations productively, and had a positive attitude.

3. Culinary Professional devoted to providing superlative cuisine through expansive knowledge in Asian, World, and European Cuisines, American Regional, and Baking and Pastry. Well-versed in fundamental culinary skills and industry practices. Ability to maintain positive attitude, work well with others, and think quickly through employment in private dining and catering.

Week 6 EOC: Job Analysis

http://hayadams.com/assets/pdf/Assistant-Food-and-Beverage-Manager-2014.pdf


The above link takes you to the job description of an Assistant Food and Beverage Manager position at the Hay-Adams. After reviewing The Hay-Adams Job description and becoming aware of what a job analysis is I can properly describe what being an assistant Food and Beverage manager entails. To successfully hold this position, I believe that an individual must possess the characteristic of being organized, the ability to supervise, and have vast knowledge in all aspects of the food and beverage profession. This is definitely a position where prior work experience is necessary. Other tasks that a person in this position may be required to fulfill as described in The Hay-Adams description are making reservations- so phone skills are a must, conveying the reservation information to F&B and culinary team- so great communication skills are a must, organization of shift and labor information- so organization skills and computer knowledge are a must, supervise staff and retrain if necessary- so managerial skills are a must; According to the text " When well-trained employees have the proper tools, however, managers can effectively market and deliver quality in both food and beverage products." assist in company development through information exchange, plan staff meetings, assist in budget control and management, help adhere to accounting and HR policies, and assure maintenance of POS systems. When staff meetings regarding the budget are conducted the food and beverage manager is one of the individuals who will attend, the assistant may as well.  According to the text  "the beverage manager can advise about beverage costs based on projected revenues."  After knowing the tasks, additional characteristics that were discussed by the description that would be necessary for this occupation include basic math skills- add subtract multiply and divide in 10s and 100s, basic american currency conversions and weight and volume conversions, they must have the appropriate certifications, maintain proper hygiene and etiquette- because they around the customers a lot; "According to the text " Inseparability is another service-related challenge. Inseparability refers to the tendency of restaurant and foodservice customers to connect the quality of service provided with the personal characteristics of the individual staff member who delivers it." The type of experience a customer has and how a restaurant employee acts go hand in hand, so it is important that the employee behaves and dresses their very best, and they must have common sense and the ability to make appropriate decisions if problems arise. The description also did a great job of explaining that additional tasks may be required as necessary. The job description gives an overview of a position, additional tasks may pop up.

WK 5 EOC: 3 Tweets

For this week's EOC assignment we have been asked to select our three favorite tweets we have made about our industry and describe why we made that selection.

 Perhaps my most favorite is this tweet-
"Plan on owning a food stand? Think that recieving a Michelen star for it is a pipe dream? Maybe not..." https://twitter.com/amayAILV/status/763194770130776064. In this particular tweet, we are notified that a food stand in Singapore received a Michelin Star. I enjoyed reading this tweet because it showed me that anything is possible. Typically, when it comes to getting Michelin Stars, the only individuals in the running are restaurants, but Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice And Noodle blew that tradition out of the water. Opening a door for culinarians who are not taking the typical path of restaurant opening to have the ability to gain such an honorable recognition. Not everyone who goes into the culinary field dreams of opening a restaurant, and it is nice to know that those in charge of the Michelin Star assignment recognize that. 
My next favorite tweet is-
"Italy has recently passed law that America should consider, making it is easier to distribute food to those in need." https://twitter.com/amayAILV/status/763196033039863808. This is also one of my very favorites because it shows that Italy's government is trying very hard to do something about their massive food waste problem, an action that I believe America needs to copy. In this article, one finds out that the Italian government is currently trying to back a law that will make it easier for the food industry to donate food, that would otherwise be considered as waste, to those who really need it. Imagine how much progress we could make in solving America’s hunger problem if we made the food donation easier? Imagine how much food would be available to those who need it if we allowed corporations like Walmart to donate their day old bread rather than throw it away?

The final tweet that is one of my favorites is-

"The company Cook N Grow sparks a love for cooking in young minds through a mobile culinary school.What a great idea!" https://twitter.com/amayAILV/status/760669253674545152. I liked this tweet because not everyone is exposed to cooking at a young age and I believe that it is a skill that everyone should possess. Even if a person decides to eat out for the rest of their life or forces someone else to cook for them. It is important for everyone to know the basics!!! Eating is a function required to sustain life, and what better way to fulfill that requirement than to be able to cook your own delicious meals. This mobile culinary school also provides mommy and me classes, which I believe is a fun way to teach your children valuable life skills while spending quality time together.