Almost 50 years in the Industry
Starting at 10 years old, I worked for our neighbors on their Almond ranch in Merced, CA raking almonds in the fall for spending money. Although we did not live on a farm, I tended to gravitate to that lifestyle. From joining FFA in high school and becoming an officer and raising my own pigs to marrying into family who farmed.
Both of my grandmothers were canners and I appreciated them allowing my curiosity to learn their craft. I loved cooking at a very young age and at the age of 15 I started creating my own recipes from what had been handed down to me from family and friends canning foods from Jellies to Sauces which included my family's favorite BBQ sauce.
Through high school I worked in restaurants (Pizza, White Tablecloth, Casual Dining and even Fast Food). This continued my fascination for food creation.
Later in my career I had the opportunity to work for Food Brokers and Food Manufacturers. Growing my path from Office Administrator, Sales, R&D and Operations. Working for some the of our nation’s largest manufacturers to some of our smaller ones.
I am a curious person and have always wanted to learn how things worked. I got that from my dad. In my role as an R&D Manager, I needed to know how our company processed our food and our capabilities. This meant knowing what our equipment could do and assisted in designing new production lines.
Working in the Bean, Rice, Grain, Egg and Peanut/TreeNut/Seed Nut Butter industries I captured knowledge from dry, semi prepared to ready to eat foods.
My step into operations just seemed like the next step. With knowledge of the machinery, administration, sales, R&D, and even QA/QC I had covered many bases. I’ve learned much along the way that has allowed me to lend my experience to others.