YOU CAN TELL A LOT ABOUT A PERSON BY THE WORK THEY ARE WILLING TO DO . . . 

It is a strange time to work in food. The industry still encompasses a duality of being glorified (think celebrity chefs and famous farmers) and looked down upon (I'm sure that, at least once, you've heard something along the lines of 'You are wasting your college degree doing what? Don't you want to find a 'real job?')

And then there is the idea of ownership. We live in a culture that puts 'the owners' on a pedestal. Meanwhile, so many of us don't understand what the idea of truly owning something actually means. In our experience, while you get the glory of acting as the representative or figurehead, you also have the ultimate responsibility of making sure everything functions. In the case of GFJ, that means that we approve each and every job post submitted, and answer all of the emails - the good, the bad and the (occasionally) profane. People often seem surprised that we don't outsource these repetitive tasks - but these are also the very things that makes us feel rooted and connected to the work that we are doing.

In the case of Taylor's other 'side project' this summer - Suarez Family Brewery - it means delivering kegs to establishments from down in NYC to up in Albany, working in the tasting room, washing hundreds (and soon to reach the thousands) of beer glasses by hand, restocking the toilet paper and cleaning the toilets, and everything in between.

It seems to be that there is a common thread among the folks whose work we admire most, and that is that they are willing to roll up their sleeves and do any work - even the work that others may look down upon - in their own operations, and for others. This is what often sets people apart. They know that there is no job a man (or woman) can do that is undignified, if he does it well.

Here's to finding fulfillment in all the work that you do,

Taylor & Dorothy
Co-Founders, Good Food Jobs