When I was growing up, my stepfather was a butcher; and I was intrigued at a very early age after watching him. He actually taught me how to tie a butcher’s knot when I was about 10; and when I first started working at Albertsons, in the seafood dept, I could tie as well as the veteran butchers. It blew their minds! 

I was hired into Albertsons seafood department at 18 and was a seafood manager by the time I was 20. Thirteen years later, after meeting the first female meat manager I’d ever heard of, Christine Ortega, I realized, by her prompting, that I, too, could be a meat manager.

I was an apprentice for 6 months and then an assistant meat manager for 3 months. Before I knew it, I had become meat manager, and I remained in a management position for the next 21 years. (7 years with Albertsons, over 14 years with Kroger)

Fast Forward through my years with Albertsons, and Kroger; Christine, through much effort, opened up a business to call her own, Off The Hook LLC. Christine invited me to work for her. Although I was hesitant at first (leaving a big company is a big change), she convinced me to join her on this journey.

After only a short time working at Off the Hook LLC, I felt my love for the meat business come back to me… and I knew that I wanted to open a shop of  my very own so that I could share this love I once again felt.

It’s a lot different being affiliated with a smaller shop, but having conversations with a wide range of customers every day has got to be my favorite part of business! It’s actually one of the reasons I decided to leave the bigger stores. Many years ago, we were taught that it’s always “customers first”. However, in big grocery stores, that motto has changed. Now It’s “train your customers” and “computer work first”, and I mean that literally! At the larger stores, I spent the first hour of every day on the computer before I could even think about walking back to the meat department. And our customers’ happiness took a hit as a result. Call me “old school,” but I was hired for the customers first. And with Happy customers comes great sales!

So join my son and me at Meatopia Custom Cut Meats LLC, for the next chapter of my story.