Walking into the kitchen, you will hear  the sounds of metal clanging while the chefs prepare delicious food for the large numbers of people sitting at their tables. The wisp of the wind from waiters frantically serving meals to the customer’s patiently waiting for their food, as the sound of their conversations fills the room. The smell of the food flows in the air as you begin to clock in for your shift of the day. Ascending into adulthood includes financial responsibility. Many reasons can motivate teens to pursue a job while balancing school, sports, and other extra curriculars.  Six PRHS seniors share their experience working in the food industry

 Yarili Rangel has been employed at Fish Gaucho for 5 months now. Rangel sees this job as a huge improvement from her previous job at McDonalds. Rangel’s rating is 10/10 and she loves the environment, coworkers, and the food.

“I would definitely recommend it to a friend and if you’re 16 and older, Fish Gaucho is definitely for you! It’s a place of love! Everyone is so accepting there’s people from the LGBT+ community and everyone is able to express themselves in every way, shape, and form.”

Yarili Rangel

 Gianna Berlingeri has worked at Comfort American Kitchen for almost a year now. At first, working here was difficult for her because she was not experienced, confused about a lot of things, and it was overwhelming when it was busy and understaffed. However, Berlingeri has built up a lot of skills, and thrives in her work environment. 

“My best experience working here is being able to build closer relationships with my coworkers so every shift is fun. This job is a 10/10 and I recommend this job to other people because they have flexible hours and good pay.”

Gianna Berlingeri

Diego Ortega has worked at Sculpterra Winery for 4 months. Ortega’s  previous job was at Ranch Handyman. Ortega is involved in school so he isn’t able to work very much during the week. “They understand that I am always busy with sports and are very flexible with hours.” Ortega rates this job an overall 10/10.

Danny Perez has worked at The Neighborhood for about 4 months. Perez’s previous job was a holistic healing store which is a complete change of pace in comparison to this job now. Perez said, “I was working retail targeting a specific group of people whereas this job is food and plant based items so we get a lot more people  in this job. I still love both but this job has more to it.” He would recommend this job to anyone interested in serving organic food and prefers to work in a relaxing environment.

 Fransico Anaya has worked at Taste Craft Eatery for the past 4 months. “I applied here because the environment seemed really friendly and welcoming.” Anaya works an average of 10-15 hours a week now that school is in session again. In comparison to his previous job at Pollo Loco, his job now is a major improvement. “I enjoy working here because during the week it’s easy, the weekends are when it gets hectic because of how busy it gets.” Overall, Anaya rates this job a 9.3/10 and would recommend this job to other people.  

 Mariana Ramirez has worked at Finca for over 9 months now. Ramierz said, “I enjoy working here so much, they are like a second family to me. I would rate my job right now a solid 10/10. The environment of Finca is a place you go to when you want to relax and have a good time all at once. The finca crew definitely makes this job worth working at and I am so grateful for that.” Ramirez’s previous job was Famous Footwear and a Boutique shop, both of which cannot compare to her job now. Ramierz said, “My favorite memory was a time my coworker and I were laughing so hard I actually wheezed and we lost it. I haven’t laughed that hard at work before.” Ramirez would definitely recommend this job to anyone interested.

Having the responsibility of a job can be a lot of pressure for teenagers, and there will be a mixture of both good and bad experiences. However, it’s important to work in an environment that feels welcoming, comfortable, and  genuinely feels good to be there.