Meet Cierra Andrews
Customer service is Everything!
Hi! My name is Cierra Andrews. First and foremost would like to say how blessed I feel to have this opportunity to share a piece of myself through this article, and I hope that my words find you well. I am 21 years old and I was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. I am a server at a Popular Dallas restaurant, Kitchen and Kocktails. Working here these past 4 months has quickly solidified character traits of mine such as good communication, leadership, and hard work. Through this job, I find that the opportunities for success and elevation are endless.
Growing up I watched my young parents work hard for everything that they had. I remember in third grade my father began the steps toward starting his own trucking company. It was no easy path for him but as a child, the one thing I noticed was even through the storm he continued to get right back on the horse. No minor, or major setback could hold him away from pursuing the success of his company. While my father was out working long distances on his truck my mother looked after my brother and I. Some nights she had to play both roles of mother and father, attending school plays and fundraisers in order to support my father while he was away. During this time they both pushed my brother and I to do well in school and bring home good grades. I was a straight-A student from as young as I can remember all the way through high school. I had always had the goal to try to be good at the things I put my mind to because these were the things that I saw from my parents. I learned very young that no matter how young you are if you put your mind to something it IS achievable. This lesson sparked ambition in a young Cierra.
As I grew older I began to look inward to try to discover what it is that I wanted to contribute to the world. While in high school I enrolled in cosmetology school. My teacher was loving and kind. She was the kind of person that would go out of her way to ensure that every student was heard and understood. That was something that, to this day, resonates with me because I aspire to be like that to everyone I meet. After I obtained my license in cosmetology I knew that I still wanted more. I found myself working a job that I was really good at. I was a trainer and one of the top performers in my area.
I absolutely loved training because that meant I had the ability to not only help the new hires but also help them feel confident in their new roles. After a few months, the love for my job began to diminish. The work environment had become extremely toxic. It was polluted by management sabotaging each other in an environment where they should have been working together. The hours were unbearably long and began to tax my mental health on a daily. It was then that I began to look for a change. My dearest friend from high school and college informed me about Kitchen Kocktails and told me that I should try my hand there. Not even two weeks later, on June 11, I found myself training to be a server. I will admit that I was slightly intimidated upon arrival because it was a fast-paced environment and most of the servers had multiple years of experience. I chose not to let those thoughts hold me back and turned self-doubt into fuel. I made it a goal to master the skill at hand so I could deliver top-tier service to every guest that I encountered.
Working at Kitchen and Kocktails has been a huge stepping stone of opportunity for me. Not only has it enhanced my public speaking skills, but it has also given me newfound confidence. In only four months, I made server lead which has granted me a voice to help better our team. I am also a trainer to the new hires and get to help set a standard of service to our guests. Shortly after taking the lead, I was invited to fly out to Chicago to help with the grand opening of Kitchen and Kocktails—Chicago. To be one of the youngest servers on the team I was absolutely honored to be offered such an opportunity.
I also really enjoy working here because the whole vision behind K+K is to create a space for Black People to really feel good and confident in themselves in a nice environment. This resonates with me because I aspire to write a children's book to help little black girls and boys to feel truly confident in themselves and their unique broad features. I am reminded every day when I step through the door to go to work that I am capable, strong, and able to perform on a high standard. This job offers endless possibilities through the customers I meet and I feel nothing but blessed to be employed by Kitchen and Kocktails.
Fogo de Chão
The Dream Team of Brazilian Cuisine.
Nicolau Retsos – General Manager for Fogo de Chao Plano, been with the company for over 10 years, assisted in opening locations and helped on the first international openings Puerto Rico and Mexico. First year as a General Manager, won 5 internal awards with the brand.
Camila Videla – Restaurant Manager for Fogo de Chao Plano, been with the company for about 5 years, one of the youngest talents for the brand to be promoted to management. Helped in openings and also with training, and developing new talent for the brand.
The Food Nanny
The Super Nanny of Supper!
Salt Lake City, UT. - The Food Nanny, the most trusted resource for moms looking for delicious, nutritious and stress free dinners for more than five decades, has a new Nanny in town. Lizi Heaps, the youngest daughter of original Food Nanny Liz Edmunds, has officially taken the reins of the 50 year old food brand. And with that comes a new approach to pantry essentials. Gone are the days in which starchy, all-purpose flour is the must-have ingredient for family dinner - now it’s all about Kamut. The super grain is a better-for-you,versatile, flavorful and less is needed than flour in a variety of nutritious and delicious recipes. Just in time for Fall, Heaps shares her cultivated collection of Kamut-forward, family favorite recipes in her new book For The Love of Kamut, which is now available on Amazon and TheFoodNanny.com.
Heaps brings a love for family dinner, experience in the kitchen and social media savvy to the Food Nanny, reaching a new generation of moms, dads and caretakers that are looking to eliminate the stressors of planning and executing family dinners.
With more time being spent in the home and at-home cooking becoming the primary source of meals due to restaurant closures, Lizi is the Super Nanny of Supper and the go-to resource for Moms searching for stress free, nutritious meals on a budget.
With legions of dedicated Food Nanny fans and new moms discovering the brand everyday, Heaps has modernized the popular weekly meal plans with new recipes, updated theme night ideas and by connecting directly with fans via Instagram, Facebook and live shows on YouTube.
Most recently, Heaps released her first cookbook, For the Love of Kamut. . A compilation of recipes featuring the ancient grain, readers learn about the benefits of incorporating the versatile ingredient into any dietary lifestyle while cooking yummy, nourishing dishes for any occasion. The Food Nanny has been educating people on this healthier option of flour and America just can’t get enough of it!
“Across generations the one tradition that has proven essential to building lasting memories and meaningful connection is family meal time,” said Lizi Heaps, Food Nanny, “Millennial moms have had to face a lot in our lifetime, and managing a career and household with kids at-home during the pandemic can be overwhelming. With so many stressors, dinnertime planning and execution shouldn’t be one of them. It’s been a privilege to provide meaningful support to moms with budget-friendly, delicious recipes to minimize stress associated with mealtime.