Apprentice Alexis: Panini, Sourdough or Rye?

On Sept. 28, I arrived at , an organic-driven eatery tucked away in .

First, I met the owner of the restaurant, . The chef led me into the kitchen and instructed me to don the white chef’s apron and navy blue, white-rimed cap that all the servers were required to wear.

Next, he introduced me to manager Nanette Long, who told me to wash my hands and gave me the traditional latex gloves to wear.

After explaining to me the importance of keeping the sandwich area and my hands clean, Nanette showed me the rhythm of how things get done. A quick study, I took on the task at hand and found myself enjoying making sandwiches. For the purposes of this article, I will recap my experience in a series of moments.

1. Memorable Moment: Walking into the Wild Onion is like walking into a home away from home. The décor is vibrant, the cleanliness and order of the space impeccable. The menu was a clear, easy read and the aroma of the food was a prelude to delectable. 

2. Memorable Moment: Learning the ropes in sandwich making was complex yet easier than I thought. I enjoyed learning the differences between Panini, sourdough, multigrain, and wheat bread, which were all lined up next to each other in plastic bags on top of the sandwich bar counter. I loved learning how to dress a sandwich according to how the customer ordered it.

I liked studying the difference in how to dress a “full” sandwich verses a “half” sandwich (such as a full can only have 2-3 sliced tomatoes, and a half only has 1) and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to use the Panini machine (a grill used to make the sandwiches hot).

3. Memorable Moment: At one point in the process after taking a particularly complicated order (for me as a rookie), I said to Nanette, “I have a newfound respect for your job.” She smiled as she continued quickly filling orders and reminded me to pick up my pace to meet the customers’ needs in a prompt manner.

4. Memorable Moment: A customer named Ken filled out his order but did not specify if he wanted his sandwich to be hot or cold. As I finished making the sandwich, I called out to Ken. He heard me and looked up from where he was sitting, his facial expression showing he was ready to answer a question. “Do you want your sandwich hot or cold?” “Hot,” he replied. I nodded and with the sandwich in hand, walked over to the Panini machine.

As I was placing the sandwich into the machine, I heard one of my co-workers tell Nanette, “She has a loud voice. I like her!” I smiled at the irony of it all because people often complain about the volume of my vocals. At least I found a real-world situation in which the volume would be appropriate.

5. Memorable Moment: An hour into taking orders and sandwich making, I thought I had gotten into the rhythm of being a server and was ready to go another hour but it was time for Nanette to take her break, a perfect time to do the interview. So I returned to the kitchen, took off the apron and cap and retrieved my voice recorder as I waited for Nanette.

After asking her a few questions and finding out how she had been in the restaurant business for 20 years (and done everything from making sandwiches and catering to supervision of the workers) I mustered up the courage to ask for an honest report on how I performed as a server today.

Nanette made my day when she complimented me on my smile and said, “You did very well. Your attitude is good. You have to be a little faster but overall, I give you an A.”

Wild Onion Café & Catering is located at 6504 America Blvd. It’s motto is: “Fast. Fresh. Flavorful. Healthy.” According to Abdurrahman, “It’s a community spot, it’s a place where people can come and relax and feel like it’s a home away from home. And the type of food that they would like to have in their home that they may not have time to prepare—that’s what we’re offering.”