A Day in the Life of a Theonista
My name is Alexandra Szablya Ramdin. Alex for short.
First, I need to tell you this: there is a lot of love at Theo. One of the mottoes or sayings around here is “Pheel the Love” (the ph being a play on the name of our street where our factory is located – Phinney Ave in Seattle.) I pheel the love in this place all the time – from Dana, who hugs anyone who’s willing to be hugged anytime, anywhere, to Mackenzie, who makes sure I always have a pair of scissors – right where I left them. I pheel the love from Rosa, who is trying (and failing) to teach me Spanish, and from Jessie, who patiently (and successfully) teaches me to use the copier.
If I had to describe my job, I would call myself the Assistant to the Assistant of the Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Properly nested. Let me tell you about a typical day, or really a Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday in a week not so long ago.
Like I said, I’m the assistant to the assistant of VP of Sales and Marketing. I am responsible for doing anything the assistant of the VP doesn’t have time to do. I love it – I pack chocolate samples, send out press kits, follow up with stores who need demos of our chocolates. What a great job! I mean, what can be better than calling someone and saying, “Hi – Theo wants to send you some chocolate samples for your customers.” I mean, I have never had anyone refuse me. Would you?
So last Tuesday, I was checking my email to see what new projects were in store for me. Our offices are actually a wide-open loft above the factory. Everyone – Joe Whinney, our founder, Debra Music, VP Sales and Marketing, Chuck Horne, CFO - Andy…- COO – we’re all in this huge room with desks and computers and phones and I love it. As I was checking email that day, I overheard Autumn, our Chocolatier, talking with Dave, our Customer Service Guy. Dave is vegan. Until he became vegan, his favorite Theo confection was Nib Brittle. Nib Brittle, for the uninitiated, is the most fabulous treat of all time. Nibs are whipped up into an incredible toffee-like treat, and then enrobed in deep chocolate. Alas, there’s butter in the ingredients, so Dave gave it up.
Back to Tuesday. I’m sitting across from Dave and Autumn. I hear Dave ask, “Autumn, is there any way to make enrobed Nib Brittle vegan?” Autumn thinks a moment. “Sure, Dave. I’ll make a batch tomorrow.” Dave is thoughtful. “Really? For me?” “Really. For you.” Pheel the love.
Meanwhile, I need a break. I have spent most of the morning packing samples for clients, and I know just what I need. I head to the confection room, where Brandon and Krystal spend their days putting the final touches on the confections. Any imperfect pieces are placed on a tray for the employees to enjoy (reason #53 I love working here!). Naturally, I check in two or five times a day to see what’s available. This morning I see Fig and Fennel, and Earl Grey – two of my favorites. I take one of each, discussing the batch particulars with Brandon. Did you know most everyone in the confections room, is a degreed culinary arts type? They take this tasting very seriously. Regularly, I fail to recognize the nuances of a given batch, but Brandon never gives up on me. And slowly but surely, I am discovering the fine distinctions between the batches. Krystal will guide me but makes me guess – what are you tasting? What do you smell? It’s a continual delight.
Next day, Wednesday, is a spectacular Seattle spring day. The factory is awash in sunshine, and since almost every room in the place has big windows, everyone is excited to get outside on their lunch break. I walk outside and see Nathan, our roaster who was recently promoted and is now responsible for new product development. Nathan is sitting outside, eyes closed and turned to the blue-blue sky, with a huge stainless steel bowl in his hands. It is filled with an incredible salad – greens, pasta, broccoli, mushrooms, and grilled chicken. “What’s that?” I ask him. He wakes up from his sun worship and pokes the salad with his fork. “Oh, I took all the leftovers from my fridge and threw it in here. Want to try some? I do, and it is beyond delicious.
Thursday. I slide into my chair at my desk. I look at my inbox. I’m listening to the chatter. I hear Autumn asking Dave, “So how do you like the vegan Nib Brittle?” Dave is enthusiastic “I love it. Love-love-love love it. Is there a chance you’ll ever make another batch? Autumn replies, “We’re making it a permanent product, Dave.” Dave pauses. A long, pheel-the-love pause. “For me?” he asks. “For you,” she says.
I sneak downstairs for my first visit to the confection room today. Brandon’s there, Krystal’s there, but something’s different. I look around. Suddenly, I see it, On Krystal’s left ring finger there’s a beautiful engagement ring. “Steve proposed!” Steve works in confections, too. A Theo engagement! Our first! How exciting is that? And true to form, Steve hid the ring in the freezer! How romantic is that? Pheel the love.
So this is how I spend my days – working hard, enjoying the people in this incredible company, knowing that I’m surrounded by people who care – as I do – about really important things – good food, the sun in Seattle, good food. What could be better?
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