Team Members Celebrate 5 Years 🎉 + Costume Contest Winners
Happy 5th Anniversary to the following Team Members. We celebrate you and all you have accomplished. Thank you for your dedication to the company and team. Happy five-year anniversary!
Jeff Creager
Interviewed in the Original B-town location and was hired January 8th, 2018 as a Jr Sous Chef for our first SODO location, The Whole Nine Yards! Since then he has climbed from JR Sous to sous then Sr Sous then Chef de Cuisine and now our Sr Chef de Cuisine for the Culinary Team. The Fixer!
Aimee Graham
Interviewed at our first ever Oculus location, Origin aka Megabite and was hired on October 6, 2017 as a Pastry Chef. Since then Aimee has built a pastry empire for Lavish with a commissary pastry team servicing all of Redmond and some of Bellevue and 4 additional cafe pastry teams in Bellevue & Sea! She is now our Regional Sr Pastry Chef. The orchestrator!
Efren Frausto
Interviewed at our first Cafe, Origin aka Megabite, and was hired on as a dishwasher August 8, 2017. Ann’s first hire ever! Efren quickly rose the ranks from dish to line cook to lead cook to Jr Sous. Efren’s wife works here now too! The Rock!
Josue Mendoza-Cuevas
Josue interviewed and was hired on January 29, 2018 as a Jr Sous Chef. He and Brandon had also worked together at Seattle Golf Club with Josue’s dad! He started as a Jr Sous Chef for Lavish and is now running two cafes in SODO as the Sr Sous Chef. Mr Smooth!
Lael
Lael was originally hired to work in a Lyft Cafe in SODO and was hired on August 21, 2018. She had just moved here from Nashville and when we called to check her references they said “you would be an idiot not to hire her”. After many years of running the Lyft cafe, we found ourselves in the pandemic and she made a switch to Chef Admin at the Spring District! She had been studying nursing and graphic design after work, but the admin work has been such a hit and she is now the Lead Chef Admin and has a new baby! The cool needed in a storm!
Sabas Juarez
Sabas joined the team on January 29, 2018 as a dishwasher at our SODO campus. He quickly moved up to harvest and worked in the concept TWE for several years until the pandemic. Since then he has been a huge asset to the Bellevue Towers team and is now a line cook! His wife Vicky used to work with us which is how we met Sabas! Mr Jokes!
Mike Radzio
Drove up from Portland for an interview in Burien and was hired for Pastry Chef on January 22, 2018. Proofed and baked his own baguette to bring with him since he wouldn’t have time for it in the interview slot we gave him. Once we opened RAD, he moved the Shipping Manager and keeps us all in line down and up Willows Road! MR Does it ALL!
Falina McLaughlin
Joined the team in catering events on July 17, 2017. Worked in events part time and then full time then the pandemic hit and naturally as the people person she is, she fell into HR. Falina has done it all in the department-payroll, benefits, onboarding, anything and everything in between. She is the fan favorite and our one and only Queen Falin!
Halloween Costume Contest Winners
Thank you to everyone who voted! We received 106 votes this year, so the team has spoken! If you are a winner in any of the following categories, please contact Chef Amy Ellis amyellis@meta.com to redeem your prize. Without further ado, here are the 2022 Halloween Costume Contest Winners:
Scariest Costume
With 57% of the vote Pig Monster is the winner! (Runner Up: Spooky Doll)
Best Homemade
With 51% of the vote Cut Glove is the winner! (Runner Up: Russell from Up)
Funniest Costume
With 20% of the vote Dustin the Truck Driver is the winner! (Runner Up: Maui & Cut Glove)
Most Original Costume
40% of the vote Cut Glove is the winner…again! (Runner Up: The Rock)
Best Overall Costume
33% of the vote Russell from Up is the winner! (Runner Up: Cut Glove)
Winter Holiday Company Party
Announcing Our New Pin Series
We have officially launched our brand new pin series (collect them all)! Our very first pin is focused on Stellar Service. If you see someone wearing this Star Pin, that means they have been recognized for “Going above and beyond the call of duty to provide incredible service to our guests.”
