Duties: Oversees kitchen operation in absence of the Food Services Supervisor, assists in keeping and taking all food temperature records required by the USDA, familiar with all food delivery routes, delivers meals, assists in completing monthly kitchen inventory, prepares and cooks meats, vegetables, desserts and salads, bakes breads, assists in determining amount of food to be used each day, helps package meals for delivery, works with kitchen staff to ensure all surfaces and supplies are clean and sanitized.
Hometown: Waynesville, North Carolina
Educational Experiences: Certified Professional Food Manager, American National Standards Institute and Conference of Food Protection. Auto Mechanics Certificate, Haywood Technical Institute, Waynesville, NC
Past Work Experiences: Tony owned and operated Tony’s Transmissions in Frog Level for 24 years, where he got to know many of the town’s residents. After shutting down his shop, Tony continued to volunteer at the Open Door food pantry. In all, he spent 14 years serving people in need. Tony turned his passion for cooking and service into a second career inside the Meals on Wheels kitchen. His interest in cooking, he says, comes from his mother, where he explains that he learned by watching her cook. “She always made fabulous stuff,” he said. Some of Tony’s favorite things to cook include quiche and desserts of which his peanut butter brownies and elegant coconut cake (from his mom’s recipe) are staff favorites. “There’s also a peach delight that’s seasonal. You have to make that with fresh, ripe peaches,” he said.
Hobbies: When not cooking, Tony relaxes on the golf course and is happy to play to a 15 handicap.
Interesting Fact: Tony enjoys helping his wife care for her 1,500-pound pet – a Black Angus cow. The 12-year-old bovine is all pet, Tony says. “When we open the gate, she hears us, pokes her head around the barn and comes running.” Tony and Rebecca like to spoil the animal with sweet grain that she finds especially delicious.