Ms. Yerannia Dominguez was a pleasure to interview. She came in with a smile on her face, sat down, and was ready to start. She was incredibly pleasant to talk with, not only because of her kind personality, but also because of the fact that she puts us students before herself. Read the following article to take a closer look at our fabulous interview with Ms. Dominguez. (It was a pleasure to conduct our interview with Ms. Dominguez in Spanish.)

As a child, Ms. Dominguez went to a small school. The school was located in Guerrero, Mexico, where she grew up. Ms. Dominguez learned how to cook at a young age, with her mother, and continues to be inspired by her dad. Those childhood roles seem to be reversed as now Ms. Dominguez cooks for her family. She now makes tostadas, carne con frijoles, quesadillas, and enchiladas verdes. Enchiladas verdes have been Ms. Dominguez’s favorite food for a long time, and if she was only allowed to make one meal for the rest of her life, those are what Ms. Dominguez would make. Though her one and two year-old daughters haven’t developed a taste for enchiladas verdes yet, Venus and Vanessa enjoy helping out at home. One hobby that Ms. Dominguez enjoys is painting. She also said that family is very important to her. During December, Ms. Dominguez goes to Mexico to visit her family.

Cooking for the whole school can be a demanding task, but Ms. Dominguez and the rest of the kitchen crew are always prepared. Ms. Dominguez has worked at Parker for four years (before Parker she worked at Latin), and she remembers her first job as the cashier. Throughout her time at Parker, Ms. Dominguez has prepared many foods, some of the more common ones being the toppings for pizza, baked potatoes, and tacos. Other foods she makes include the muffins, scones, and chicken fingers. Some of the more popular foods are chicken wings, tacos, pizza, burgers, and chicken tenders. Ms. Dominguez’s personal favorite from the cafeteria are the chicken fingers, which do not take as long to make as foods like pizza or foods with lots of toppings. She goes to bed at 9 pm and wakes up at 4:30 P.M. No matter what meal the kitchen crew is making, the job starts at 6:00 A.M, and ends at 4:00 P.M, though some of the busiest times are between 11:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. She cooks for one hour a day, and spends the rest of her time serving and preparing the food. Ms. Dominguez gets a chance to eat at 9:30 A.M.

Some difficulties that Ms. Dominguez faces on the job include plates breaking, deciding what to make, and making sure food is safe for children with allergies. The average number of plates breaking per year is around 150! It’s hard for Ms. Dominguez to choose what to contribute, but she has a menu from which she can choose. She also has a book of recipes on how to make each food and the ingredients required listed. As for making it safe for children who have allergies, the staff follows hygiene laws and instructions from both the government and the school. So far, Ms. Dominguez hasn’t sustained any major injuries, and hopefully it will stay that way.

It was an honor to have been able to interview Ms. Dominguez. She was very thoughtful with her answers and, as time passed, she began to ask the interview team questions about themselves instead of the team asking her questions! When Ms. Dominguez came in, she brought a positive energy, making the room feel more vibrant. When she left, everyone in the room was in a good mood, wearing a smile, and feeling happy to have learned something new. It was a pleasure and a joy interviewing her and the interview team hopes you will now know a little bit more about her when you see her in the cafeteria!