Details
Executive Sous Chef, Legacy Retirement Communities
Lincoln, NE
Age: 24
Education: Culinary arts
Years at organization: 4
Why Selected?
According to Robert Darrah, director of dining services, Bobby Huerta has made a difference by:
- Being very dedicated to his work. He arrives with a smile on his face and always has a “do whatever it takes” attitude. People look to Bobby for his leadership
- Continuing to look for ways to improve our recipes, our standards and our residents’ lives. Even if it means staying 30 minutes at the end of his shift to get feedback from one of our residents, he never hesitates to stay, and he often volunteers his time on his days off
- Earning his certification as a Certified Healthcare Chef and learning to do ice carvings for our special events
Get to know
Being nominated for this honor. I’ve always worked very hard at what I do, and although I felt I was doing a good job, I had no idea that I was being held in this high of a class by my employer and executive chef.
Q. What would you say you excel at over more seasoned colleagues?I would say meal preparation. I’m always experimenting with different flavors, cooking methods and techniques to make the recipe preparation easier, tastier and more time-efficient. To me, recipes can always be improved, and by thinking outside the box, I feel I can take a recipe from ordinary to extraordinary.
Q. What's the best career advice you've been given?It came from an instructor [who] said “If you work a job that you love, then you’ll never work a day in your life.” I truly believe that and remind myself of that each day. I love what I do, and the people I work with.
Q. What's been the biggest challenge you've had to overcome?Believe it or not, my biggest challenge was coming to work on time! At first, I found it very difficult to arrive at 6 a.m. and work a 12-hour shift. However, when I was promoted to a leadership role, I knew right then and there that I needed to lead by example, and be a role model for others to follow.
Q. What's been your most rewarding moment?When a resident tells me how much they enjoyed the meal, and how it tastes just like when their mom used to make it. It’s intimidating cooking for a senior population, as it seems the entire dining room is full of critics. However, when I have the ability to take them back in time, to relive a childhood memory through my efforts, that is a reward in itself.
Q. What's been your funniest on-the-job disaster?One of my tops would be when I accidentally torched over 100 cinnamon rolls for a meal. We were in a hurry to dispose of the evidence and start baking more. My supervisor knew something was up [and] it didn’t take him long to tell us that he wasn’t born yesterday. We fessed up, worked together as a team and had the replacements done in time for the meal.
Q. What can you look back at now and laugh at?I look back and chuckle at all of the recipes that didn’t quite turn out right. I think I was misled by some of my co-workers during my training on production in my early years when I would ask for advice.
What would you like to accomplish in your career short term?
For now, I’m concentrating on doing what I’m doing in an effort to get better each and every day. I’ve been working with our executive chef, training with him on how to do ice carvings for special events, and I completed my first one for a special event in June.