Luis’ Story
Luis, a young man of Mexican heritage, is a native of the City of Los Angeles where he lives with his parents and a younger brother and sister. Possessing a love for hospitality that he attributes to his mother, a cook at LAMill Coffee in Silver Lake for over 17 years, Luis, with support from his mom, also found employment at LAMill, where he happily worked for 3 years successfully advancing from busser to server and finally barista. However, in December 2012, due to a cut in his hours, Luis had no choice but to leave his job at LAMill. Although sad not to be working as a barista any more – a job he truly enjoyed and would miss, Luis was able to find employment at LAX Airport as a ramp coordinator for American Eagle, which, because of its heavy focus on passenger service, still gave him the opportunity to interact with many people of different races, cultures and backgrounds on a daily basis – something he found most exciting. Accordingly, when Luis heard from a fellow employee about the opening of a new LAMill Coffee restaurant in the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX airport, he wasted no time in contacting AREAS USA, the concession management company for the property, to apply for the job. Luis was quickly hired and placed in a specialized barista training class being operated by the Hospitality Training Academy in conjunction with Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC). The four-day class was offered to Luis at no cost as a result of a generous grant awarded to the HTA by Westfield to train new employees working at UNITE HERE Local 11 LAX Airport companies, such as AREAS USA. As part of his training, Luis participated in a comprehensive four day class on the campus of LATTC that included: ServSafe Food Handlers training and certification with the HTA; key customer service training geared toward the fast-paced, high volume airport environment provided by Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC); and in-depth/hands-on instruction on the history, techniques, and systems needed to be a barista provided by LATTC’s top Chef/Instructor James M. Lisanti. Luis is really looking forward to starting his new job as a barista at LAMill when it opens at the airport in January 2014. Of his training with HTA and LATTC, Luis reports that he is most grateful for the opportunity and found the class extremely helpful. In particular, as he it has been a year and half since he last worked as a barista, Luis says the class provided him with a great refresher on roasting coffee and making specialty drinks as well as information and the opportunity to work with new types of machines, which he knows will give him a huge advantage in his new job.
NORWALK, Calif. – August 15, 2013 – The Cerritos College Economic Development and the Culinary Arts programs, in partnership with Southeast Los Angeles County Workforce Investment Board (SELACO WIB) and the Hospitality Training Academy (HTA), are working to recruit and fill over a hundred jobs with qualified individuals in openings at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The positions vary from retail to culinary openings at stores and restaurants.
The partnership also recently established a pilot training program for LAX restaurants’ newly hired cooks led by the Cerritos College Culinary Arts Chair and Chef Michael Pierini. The training was held at Cerritos College Culinary Arts kitchen during the summer. Chef Pierini, along with Angela Reid from HTA, provided an intense 35-hour preparation course for the experienced cooks to get exposure to the menus of the restaurants they will be working for as well as receive an introduction to employment at LAX and the Union. Fourteen individuals attended and completed the training. Of these participants, seven were students or alumni of Cerritos College.
