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Co-op Worker Profile:
Mike Natcharian
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by Andrew Elder
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If you missed the Deli highlight and
interview with
manager Nicole Bailey in last month’s Coop Scoop, go and read it
now.… All done? For those of you who still haven’t read it (you have
your homework) here are the basics — sun-up to past sundown (6 am to 8
pm); 12 different salads, over 12 gallons of soup, 9 baked goods, 7
types of baked beans and the epic daily hot lunch entrée; 6
cooks in a space probably the size of your kitchen at home (or
smaller); and no dishwasher.
For Deli cook Mike Natcharian, those are proud stats and, although he’s
looking forward to the new store and the Deli expansion therein, right
now he wouldn’t change a thing.
Mike was born and raised in Latham and has been living in Albany for 10
years. He had several friends who shopped at the Co-op and eventually
he checked it out himself. Although he now embraces them fully, it
wasn’t the standard ideals of Honest Weight that made Mike first a
committed Co-op shopper, then member worker and eventually staff
member. It wasn’t for social issues or because he had a passion to
support local farms or even because he was dedicated to organic
produce. “I just love all the fresh, delicious food!” said Mike. “It
was a purely gastronomic decision.”
Since then, he has become a strong supporter of local farms and has
learned and shared a great deal of information about healthy eating
with his Deli co-workers and customers. The team gets along well, which
Mike noted was very important in such tight quarters. They play music,
swap recipes and brainstorm the day’s offerings together. “Everyone
shares turns coming up with the hot entrées,” said Mike. “It
keeps things interesting. We rotate veggies with tofu and incorporate
everything from seitan to quinoa.”
But it wasn’t where he thought he would be when he started out. His
early career path was in computer technical support, but he had begun
developing an interesting in cooking, especially ethnic recipes from
his Armenian heritage. But it was over sushi that Mike seized an
opportunity to take a significant turn in his life. “I was having
dinner at Saso’s one night,” said Mike. “when I saw that they were
hiring cooks. I applied for the job on the spot and got it.”
He started out in sushi, which was right to the top in Mike’s
estimation, and stayed at Saso’s for five years before moving on to
cook at the old Madison Café for a few more. In 2005, a
full-time position opened up in the Co-op Deli, where Mike worked twice
a week for his member hours. Just like with Saso’s, opportunity seen is
opportunity seized for Mike, and he has been a fulltime Deli worker
ever since.
Outside of the Co-op, Mike still keeps his hand in tech-wise, doing
volunteer computer work for Community Gardens, a non-profit
organization based in Troy that helps communities create urban gardens.
He enjoys kayaking and other outdoor activities and cat-sits part time.
He’s still experimenting with ethnic foods as well, incorporating new
flavors into the Deli’s menu. Baklava and stuffed grape leaves (and
other items Mike was uncertain how to spell for me) have made the cut.
Perhaps sushi isn’t far behind?
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