Staff Profile:
Nicole Bailey

by Christy Articola

As Honest Weight’s food service manager, Nicole Bailey does whatever she can to make everyone happy in the Coop’s deli. Although she admits that it is quite challenging to please the wide variety of tastes of our members, she loves doing it. Whether a shopper is searching for a deli treat that is vegan, wheat free, or sugar free (or several of the above at once!), Nicole does all she can to ensure that their search is not only successful, but that the result is delicious! Since everything in the deli is made from scratch, that’s a tall order!

Besides making the deli’s offerings, there are many other facets to Nicole’s role as food service manager. Of course, she has to make sure her department is staffed; as one of our busiest departments, this is vital. She delegates what needs to be done, makes sure everyone works well together, and keeps everything running like a fine-tuned machine. She arrives at the Coop at 6 am — before many of us are even thinking about being awake — to get things ready for the day. And while working in the deli is fast paced, that’s one of her favorite parts of the job. She also loves how rewarding it can be. “It’s great to hear from others about how good something tastes!” she added.

Before her deli days, Nicole already had an extensive food service background. She’d worked in catering at SUNY and as a line cook in several area restaurants, and she can’t remember the last time she had a job that did not involve food. She has been on the staff at Honest Weight for about four years now. Before that she used to shop here occasionally, but when she heard that the deli was hiring an assistant manager she decided to apply. “I thought it sounded like fun,” she recalled, and was glad to learn that her hunch was correct. She eventually was promoted from assistant manager to manager.

In her free time, Nicole loves music, spending time with friends and family, and being creative. She recently moved into her own house, where she’s been spending a lot of time and effort decorating her new space. Born and raised in Schenectady, she currently resides there with her cat, Marvin.

And Nicole even cooks when she goes home — it’s not only a job, but a hobby and a passion! When shopping at the Coop, she buys a lot of our juices and yogurts, and enjoys many of our bulk items as well.

What Nicole likes best about being a part of Honest Weight is undoubtedly the people. “There are lots of great people here,” she explained. “Every day there are smiling faces — it’s a very welcoming place. It’s laid back and you can be yourself. There is no judgment by others like you might find in other jobs!”

Back to index

CoopScoop Home
CoopScoop Archives
Behind the Scoop
Guidelines for Article
     Submission