It’s understandable to be nervous the first day at a new job, especially if it’s the first job you’ve ever had. But Willow Wilson soon found out she had little to fear.
“I grew up coming here with my mom,” Willow said of the Brewstation. “I’ve been here my whole life. It was scary at first, but I like it.”
Her mom, Onna, has known owners Emily and Dale “forever,” and at age 15, Dale asked her if she wanted to work here when she was old enough. Soon after, she was, and the rest, as they like to say, is history.
Now, Willow finds herself moving up from barback to cook, and at just age 19, she’s well into a 3 ½ year tenure here that would be impressive at any age.
“It’s definitely a good first job,” she says. “All the people were so welcoming, so nice.”
As such, the switch from barback to cook, while undoubtedly a big move, was made easier by its timeline and an established relationship with her trainer, the esteemed Ryan Baremore.
“I already kinda knew everything from watching Ryan,” Willow said. “I’ve been watching him make everything for a long time, so it wasn’t hard to move into it. I do better watching and learning instead of being told how it is, so this was easy, because I had been watching for three years.”
These days, she’s been learning by watching Dale make her famous pies, and she’s learning the flow and rhythm of the kitchen more all the time.
“I do well here because when it gets really busy, I’m really good at staying calm in stressful situations. When everyone’s freaking out, I’m calm inside the craziness. And I get along with everyone.”
