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Chef Craig Terada joined the Touch A Heart team on January 24, and we're excited for you to get to know him better.
Craig's first job in foodservice was as a dishwasher at Zippy's. He worked his way up to become a fry cook and eventually, a lanai cook for the dine-in section of the McCully location. This was the only formal training he received; the rest of skills and expertise have come with time and experience.
"In 1993, I opened a gourmet coffee house that did breakfast, lunch and catering," Craig explained. "In 2005, I was awarded a contract to be a vendor in St. Andrew’s Schools, so I extended my business and tried to continue to operate Coffee Expressions in downtown and as a vendor in the super busy St. Andrew's Schools cafeteria."
Craig later made a strategic decision to sell his downtown business location and concentrate on the one at St. Andrew's Schools. After 15 successful years at the school, he officially closed Coffee Expressions and retired in 2020. We're so grateful that Craig was willing and able to come out of retirement to help us during our time of need.
"When Colin and Robin explained their situation regarding losing their main cook on relatively short notice and possibly having to discontinue the meals, God put it in my heart to volunteer to help them until they can raise one of their apprentices up or hire a new cook," he said.
In his new role, Craig said he enjoys meeting and working with such talented, committed, resilient, friendly, and hardworking people.
"I pray that God can use me to pass on skills to our apprentices so that they can keep moving forward spiritually and career-wise through the nurturing of Touch A Heart, which I'm glad to be a part of," he added.
Fun fact: Craig loves fishing!
We thank you for your support and helping us to welcome Craig to our growing Touch A Heart ohana.
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