DECEMBER 7, 2014
SUNDAY SUN SPECIAL. 15
IN 1988, Otis Warner began a long journey that would see his career realised as a part of the Goddard Catering Group family. Working in the Commissary Department of GCG, Warner has spent 26 years of his life learning the ins and outs of the company. The Commissary Department is responsible for all the equipment for the airlines. From cups and containers to cutlery and all the china needed in flight, the Commissary is stocking for flight preparation. Once a week to once a month, each airliner has specific regulations on when stock and inventory must be taken to ensure well rounded preparedness. “Believe it or not, it’s been 26 years and I turn forty-six this year,” Warner afforded. “When I first came to Goddard’s, I worked in Set-up,” Warner said. At the age of just 20, Warner found himself at the beginning of a career that would last longer than he realised at the time. In Set-up, he worked the job organising the trays and getting equipment ready to be loaded. From there,
MARGUERITE BESTE (GP) FOR 18 YEARS, Marguerite Beste has been working in the Kitchen Department at GCG and has worked in all the areas that are related to the preparation of food. Self-described as a “cold side cook,” Beste works with everything from sandwiches to salad and appetisers. “When I came to the company, I was really impressed. I had 10 years’ experience as a chef working in one of the best hotels in Barbados, Sam Lord’s Castle. One of the things that I recognise the most is the standard of management within the Goddard’s Group of companies,” said Beste. The GCG team always strives for excellence and the atmosphere is on a different level of professionalism and coordination. “Even with HACCP [Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points] training that I did before, it wasn’t as demanding as it is within GCG,” Beste said. “When I examine the whole level of operation, it’s a very high standard and I must commend the whole group of companies for pushing to this standard,” she continued. According to Beste, even students from the Barbados Community College and University of the West Indies come to GCG for further training and experience. From Beste’s perspective, even as a trained chef coming from a high-end hotel, beginning at GCG entails starting from the beginning to see the effort and care that goes into the entire process of food preparation at this level. From preparation to presentation every detail is controlled and brought to the highest standard to quality. “It is really mind-boggling to see what goes into the operations,” Beste said. “I remember coming at four o’clock in the morning because everything has to be logged and temperature controlled at every stage.” With a company that works with international food handling, it is no wonder that GCG puts the amount of effort it does into the care of meals. From internal auditing to second-and-third party audits, GCG exceeds the standard set by its industry. “The level of security and safety goes beyond what I’ve seen anywhere else,” said Beste, “it’s truly a great company for which to work. It’s a great privilege to work for the Goddard’s Group of companies.”
OTIS WARNER (GP)
he stepped into the shoes of a porter. For 10 solid years, Warner worked the seasons with GCG before becoming a Commissary clerk. “It is such a good place to work. In terms of facilities, benefits, and as far as pay is concerned, it’s just a very good company. You can really achieve something in life,” Warner said, looking back on his long stay with GCG. “Sixty years is a long time,” said Warner, “some of the people have been here before I was born and are still here. There’s a lot of history, the honest truth is that it’s a very good company to work with.”