Respect Santa’s limits

• Whether you’re a secret Santa for a specific person or your department plays the white elephant gift exchange game, buy a gift valued at the dollar limit. That $50 gift may stand out compared to all the other $10 gifts, but it’ll make the one who bought it look like a show off. On the same note, don’t go shopping at the dollar store if the limit is $20. Respect the agreed upon limit, take a few minutes to pick out a thoughtful, funny, or creative gift, and exchanging gifts will be what it is meant to be—fun!

Respect your limits

• When it comes to alcohol and company parties, some say don’t drink at all, while others say to set a two-drink limit for yourself. However, our view is that it all boils down to common sense—know your limit and respect it. If you find yourself saying to your co-workers or your boss that you’ve always wanted to tell them something, then you may have had too much. And don’t forget to designate a driver.
• Dancing is fun; we love it. But there’s a time and a place for everything. If you look around and notice that you’re the only one dancing on a table, chances are, you’ll end up on YouTube before the song is over. Remember, you’re at a work-related event, and you have to come back on Monday. Again, it boils down to common sense.

Respect everyone else

As one of fresh & easy core values, this is a no brainer. And since our culture is based on respect for everyone, we don’t feel the need to tell you how to respect others. But there are some things that are not so clearly defined.
• Ask for permission before you post photos of someone on social media sites.
• The highest respect you can show your boss is to put your best foot forward and be the most courteous, professional you. This also means that you respect the fact that your boss has to mingle with everyone at the party.

If you respect the limits, listen to common sense, and respect others, we’re sure that your company holiday party will be something to remember, not something you’d rather forget!

We can hardly believe it’s been almost one year since we launched the fresh & easy careers blog! Over the past year, we’ve enjoyed giving you a glimpse into what it’s like to work at fresh & easy, introducing you to some of our star employees, and offering tips for your job search.

Our goal for this blog has been, and continues to be, to bring you content that’s informational, entertaining and useful. As we prepare for a new year, we want YOU to tell us what you’d like to see here. Do you want more job search tips? Do you really enjoy our videos? Would you like to learn more about working at fresh & easy?

We hope you’ll take a couple of minutes to complete our brief survey so we can plan future articles that you’ll find interesting and helpful. We appreciate your time, and we truly value your input.

If you’d like more information on careers at fresh & easy, please visit our Careers page and explore opportunities in your area.

Name: Addison Jackson
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Current position: Assistant Manager
Location: Walnut Park
Previous positions at fresh & easy: Team Lead
Education: Some College

How did you get started at fresh & easy?
After shopping in the Manhattan Beach store and seeing that the employees really had a passion and enjoyed what they were doing, I applied right away!

What does a day in the life of an Assistant Manager look like?
It’s all about customer service! From the minute I walk into the shop and greet employees and customers, I’m looking at store conditions to ensure everything’s up to par. Sometimes that involves reading and checking emails to prioritize urgent requests. My team helps keep the store running smoothly, so we meet to discuss sales kpi and daily comms. But my biggest goal every day is making our store a fun place to work.

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Feeling like you didn’t accomplish all during your shift! I always want to make sure my team is set up for success.

Why do you love working at fresh & easy?
I love having the opportunity to put a smile on the face of a customer who’s having a bad day, or bringing joy to a co-worker’s spirit who may be dealing with personal issues at home. Going the extra mile for a customer resulting in great customer service is what makes this job great!

Getting Fresh:

• What fresh & easy foods do you crave?
Chocolate chip cookies

• When you’re not at work, where can we find you?
Sometimes still at work.. ☺ I’m pretty much a home body.

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Wearing this red beaded hat during work, looking like Rick James.

• What’s on your iPod or DVR?
Monyia Jackson is the CEO of all our DVDs

• What’s an interesting or little known fact about you?
I’m a very humble person who’s witty, funny, open minded and very caring. I love going the extra mile for customers and my peers.

Helpful app features make career shopping at fresh & easy a piece of cake:

Job Search
• Up-to-date job descriptions for jobs in every area of our business: corporate, retail, manufacturing, distribution, and internships.
• Search filter by department and by location
• Interesting jobs can be saved until you’re ready to apply
• Email a job to yourself or a friend with one tap
• Instant app notifications when new jobs that match your interests are posted

Learn About Life at fresh & easy
• Behind-the-scenes videos and blog posts
• Employee benefits information

Join Our Talent Community
Even if you’re not ready to change jobs today, you can join our talent community to get an email when a position that matches your interests opens up.

Social Connections
No mobile app is complete without connections to social networks. Our Careers app contain a real-time feed from our Twitter handle @fandecareers and links to all our social accounts: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Flickr, and Google+.

Fresh & easy’s new mobile app is your key to a fun and rewarding career!

Download it today:

Name: Dannell Messenger
Hometown: Spring Valley, San Diego
Current position: Store Manager
Location: Lake Murray
Previous positions at fresh & easy: Customer Assistant, Team Leader
Education: Some College

How did you get started at fresh & easy?
I live down the street from the store in Casa De Oro, so when I saw it being built, I applied. I was hired as a Customer Assistant and helped open the Casa De Oro location. From there, I advanced to Team Leader and then worked at Point Loma, where I became Store Manager.

What does a day in the life of a Store Manager look like?
There is so much I could say, but let me make it fresh and easy.
I plan, do, and review: plan what I need to accomplish for the day, week, and month; do it with the help of my team; and then review how we did it. Then, we try and see what we can do better, and I reward the team for a job well done.

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Working with people, both employees and customers, can be challenging because there are so many different personalities; however, that’s what makes each day at fresh & easy different and fun. I respect people for who they are without compromising who you are.

Why do you love working at fresh & easy?
I can honestly say I love coming to work!!! I’m not going to say its all rainbows and butterflies, but I enjoy coming to work, and that is hard to find. I love the fact that they believe in you enough to give you the tools you need to grow and the chance to grow with them.

Getting Fresh:

• What fresh & easy foods do you crave?
I love our Pesto Hummus.

• When you’re not at work, where can we find you?
At home with my daughter

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
When I was 17, I took off to Barstow (Hinkley) without my parents knowing, and I met the man that became my husband.

• What’s on your iPod or DVR?
iPod: Dead Kennedys, NOFX, Social Distortion, Slightly Stoopid….

• What’s an interesting or little known fact about you?
I did not start talking until I was four years old, and I have not shut up since!

Name: Leslie S Hernandez
Hometown: Los Angeles
Current position: Process Technologist
Location: Kitchen Campus
Previous positions at fresh & easy: N/A
Education: High School

How did you get started at fresh & easy?
I applied online after being referred to the company by a good friend. Things happened pretty quickly after that- I interviewed a week later, and started working in High Care Prep. a week after that.

What does a day in the life of a Process Technologist look like?
The beginning of the day usually consists of a team huddle were we are assigned our tasks for the day. These can be anything from checking each department to assure that any changes sent out are being done in production, verifying yields and doing trials. Collecting samples of intermediate products, raw materials and cooked items for final approval is also a huge part of our day.. We’re always looking for ways to better the quality of all our products!

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of your job?
The most challenging aspect of a Process Technologist job has to be working around production schedules. Production is always takes priority, but, when we are looking for specific answers, a good Technologist needs to be patient and stretch their time to accommodate production while still getting their work done.

Why do you love working at fresh & easy?
I’ve been here since December 2007 and love that its still not boring! Every day is different.

Getting Fresh:

• What fresh & easy foods do you crave?
Asian Range & Fresh Fruits

• When you’re not at work, where can we find you?
At Disneyland

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Bungee Jumped

• What’s on your iPod or DVR?
DVR- Reality Shows, iPod- I love Music! I have Prince Royce, Alliyah, Adele, The Offspring, The Isle Brothers, Linkin Park, No Doubt, Vicente Fernandez, Katy Perry, Nero, Lily Allen, Tupac & Ne-Yo and those are just the ones playing back to back right now. I always like to listen to new Music.

• What’s an interesting or little known fact about you?
I am always under estimated or judged wrongly since I was younger I have been told how I always shocked people once they took the chance to get to know me, to the day I still find it interesting. I am actually shy and to myself I only reach out to people that want to be reached out to other than that I completely respect people’s personal space.

Name: David Steinbach
Hometown: Middletown, OH
Current position: Support Operations Manager
Location: Riverside Distribution Center
Previous positions at fresh & easy: No others.
Education: BS in Industrial Engineering, The Ohio State University

How did you get started at fresh & easy?
I first heard about fresh & easy because their parent company, Tesco, was a client of my former employer

What does a day in the life of a Support Operations Manager look like?
My days consist of monitoring the Inventory Control dept, operation and warehouse management systems to ensure the day’s work is progressing properly. I also assist the operation and the business segments by resolving processing problems that arise. We are always planning for the future, and much of that starts by managing the accuracy of the Distribution Center’s inventory.

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of your job?
I believe that the most challenging aspect of my job is effectively communicating with all levels of the organization and tailoring my message for a breadth of audiences.

Why do you love working at fresh & easy?
Working at fresh & easy allows me to contribute to a worthwhile cause – providing nutritious, affordable food to people who need and want it.

Getting Fresh:

• What fresh & easy foods do you crave?
Peanut butter filled pretzels

• When you’re not at work, where can we find you?
Biking, hiking, playing golf

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
I once fell out of the raft while running class 3 rapids

• What’s on your iPod or DVR?
Esperanza Spalding, misc jazz artists

• What’s an interesting or little known fact about you?
I brew beer at home

Here are our tips for getting the most out of your internship whether you’re working at fresh & easy or with another company.

Show initiative
• Volunteer to take on projects outside of your regular duties. Instead of asking if there is anything else you can do, find a specific need or problem, and offer your help. Managers love initiative, and they’re more likely to remember and recommend those who show it.

Ask for feedback
• 
Your internship is a golden opportunity to tap into the wisdom of employees who are established and experienced in your chosen field. Ask them how you are doing, and in what areas you can improve.

Embrace constructive criticism
• Don’t take criticism personally. Nobody’s perfect—we all have things that we excel at and others that we need to work on. Embrace constructive criticism and use it as a tool to improve your skills.

Network, network, network
• Step outside of your cubicle, your circle of friends, and even your department, and meet as many people as possible. When your internship ends and you’re hoping to be hired permanently, your chances of hearing about and landing a job increase with the number of people you know at the company. It’s also a good idea to invest in a box of business cards; they are relatively inexpensive and will yield big dividends when your new contact is trying to remember your name.

Keep track of accomplishments
• Keep a list of your projects and your achievements, and add to it monthly rather than trying to remember everything you did at the end of your internship. You’ll thank yourself when you’re updating your resume several months down the road.
An internship is about gaining knowledge and experience, but we hope it will be fun and rewarding as well.

We start recruiting for our summer interns in winter and spring each year. Visit our Careers site  to learn more about internships at fresh & easy.

Name: Carol Tam
Hometown: Davis, CA
Department: Processing
University & Major: UC Davis, Food Science and Technology

How did you hear about & choose the fresh & easy internship program?
I first heard about the program through my campus’ career fair.

What does a day in the life of a Processing intern look like?
It’s busy! Sometimes, I get to work by 4AM just to make sure I catch the weight of ingredients before they go into the oven. Since my project deals with a lot of trials, I spend most of my time in the factory making sure samples are made the way the department wants them.

What’s your most memorable internship experience and why?
My most memorable internship experience was the day I stayed at work for almost ten hours working on a project. It was a LONG day, but I finally got my work done by the end of the day. Sleep never felt so good! ☺

What are your career goals and how will your time here help you achieve them?
Given the time it takes to gain experience in the chilled food industry, I would love to become a specialist in anything relating to processing and recipe development. By spending time with the processing team and everyone else on the factory floor, I have been able to see the whole picture- from developing a scaled up version of the recipe to the yummy finished product.

Where are you now within the company?
I am working in the processing department at the kitchen campus.

What makes the fresh & easy internship program stand out from other internship programs you’ve either participated in or heard about?
Fresh & easy’s program is unique because it allowa interns to be hands-on in the factory. It also lays out clear expectations and goals for each participant to achieve by the end of each day, week, and internship as a whole.

Any advice for other students looking to apply?
Be prepared to be in the COLD!
Choose warmth over fashion!
Don’t be shy- ask questions!

Getting Fresh:

• What fresh & easy foods do you crave?
Strawberry Lemonade

• When you’re not at work, where can we find you?
At home!

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Had all 11 cats in the house at one time!

• What’s on your iPod or DVR?
Songs

• What’s an interesting or little known fact about you?
I have pet rats, chinchillas, and cats!

A sincere thank you letter goes a long way
In the same way that the clothes you wear to an interview can help you make a good first impression, an articulate thank you letter can leave a positive lasting impression. Although we can’t cover everything or tell you how to pen the perfect thank you letter, we can give you some useful tips that will help you along the way.

Be on time
• Send your thank you letter within five working days of your interview. This will help ensure that your interview and you, as a candidate, are fresh in the mind of the interviewer, and it signals that you are interested, prompt and thorough.

Be professional
• Double check your letter to catch any grammar and spelling mistakes, and maintain a professional, respectful tone. A sloppy thank you letter sends the wrong message.

Be original
• Avoid sending a generic thank you letter. Address the letter to the person who interviewed you, and use their name and, if applicable, their title. Not only is this more respectful, it will also help you make a great impression.

Be your own spokesperson
• When it comes to the content of a thank you letter, the possibilities are endless; however, there are certain things that you should always include. The most important is to actually thank the interviewer for their time since that is your reason for writing. The other is to restate your interest in the position and to highlight why you would be a good fit. To really impress, refer to something you talked about in the interview and provide some more information on that topic. Finally, keep it short. Your thank you letter should be no longer than one page.

Be perceptive
• A common dilemma people face when sending a thank you letter is whether to send it via e-mail, or to go the old-fashioned route and send it snail mail. However, this creates an opportunity to show that you’re perceptive. Send your thank you letter using the same method you used to submit your job application.

Be yourself
• Don’t forget to be yourself! A thank you letter is not only polite but also provides you with a great opportunity to show off who you are and why you would be the right person for the job.

Saying thank you can take many different forms, and now that you’ve got the thank you letter down, you can go back to planning that delicious Thanksgiving dinner!

For more of our job search tips or to explore job opportunities at fresh & easy, visit our Careers page.

Josiah Huelle, our chief dessert development chef, was recently featured in the Press-Enterprise, a Southern California newspaper. The article profiled his contribution to creating fresh & easy’s new bakery department and some of the unique, delicious desserts he’s developed since becoming a part of our team.

Want to work with passionate employees like Josiah at fresh & easy? Read more about us on our Careers website  and search our open positions now.

We’re celebrating our fifth anniversary this month, and we couldn’t pass up the chance to highlight and thank our team members who have been with us from the beginning.

Our mission when we opened our doors in 2007 was to make wholesome, delicious foods affordable for everyone. To do it, we hired a team of energetic, passionate people who share our values and who were excited to help us build a business.

Here’s what a few of those employees said about the last five years at fresh & easy:
“My favorite fresh & easy memory is of our first store opening. Employees from our home office visited the store and our manufacturing facilities to get a behind the scenes look at the full operation. From my perspective working in Design & Planning, I was no longer looking at plans on paper or using my imagination. I was actually seeing real product on the shelves and meeting real customers. I still have my first store receipt from that day!”
~ John York, Design Architect Manager – Store Planning & Design

“I remember a cold winter of 2007, just after we opened our first stores. We had so much inventory to organize and stock, that we spent 6 hours a day in the walk-in refrigerator! It was awesome to have a teammate, Eric Velasquez, to work with in those early days.”

~ Jacob Walthers, Store Manager

“My favorite fresh & easy memory is of opening our first fresh & easy express store because it was a new concept that I am proud to have been involved in. It helped provide the best of fresh & easy in a smaller format.”
~ Pablo Artica, District Manager

“I really like the ‘Good Neighbor’ part of our value system, especially being part of the community and being careful about the impact on the environment. The fact that fresh & easy, from the CEO down, prioritizes these values made me realize that they are not just for show and that fresh & easy truly believes in them. I was excited about the opportunity to be part of an organization that is a good neighbor in the community.”
~ Jeff Foster, Local Marketing Manager

“I am happy to be celebrating five years with fresh & easy. My time with fresh & easy has been a wonderful adventure. I’ve shared lots of good times with my teammates, and we supported each other when times were tough. Like any long-term relationship, you have to work hard to keep it fun and exciting, but with respect and trust you can keep growing together, and you look forward to whatever the future brings. Happy birthday fresh & easy!”
~ Stacy Browner, Executive Assistant to Chief HR Officer

Earlier this week, we spotlighted team members, from various areas of our business, who have contributed to our success over the past five years.

Stephanie Patryla, Neighborhood Affairs Manager

Don Alger, HQ Test Kitchen Manager

Michaelann Pisano Oldham, Marketing Manager

Joe Ragusa, Category Manager

Tina Lee, HR Manager

Brian Coleman, IT Director

We’re so proud of what we’ve accomplished in the past five years, and we couldn’t have done it without these folks and our entire team of over 5,000 passionate employees.

If you think fresh & easy looks like a great place to work, visit our Careers page and search for an open job in your area.

Name: Stephanie Patryla
Hometown: Santa Monica
Current position: Neighborhood Affairs Manager
Location: Home Office
Previous positions at fresh & easy: Public Relations Coordinator
Education: BA in Communication from the University of California, Santa Barbara

How did you get started at fresh & easy?
I was recruited in August of 2007 to join the fresh & easy team as a Public Relations Coordinator. I was fortunate enough to be able to help open our first stores.

What does a day in the life of a Neighborhood Affairs Manager look like?
There’s no such thing as a “typical” day: one day I’m working on the Shop for Schools fundraising program and the next I’m throwing a launch event to open a new store or promote a new product line. This position definitely keeps me on my toes!

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of your job?
I would say it’s challenging to keep up with everything that needs to get done. Juggling many different initiatives at once can be difficult, but it is rewarding too.

Why do you love working at fresh & easy?
I love the freedom I’ve had to grow and take on more responsibilities. I love the people and the products. I love the culture and the passion. I love that fresh & easy cares about the environment and our neighbors—a small business giving $4 million to local schools is pretty amazing!

Getting Fresh:

• What fresh & easy foods do you crave?
Many of our Kitchen-To-Go meal bowls like the Chicken & Shrimp Jambalaya and Pollo Asado Bowls are staples in my home. I also love our fresh salsas (southwest & mango) and our different varieties of hummus, and our Sweet & Spicy Nuts are addictive!! And I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m quite familiar with our great wine range

• When you’re not at work, where can we find you?
Outside running with my dog, spending quality time with my DVR, traveling to new places, and hanging out with my amazing friends and family.

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
I once painted my nails this awful orange color. Joking aside, I can’t think of anything, which is disconcerting; I’m either really dull or everything I do is crazy.

• What’s on your iPod or DVR?
My iPod contains an interesting mix of music, from The Beatles to Eminem and everything in-between. I also like Sublime, Rihanna, Linkin Park, Kanye West, and I, may or may not, rock out to a little Britney and Bieber once in a while.

• What’s an interesting or little known fact about you?
I can play the piano, not well, but I think it still counts.

Name: Don Alger
Hometown: Medford, Oregon/Seattle, WA
Current position: Home Office Test Kitchens Manager
Location: Home Office, El Segundo
Previous positions at fresh & easy: This is it!
Education: South Medford High School and Le Cordon Bleu (Pasadena)

How did you get started at fresh & easy?
I was found by a recruiting firm, and the rest is history!

What does a day in the life of a Test Kitchen Manager look like?
I manage activities in our kitchens, work with the New Product Development team, and I monitor our competitors to ensure fresh & easy is always one step ahead—and so much more.

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Finding benchmark samples is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Why do you love working at fresh & easy?
I believe and live the core values that fresh & easy stands for. We have a great diversity in our business. The people I work with are AMAZING at what they do, and they are like family to me.

Getting Fresh:

• What fresh & easy foods do you crave?
Bagged Salads, fresh bakery breads, any of our tomatoes, and an occasional Meat Supreme Frozen Pizza, “DEEELISH”.

• When you’re not at work, where can we find you?
Spending time with my partner, relaxing up at Big Bear, CA, or watching hockey.

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Oh Gosh! If you knew me, you would know that there’s too much to list!

• What’s on your iPod or DVR?
Paul Van Dyke, Armin Van Burren, Tiesto, and ‘80s classics, like The Cure and Depeche Mode. On my DVR, Pawn Stars and hockey.

Name: Tina Lee
Hometown: lives in Culver City, CA, from Shadow Hills, CA
Current position: Lead Manager – HR Service Center and Lean Project Manager
Location: Human Resources
Previous positions at fresh & easy: Recruiter and Recruitment Manager
Education: Bachelor’s of Arts, Saint Mary’s College of California

How did you get started at fresh & easy?
I was talent spotted by the brand new fresh & easy Recruitment team (one Recruiter and a Director) to take a role as a Recruiter. At that time, fresh & easy was still going by the UK name of Tesco and their Recruitment efforts were so new that they wouldn’t tell me who they were until I had been successful in my interview. I was offered a position the next day and it couldn’t have been at a better time as my former employer was closing down its office. I was ready for a brand new and exciting venture, which has continued now for over 6 years.

What does a day in the life of a Lead Manager for HRSC look like?
I work with my HR Service Center team to insure that we are giving our employees the best customer service experience possible. I make sure that we communicate with each other to share our best practices, so that we are constantly making improvements in all processes and capacities of our roles. We work closely with the entire Human Resources team to insure we are synced up to enhance the employee experience here at fresh & easy. I’m also leading an effort that scrutinizes our top processes to make them leaner and simpler.

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Oh my gosh….need to skip this question

Why do you love working at fresh & easy?
I love how hard fresh & easy tries to make this such a great company to work for. I have been involved in the most interesting and innovative projects such as choreographing flash mobs! Never would I see myself doing these things anywhere else.

Getting Fresh:

• What fresh & easy foods do you crave?
Pesto Hummus, Chicken Tikka Masala and Moroccan Mint Iced Tea.

• When you’re not at work, where can we find you?
Hanging out with friends, on mini weekend getaways, going to concerts and DIY projects at home.

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
I jumped off a 70 foot cliff into the ocean.

• What’s on your iPod or DVR?
On my DVR – Master Chef, On my Ipod – Shins, Black Keys, LCD Sound System to name a few.

• What’s an interesting or little known fact about you?
I used to work for a wine tasting and auction company in NYC and I still consider it a mini hobby of mine.

Five years ago, American Idol still had its original judges, most cell phones still had buttons, and fresh & easy opened its first store in Eagle Rock, California. Since then, fresh & easy has grown by leaps and bounds! Don’t worry, we’re not going to bore you with statistics; we just want to share some amusing facts and let you know why we’re so proud of fresh & easy.

Fresh fact: The first item sold at fresh & easy was potato salad, and the first product on our production plan was our Mango-Curry Chicken Salad.

From the outset, it was clear that fresh & easy’s concept was a hit, and, in addition to California, stores were opening in neighborhoods all over Nevada and Arizona. In fact, the first five fresh & easy locations to open in Nevada all opened on November 14, 2007, and in Arizona the first four opened on December 5, 2007—nine stores in less than a month!

Fresh fact: The 1st person hired by fresh & easy was Terri Leitgeb, and the 100th was Brittany Fisk. Today, we are over 5,000 employees strong!

If there’s one reason fresh & easy has been so successful in the last five years, it’s the people. The fast pace and dedication to making only the best food means we expect a lot from our team. However, at fresh & easy, we also believe in rewarding people for a job well done. That’s why we set up the employee rewards program : employees can earn points, which are later converted to cash, just for shopping in our markets.

Fresh fact: Since 2007, fresh & easy has created over 6,500 jobs and promoted over 1,800 employees.

As a part of each neighborhood we serve, we believe in giving back to the community, and since 2007, fresh & easy has donated over $4 million to local schools through our Shop for Schools program.

Fresh fact: Our top-selling sandwich in October 2007 was the Chicken Caesar Wrap, with 280 sandwiches sold and eaten per week. In October 2012, it was the Chicken Salad Sandwich, with 8,400 gobbled up each week.

At fresh & easy, we love food! You have to love it to make over 2,000 high quality meals and sandwiches each day and 7,500lbs of sauce each week. But that was in 2007. Today, fresh & easy makes 95,000 meals and sandwiches each day and over 220,000lbs of sauce each week.

It’s been a great five years, and we’re looking forward to the next five years and beyond!

We’re hiring now! Read more about our departments and browse our open positions.

Name: Michaelann Pisano Oldham
Hometown:Redondo Beach, CA
Current position: Marketing Communications Manager
Location: Home Office
Previous positions at fresh & easy:
• Marketing Operations Manager
• Trade Planning Manager
• Marketing Coordinator
Education:BA in communication with an emphasis in marketing, University of Southern California

How did you get started at fresh & easy?
I was working for a real estate developer back in 2007 when the fresh & easy property team came in to our office for a meeting. I did a bit of research on the company, liked what I saw, and immediately applied!

What does a day in the life of a Marketing Communications Manager look like?
How long do you have?! A typical day consists of meetings with my team as well as our design and media agencies. I also look after the creative and content for our weekly flyer, email/website, and in-store point of sale. It’s usually a busy day.

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Trying to keep things simple for our customers and staff can be a challenge. Marketing is the voice of our brand, and it’s our job to ensure we deliver creative, engaging communication to our customers on a daily basis, while keeping it straightforward for our staff.

Why do you love working at fresh & easy?
I love the people. We have fun at work!

Getting Fresh:

• What fresh & easy foods do you crave?
Our Hummus, Kitchen-to-Go Pollo Asado Bowl, and Vanilla Cookie Crèmes.

• When you’re not at work, where can we find you?
At the beach or Bar Method.

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
White water rafting in Switzerland.

• What’s on your iPod or DVR?
Dexter, The Great Food Truck Race and The Bachelor/Bachelorette. I, may or may not, also record Here Comes Honey Boo Boo.

• What’s an interesting or little known fact about you?
I know all of the lyrics to a hit song from the early ‘90s called “Whoomp! There It Is”. In fact, I rapped to it on stage at my own wedding! #CanYouDigIt?

Name: Joe Ragusa
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Current position: Category Manager – Impulse
Location: Home Office, El Segundo, CA
Previous positions at fresh&easy: Category Manager
Education: BS Business Administration, Cal State Northridge
Food Industry Management Certificate, USC

How did you get started at fresh & easy?
I was hired as Category Manager. I was living in Chicago, working for another retailer, and was approached about an opportunity at Tesco. I enjoyed living in Chicago but was looking for new challenges, and it helped that fresh&easy was based in my hometown.

What does a day in the life of a Category Manager look like?
My work is divided fairly evenly between developing new products, planning our trade (flyers & merchandising), and negotiating with suppliers. The aim of these tasks is to continually make our products better for our customers. There are also all the day-to-day activities that are part of the job, which include interfacing with nearly every part of the business: retail, supply chain, marketing, and space range and display.

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of your job?
Working in the commercial department means you have to wear many hats, and the ability to adapt is crucial. Also, you can get stuck in a box and lose sight of your tremendous ability to influence what truly matters—the customer experience.

Why do you love working at fresh & easy?
I love working at fresh & easy because of the people. Whether in the stores or at the home office, we are all working toward making this a great place to work and a place where people try harder than anyone for the good of the customers. It’s great to develop and launch products that people love. Food is life.

Getting Fresh:

• What fresh & easy foods do you crave?
I love our Hummus, FE Ice Creams, our line of simmer sauces, and, of course, all our FE snacks, candy, and beverages.

• When you’re not at work, where can we find you?
I enjoy snowboarding, beach volleyball, racquetball, and being with my family.

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Probably, driving on a windy road behind a street-line-spraying truck and getting plastic paint all over my rental car.

• What’s on your iPod or DVR?
Breaking Bad, Incubus, Linkin Park, and USC football.

• What’s an interesting or little known fact about you?
I’m 100% Sicilian, and I come from a large family.

Name: Brian Coleman
Hometown: Wilmington, Ohio
Current position: Development and Deployment, IT Director
Location: El Segundo, CA
Previous positions at fresh & easy: 1) System Support Analyst/Distribution Project Manager 2) IT Support Manager 3) IT Program Director.
Education: BS Business and Information Systems

How did you get started at fresh & easy?
I was looking to move to Los Angeles from Columbus, Ohio. I posted my resume on a recruiting site and was called the next day. I had a couple interviews over the phone and did some research on Tesco. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get involved in a startup with such a well-respected organization, so I agreed to fly out for a face-to-face interview. After that, I knew I was in the right place. I accepted an offer within a couple days.

What does a day in the life of an IT Director look like?
My days usually start with calls with people in the UK and India. Sometimes, I talk with colleagues from other countries as well; we discuss the status of existing projects as well as plans for new projects. We also explore new technologies and ways to maximize existing technology. By the time I get to the office, it’s time to meet with stakeholders from various areas of the business. We brainstorm ways we can use technology to improve the business, such as to better communicate product offerings—with a constant focusing on what is most important for our customers. A good portion of my day is spent meeting with team members: planning, building, making decisions, and talking about what is going on in their world.

What do you think is the most challenging aspect of your job?
The most challenging aspect of my job is probably trying to move faster than the available technology is capable of. Of course, we want to come up with new and innovative solutions, but we need to balance that with providing a consistent and reliable service to everyone that enters a fresh & easy store.

Why do you love working at fresh & easy?
First, I love the food. I firmly believe that our food provides the means to easily and affordably live a healthy, fulfilling life. That’s not a small thing, and I see us doing this every day by providing food made of the best natural ingredients. I also really enjoy working with smart and talented people. Finally, I like it when I go somewhere and I hear people gushing about how much they love the stores and the products. I hear this all the time, and it is a great feeling!

Getting Fresh:

• What fresh & easy foods do you crave?
Lobster mac and cheese, rosemary ham pizza, chicken masala, pad thai, cranberry chicken salad, pesto hummus, brownie fudge bites….I could go on and on.

• When you’re not at work, where can we find you?
Probably running along the beach. I’m an avid runner.

• What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Swimming between islands in the middle of the Maldives. Knowing the water was full of sharks probably kept me going more than the fear of drowning.

• What’s on your iPod or DVR?
I waste…hmmm, spend way too much time watching the Food Network. I could spend an entire evening watching a Chopped marathon or Food Network Star.

• What’s an interesting or little known fact about you?
I have been to 21 countries and will be going to Costa Rica in a few weeks to make it 22. Also, my sister was the 2nd ranked acro-gymnast in the world back in the ‘80s.

It’s officially autumn, and that means we’re in harvest mode, preparing for the coming holidays and the dinners and desserts we want to deliver to families in our neighborhoods. We want our customers to focus on spending time with loved ones, so we’ve devised a way to help people simplify: The Holiday Meals Made Simple program.

Our Holiday Meals Made Simple Program
This program is low-effort and high-quality: Customers spend about five minutes online choosing their ideal Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other holiday meal, drop by their local fresh&easy to pick up their fresh, ready-to-heat -and-eat meal, pop it into the oven, then serve and enjoy with family and friends. None of the food sees the inside of a freezer—our ingredients are picked and shipped only after its been ordered. The menu provides a balanced meal with options like potato au gratin, home-style gravy, and brussel sprouts with bacon.

According to Leith Anderson, Commercial Manager, it’s “all about ultra-convenience for our customers. We all know how difficult it can be worrying about shopping last minute for your family, spending hours cooking from scratch, or dealing with products being out of stock or unavailable on a major holiday. We want to make our customers’ lives easier and this program delivers on that promise.”

Customers Love Our Holiday Meals
After the program debuted last year, satisfied customers took the time to thank us.

One customer even sent us this thank you note: “Thank you so much for a wonderful dinner! Usually, we spend the night before and half of Thanksgiving day cooking, and are exhausted when we sit down with our family to eat. The ham and glaze was delicious, as were the risotto, stuffing, and greens! For the first time I can remember, we were all able to enjoy a tasty holiday meal together as a family!”

Holiday Meals Made Through Teamwork and A Little Love
Kate Ewart, Director of New Product Development, says the Holiday Meals Made Simple program shows how the entire fresh&easy team rallies to bring the best food to families in our neighborhoods. If you’re in new product development, procurement, assembly, distribution, or customer service, you are involved in this effort—and it’s fun! “Every area of the business touches this,” remarks Kate. ”We share the common goal of making great quality food for our customers, and the bar is higher for us during the holidays. Our teamwork and love of what we do, help us make delicious holiday meals for our customers.”

To make this happen, fresh&easy relies on its hardworking staff. “We have such unique roles and work at such a fast pace, and that makes us different from our competitors,” notes Emma Weare, Director of Human Resources. “It takes a very special person, someone with commitment and enthusiasm to help make special programs like Holiday Meals Made Simple come to life.”

Join Our Team
If this sounds like you, come join the team. Visit our Careers page to find a job that matches your qualifications.

Order Your Holiday Meal
We’re cooking up something special. Order your holiday meal now on our website.