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Hey, I'm Maddie, and I'm Skylar, and you're listening to Butter Together, we're two friends who believe food isn't just about what's on the plate. It's about the people, the stories, and the little moments that bring us closer. Each episode, we'll share conversations, memories, and maybe a few recipes too, because the best things in life are meant to be shared. So come hang out with us and let's get to it. We are celebrating today. 250 downloads. Ready? That's a was a good one. That was a good one.'cause we're celebrating. Thank you so much for everyone listening. I can't believe it. I would take a drink a sip. In all of your honor, I've already had two glasses and I'm a one drink Sally. I'm not even a two drink Sally. So thank you. Mm-hmm. Crazy. I know. It's mostly Maddie's family. God bless you all. No, I feel like there's others out there. And your coworkers. Um, I know some of my friends listen to it. Some. There you go. If you're out there, can you text me? Yeah. So maybe just like, if you have our numbers, messages, what episodes you like or, um, on our, we do have an Instagram, like our Instagram. Yeah. Comment, you know, um, you don't even, don't even give us a shout out. We're not even there yet. Like, just, just feedback would be great. Just some critique, you know? Yeah. If you like it, you hate it, what things you'd like to hear. That's how we grow. Mm-hmm. I mean, that's how we made it this far. I'm 250, eh. What are we talking about today, Skylar? Passion. Passion. Passion. Passion. From the heart. From the heart. When I think about passion, mm-hmm. My immediate thought goes to core values because many places that I work or have been a part of, they talk about one of our core values here is passion. And they're like, how do you see your passion being used in your job or a part of this company? And I think it's always been an easy answer for me.'cause I was like, well I'm a part of your company'cause I make food, so my passion is food. And it was kind of this, like, this given of like, yeah, I'm passionate about this food. So it adds to the customer experience. Mm-hmm. Because the way this value works for me is that I am so excited about making this food that it makes other people excited. Um, but the more I thought about it and the more I like, actually, I think it was more in college when I had to realize like, I wanna pursue and study something that I'm actually passionate about, something I could talk about for hours. I think at the end of the day, what it is for me isn't so much what I do. It isn't so much what I bake or like how I bake it or. The process or anything, but like passion for me is serving others. Hmm. And I think once I figured that out, my next question was how do I do that? And how do I stay passionate about how I do that? And I think for me, I've always wanted to be someone who serves others through food. And I think that's how I kinda landed where I was in my career. When you say that, the first thing I think about is how that is inherently like your sense of being is like most of the actions that you do for me, for the people around you, the events that you put together is in the idea of others, like serving someone else. Like you go above and beyond to make sure that someone else has a wonderful time or feels. Uh, homely or like welcome and comfortable. She literally heated up dinner and made me toast and didn't ask for help at all once during the whole thing. And I was like, I should probably be doing something. You know, like almost done. I was like, okay, I'll just drink my wine. But it makes sense. I see, I see it in what you do and that makes so much sense the way you put it just now. So I think you hit the nail on the head. I think you know who you are. Just had amazing feat. It took me a very long time to figure out for myself, so. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I think what I've learned, I have been passionate about so many things and that is what has kept me pulled in different directions for a long time in my life and like. Figuring out the things that I could follow as passions, because as you know, I have a very wide range of different jobs that I have done. Yes. As careers and like figuring out. Can we name a few? Sure. Um, I was a gardener. Mm-hmm. Did landscaping. I was Baker. Baker. I was a teacher for swimming. I You did pottery, right? I did pottery. What else did I do? You were a smoothie maker. I, I, you reducer. I really wanted to see what working at a grocery store was like. Yeah. It was fucking terrible. Um, too high schooly. Mm. Yeah. I loved teaching. Mm. Because I liked. Seeing these kids like this was specifically with swim teaching, so a lot of fear plays into it. And you know the moment when a kid gets over their fear of swimming? Oh, that's really sweet. Yeah. And being like a person to help them get through that was so fulfilling and like rewarding that I didn't care about how much freaking boogers I let them blow into my hand or pee on me or whale in my ear. Like that was great. That was my first job. And all of these things were like helping me whittle down because I loved baking. Like I love baking and I love cooking and I learned. That as much as I love something, it's not always going to be something that I wanna do as a job, as a career. And what I learned from all of this experience was what I get out of everything the most is learning. And like my passion is learning. Yeah. And that's why I'm able to talk to you about soil and fermentation and food and all these amazing things that I feel like brings people closer is because I love like knowing about this stuff and feeling like not only am I like can provide and feel secure and sorting out my future because I can know and learn about this stuff, but also being able to. Learn is also knowing that you can fail. Yeah. And come back from that. Because failing is not just feeling down or feeling like you did something wrong. It's learning from the mistake. And that is probably the only way I learn. I make a lot of mistakes and it gets easier. Right. It's like confidence. You know how people say like confidence is just going out there and doing the thing. Yeah. Over and over until you feel comfortable. Yeah. Something I've been thinking more and more about is like people are more afraid of other people in higher positions. Mm-hmm. So like, let's just say in the kitchen, like the head chef is the one who everyone fears the most. Mm-hmm. Or is like the most intimidated, at least by, and I was always like, why? There's a person usually 10 to 20 years older than you if you're starting off like in a kitchen. I was like, why is everyone so intimidated by this person in this position? And I think it's because they know they have a lot to learn and this person has learned it. Mm-hmm. And they're afraid to fail in front of them, or they're afraid to be naive or young in front of someone. So like seasoned and like learned. Mm-hmm. Basically. And the more I thought about it, I was like, that's like a silly reason to be intimidated by someone because if anything, that's someone you should be talking to the most. Mm-hmm. Because they have failed the most and they've experienced the most. Um, that was just a random thought I had. No, yeah. I think it like, it makes sense because you don't wanna let this person down that has. Built so much, built so much to the point where they feel confident in what they're doing in every action and move. So it's like if you make a mistake in front of them, it feels like you fucked it up. Like, you know, you're like, oh my God, that's it. Yeah. I'm fired. They're gonna tell me not to come back to work tomorrow. Well, and I think too, the, the more you're, the more I've learned about like managing positions is it's not so much like choosing people who are perfect. Mm-hmm. But choosing people for who are right. For their job. Mm-hmm. Like at a certain point in management or like any kinda leadership, you are cultivating a team like hourly people do the majority of work in most places. Mm-hmm. It's not the salary people, it's not the manager people. They're being paid to have an eye, to have the training skills to cultivate a team that can work really well. Mm-hmm. And honestly, that does take, it's less labor mm-hmm. To do that. But it's more like experience. Mm-hmm. So you're paying for someone's experience because they've been through a lot or have seen a lot and have like learned all these things who can now create a team and cultivate kind of forecasting for this like thing. And it's like, it's so much more deep than I ever thought it was. Like, I never wanted to get into managing positions because I was like, I wouldn't get paid for overtime. I was like, I wanna be hourly forever, because like the overtime is so great, but at the end of the day. It, it's a, it's a cool thing to be a part of something that like you're building Mm. To be a part of. Like, I'm gonna invest my time and my energy not into these recipes or into the production of this like thing that we're doing, but more into the people. And I think that's where I'm learning a lot right now. Mm-hmm. Is like, my passion is to serve others. And I get a little too fixated I think, on serving whoever I'm working for versus like, now I have to switch it and focus on like I'm serving my team. Like I'm leading my team, but first and foremost I'm serving them. Mm-hmm. Making sure they have what they need to do their job each day, making sure they have like the right systems in place, the right tools, the right, um, like everything so that they can get done what we produce each day, you know? Yeah. You're kind of like the, I don't know how to put this, it's like the, um, you want, you don't want like a river splits. You're that action that causes it to split because you're on both sides. You're thinking about the welfare of the customer, the client, as well as the environment that you're cultivating. Yeah. Right. So, yeah.'cause there's always a bottom line, like, yeah. At the end of the day, we're having to meet. Labor cost and food costs, but at the same time, trying to make it a good environment for the people laboring. Mm-hmm. And, um, creating food to like, flourish. Yeah. And to like enjoy their work. Um, it's very different. Like I think hourly and hourly are very different in the sense of like their goals are different. Yeah. Um, yeah.'cause in my head as an hourly worker mm-hmm. It's like, okay, I can put in the work and I like knowing that I'm doing a good job personally for myself, but at the same time I know I'm probably getting paid as same as the person that doesn't care that's been here longer than me and is just here because they have seniority and they don't care. Mm-hmm. And we're getting paid the same. But I think at the end of the day, I think that's where passion plays a part. Mm-hmm. Because I think. You can get paid to do the same job as someone who doesn't care and you care. But your passion is what makes you a better employee and makes you a better asset in your own personal life. Mm-hmm. And in like whatever company you work for life. Mm-hmm. Because you have the passion. I think passion plays more of a part in not just like personal, but like, I think the greater, like why companies make it such a core value is that like, unless you have passion, you're not gonna create a good experience or product for anyone. Mm. You can, I can make the same recipe every day, and the feeling I get or the passion I have making it or not, will change entirely the environment I'm working in. It'll change entirely the product that I'm making, like. Everything. If I have no passion, I'm not gonna taste test something. Like I'm not gonna go back and like try it and to make sure it's like perfect. If I'm just going in and getting my hours, like I'm just gonna go in and do like a mediocre job and the product isn't gonna be as good, but when I have passion and I care about like this thing that someone's ingesting. Mm-hmm. It like if we're talking about like in food context, like that matters more, that like adds to why I would get promoted over someone who doesn't care or I would keep a job longer than someone who doesn't care. Yeah. And I feel like it's a good thing to note is like, yes, you work in food. Yes, I've worked in food, but the way that where the passion stems from. Is like you're figuring out the niche of channeling that flow of passion. Mm-hmm. Right? Like,'cause you could work as a doctor or a nurse and be like, I'm serving someone and I'm helping them. But it's like finding yourself in these little ways that channels and like Yeah. Develops the type of career that you go into, I think. Yeah.'cause like the, the end product is just like the mode, right? Mm-hmm. Like you get a passion in any, any sphere mm-hmm. Or anything, but like, it's just the mode of which, like that creates what, what produces from that passion. I think I just like that it's, there are abstract feelings, you know, like it's not a specific connection to something. I think it's like something that I brought up before we started recording. But we were talking about like devotion. Mm. And I showed you my favorite couple. And I think it's food is such a spectacular way of showing someone you care. Mm. And that you want to, that ultimately the goal is that you're thinking about this person and there is a final physical product that is set out before someone. It could be for yourself, it could be for family, friends, a significant other, but there is like an idea that's turned into reality. Yeah. It's like, oh, I know you love this thing. Yeah. I thought about that and I took this time and I prepped this all out and I like put some care into this and I made this because I knew this about you. And the main. Thought or like figure that's running through the back of your head the whole time you're making this thing for a specific person is this is all about them. Mm. Right. Yeah. They're gonna love this. Yeah. Yeah. Like you're birthday cakes, um, family events like holidays and things. It's like, when I do that, my thought is I can't wait for them to, to try this and hear what they think, or I hope they like it, or if I really feel comfortable, I'm like, oh, I know that they're gonna love this and I'm so excited for them to try it. Mm-hmm. I feel like that's really hard in, um, in the industry that I'm in because we have a lot of like events and like holidays that we prep for, and half the time we're talking about menus and we're like, what do we make for this? And, um. And anytime I think about that, I think about my own family parties and I'm like, what do people love the most? What do they always go back for seconds for? And it's not because it's made beautifully or it's made like really well balanced, like really well thought out, like good food. It's so much more comfort. Mm-hmm. And I feel like it's, it's kind of lost like that thing of like, I'm making this because this person loves this, and it's more of like, what will most people like if we make it in mass? Mm-hmm. And I feel like if, if people, like, if you understand the audience or like the, the clientele that you're like producing for, you have so much of a better like edge, I feel like in food industry. Mm-hmm. And I know I'm talking very specifically about food industry. But at the same time, like whatever passion you're in, um, when you know that someone would love that and you're able to do it, like it's so much better. Definitely. I think too, like, I guess within food, specifically within your industry, like when you're talking about that, I was thinking like taking your comfort and like for an audience of that type, especially with hotels, it feels like you're taking a comfort and trying to elevate, but keeping the comfort there so that people want it. Right, but making it, like, palatable, but making it feel exotic. Mm-hmm. Right? Like it's something new. Yeah. Like it's something new, but then you break down the flavors and you're like, it's the same thing. This is the same thing. Yeah. Mm-hmm. But like, I think it's a part of that, like what we've talked about before, the whole inspiration thing. It's how do you keep up creativity with these like classic like comfort dishes that like are good, but like need a little update or need. Mm-hmm. Or they don't even need it. Like, at the end of the day, apple pie is good and it always will be good, but if you're a creator and if you're, you're trying to like create something like new and. Exciting for people today. You wanna take apple pie and you wanna make it into a macaron, like macaron, I can't say that word. Um, or you wanna take it and like make it just like more exciting, more different. Mm-hmm. Something they have never tasted before. And I think part of me is always intention with what's always been good and that's like classic and traditional and then what is like kind of needed today. But I think what's needed today, like is kind of morphed into trending. So you're kind of competing with like trends of today mm-hmm. With what is already just good and you're trying to make something exciting by using trends, which I always feel tension with. Um, only because I'd never wanna cater what I'm making to a trend. I think trends are helpful in the sense of like, it gets new people excited about something they never would've like tried before or that they've tried a hundred times before. Mm-hmm. Um, trends are good, but at the same time, like you can get really sucked in by trends in the sense of like never really understanding the real product. Yeah. Like you, you're not actually understanding where this comes from. There's so many things that can change what you do that are dependent on time and place and like economy, everything. But if you don't have passion, like if you don't have, um, like a will or sense to like make something better, like you were talking earlier about today, about your job and how you just asked everyone, how do you do this? What do you do? This, let's make the system better. You don't do that without having initial passion in the sense of like wanting to make either your life or the people in your life like your workers. Life better. Like we wanna make the system better, so like let's figure it out. Mm-hmm. You don't do that without having passion. It could be something you're totally not passionate about, but you have passion, at least in the sense of like you want whoever works after you, works with you or before you to have a better experience. Yeah. And like that in itself is passion because like you take something that's already been a certain way and it could be a certain way for whatever reason and you wanna make it better. That was like something I noticed in my first week is I guess some of the animosity I felt because I was getting trained because there was a new manager and she. Was very strict about there being actual two months training when everybody that I've, I'm working with has never gotten formal training. Mm. And so my time was spent learning instead of being thrown in and having a shit show basically. And I spent after my first week putting together a training manual and notes to give my manager for the next person coming in, which is, I felt like I was overstepping, but when I brought it up, she was so thankful because for her, she's trying to delegate and figure out how to, how to manage something so chaotic and like, yeah, I think it. The passion in learning about something and the passion in caring, because I don't want someone to go through what I have to go through. Like I think I did pretty well and I learned pretty quick. But that comes from my experience of learning. And I think honestly in the food industry is like you have to pick things up a little faster. Yeah. And I can't say I was the fastest person learning in the food industry, in baking or anything, but you learn that there's an efficiency with flow. Yeah. And speed and condensing your time into manageable chunks and like maximizing every step that you take basically. Yeah. And in a different environment like this that does. Exist. Mm. You know, in this, it's like, how can I fill up my eight hours? Yeah. Not, how can I maximize the time I have in these eight hours? Well, yeah. And that's super interesting.'cause I feel like when you're working in food, you have a process into which you have a product. Mm-hmm. Anything you make from a recipe, from a method, whatever, you have this like process and then it creates a product. Whereas like in a lot of other fields it is so much more. Yeah. How do I fill my eight hours? And, um, yeah. It's, it's a totally different like ball game. I feel like you have like such good work experience and like varied work experience that like makes you a great employee no matter where you go because. Yeah. I think a lot of the reasons why I didn't thrive in like normal corporate jobs is because of that exact reason is like, I don't wanna waste my time. Mm-hmm. I'm used to doing something and creating something. Yeah. Like spending 30 minutes making a dough and it creates a bread that feeds like 50, 60 people. Yeah. That like, yeah. It creates calories. Whatever it does like it, it, it produces something. And I think in a lot of other spheres, work spheres, like it's a totally different Yeah. Like, I think because I had to have that mental shift and that my passions for my hobbies, I aren't exactly meeting the goal that I want outta my career. Or not aligning with whatever it may be, physically, mentally, wherever, energy wise is that I needed to not rely on my passions as a job. Mm-hmm. But to reconfigure and like understand that I can have passions outside of my job. Yeah. That for some people, like me, myself, a job can be a job. Yeah. And it pays for my passions. Yeah. Or gives me the greater excitement and feeling of fulfillment when I can do my hobbies outside of my career. Yeah. I think that's where me and you, not so much differ, but like where the, the main difference is, is. I couldn't see myself doing anything other than what I do. Mm-hmm. And once I figured out that pastry is my passion, like it wasn't so much like, I know my passion is helping people, but I couldn't imagine myself doing anything other than making pastries. Mm-hmm. Which is so weird to say. Like, I feel like I, I do feel honestly very lucky to have figured that out very early in my life, like in college or after college. Um, but I found the perfect mode. Of how to serve others through my craft. And it is something that I could, I honestly, I applaud you.'cause I don't think I could ever do a nine to five, um, yeah. At a desk because it's just, it's not a part of who I am. Yeah. And I think, um, I mean there's so much more to learn. Like there's so much more that I need to consider in my career of what I actually wanna do and the, the life I wanna lead. But at the end of the day, I know forever I'm going to want to make sweet things for people. Mm-hmm. I like that. And I'm okay with that. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I think it's like I am like there is envy in that idea. Yeah. Because I wanted that for so long. Yeah. And that was the understanding that I had to take was that knowing. What I want is not always gonna line up with what I can do. Yeah. But also at the same time, like with my current situation, my end goal is still helping someone. Yeah. It's not only learning, but helping. Mm-hmm. Helping, helping. Because I love helping seniors like with their tech issues or teaching them. Yeah. Taylor has a tech company. If, uh, if you guys know, I don't think I mentioned it, that tech, her tech company's really cool. Thank you. She does that apart from her normal job and this Yes. When I can find time, which hasn't been very often as of late. But yeah, I, I like teaching seniors how to use their phone or how to use their computer or their printer. Yeah. Shout out to anyone who needs tech support. Hey. Oh, you know a girl now. Yep. Leave a comment. Can give you the number. Show you our Instagram. Yeah. I think I've always been a people pleaser. Hmm. And I'm learning how to separate the people pleaser from actually wanting to help people. Yeah. No, I think that's a big thing. I think I, I didn't realize I was such a people pleaser. Until the, until baking. Mm-hmm. Um, yeah. That's what got me into therapy, bro. Um, yeah, I feel like if anything, it, it probably handicapped me a little bit because I'm like, well, if they're unhappy, I could just make them something. I'll just make it better next time. Just make them happier, you know? Um, but no, I think at the end of the day there is a lot of people pleasers in the food industry, and I think that's partly why there's so much passion. But the people who stay in food, there's so many different types of personalities. Yeah. And there's so many different types of passions, but I know immediately whoever I talk to in the kitchen. I don't have to know their name. I don't have to know where they come from. I don't have to know anything about them. But if they ask me a question about sourdough, I can answer them and we'll have a conversation for 10 minutes and it'll be like, we are just like chatting. Mm-hmm. You know, we're just like shooting the shit, talking about whatever we're making, and then we'll just go on with our day. Like, it's like, I think that's the most beautiful thing is meeting someone exactly where their passion is. Mm-hmm. Because that's exactly where your passion is. And being like, we don't need anything else. We don't need to know anything else about each other, but I know you care about this product and I can help you with it. Or I care about this product and you can help me with it. And that's chill. Like that is so cool. That's probably the coolest thing I love about food. I miss that so much. I socially awkward. People love to be in the food industry. It's the geeking out over your like, like minute hobby. Oh yeah. It's the same way I think about like surfers or skaters. They're like, Hey, did you do the I just went out. Yeah. And you just go. It's exactly that. But with like food, yeah. It's so cool. It's the be it's, it's knowing that the people around you have the same. Niche interest. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And you can talk to them about it. And it's not geeking out. No. It's a conversation. We're just talking about work. Yeah. It, I think about it like if we had to compare it to like corporate America. Mm-hmm. It's like someone going up to you and being like, Hey, did you receive that memo and that email today? And they're like, yeah, that was weird too. Oh, interesting. Yeah. Let me connect with this person. Like, it's literally those conversations. Um mm-hmm. But like, it's just context. Like I think food is just the context of which people help people. Yeah. And I feel like any other profession, like if you have passion in whatever you're doing, you'll find that same context. Mm-hmm. And you'll be able to have those same conversations. Yeah. Like, that's what's really like sick, I think about passion is that you, I can talk to someone in music, in whatever the industry is and get on their level. Because they have the same amount of passion I do with food. Mm-hmm. And it may be a totally different environment, a totally different context, but at the same time we're talking about the same thing. We're talking about our passion to like create something really cool for people to enjoy. Mm-hmm. And like, or to sell a product or to whatever it is. Like that I think is what passion does in any sphere, but especially in food, is like when you have that passion, you can connect with so many people in different fields, different levels, different experiences, and be like, yes, I'm on the same page as you, and like, let's do this. Yeah. You know, how can we make it better? Yeah. I think with passion, no matter what it is, it pulls out the freedom to be real. About your own passion. Yeah. Right. Like you're saying, like you can talk about food with someone not in the food industry, and it gives them the freedom to really dive into what they're passionate about. Mm-hmm. Or they've been like, holding in and think like, oh my God, this person understands that feeling. Yeah. That like, it's not obsessive. Mm-hmm. It like comes from somewhere more intrinsic. Yeah. Like a part of you. Mm-hmm. And it doesn't feel unhealthy. No. Yeah. No.'cause like I've, I felt that with like, some people, like I can tell you can tell when someone's intention isn't through their passion. Mm-hmm. It's through something else. Can be through trauma, it's through trauma. It's through wanting to create something for different reason, to prove something, to prove something. Like you can initially like smell that. Yeah. You can smell it out mm-hmm. From a mile away. But I think it's when you're around people who, who truly have that passion of just like creating or providing a service or just caring for others mm-hmm. That you can, you can connect to on any level. Like Yeah. Sick thing, passion is really cool. Great thing. Yeah. I like that we made it this, um, this far. I, I went into this being like, oh, this is a rough subject for me. I know. I told together, I was like, we're gonna talk about passion today. She was like, all right, you lead. Thank you guys. Have listened to us enough this time. Yeah. Goodbye. Bye bye. Thanks so much for joining us today. We're so glad you fold up a chair and stayed a while around here. We believe food is more than just a meal. It's connection and care and all the stories that make us who we are, and we hope this episode reminded you of the joy that comes from sharing something simple with someone else. If you liked what you heard. Follow us wherever you get your podcast, and then leave a review to help others find their way to the table. You can also connect with us on social media or drop us a note. We'd love to hear your own food stories. Until next time, we're so glad you're here because everything's better when we're butter together.