Produce-ing A Fine Young Worker

I was just restocking bell peppers when I noticed a kid, couldn’t have been more than seventeen, standing by the zucchinis. They looked overwhelmed.

Me: “You okay there?”

Young Customer: “I, uh… I just needed, like… food. Real food. But I don’t know what half this stuff even is.”

Turns out they’d just moved into a small apartment through a youth housing charity. Kicked out of home for being gay. No kitchen experience. No support. First time grocery shopping alone.

They held up a sweet potato.

Young Customer: “Is this… a yam?”

I smiled and took them on a little produce tour. We talked stir-fries, roasted veg, how to store things without them going sad and soggy in the fridge. A few coworkers overheard and joined in. One wrote down a simple pasta recipe. Another explained the magic of seasoning. The bakery guy snuck over a discounted loaf of sourdough.

Over the next few days, the kid kept coming back. Not always to buy stuff, sometimes just to ask what a mango felt like when it’s ripe or how long mushrooms last in the fridge. They always had questions. We always had answers. 

Then yesterday, my manager pulls them aside, grinning.

Manager: “You clearly like hanging out in produce. How about I pay you for it?”

They said yes. We got them an apron and a name badge. Now they’re helping customers figure out what the heck bok choy is and learning to cook dinner at the same time.

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