Fayette Senior Services (FSS), a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization, recognized loyal employee Pedro Cruz as he celebrates 13 years of employment this month. Pedro was hired in July of 2008 and has served as the Sous Chef with Fayette Senior Services’ Ultimate Café ever since. If you ask any member who eats in the café, they’ll never hesitate to jump on the chance to gloat about how amazing Pedro’s cooking is.
“I just love Pedro’s cooking. I get sad on Fridays because I know that I have to go all weekend without his wonderful meals,” raved member Ann Soderman. The 46 years that Pedro has spent cooking have earned him high praise from all who have tasted his food.
Pedro was born in Cuba and moved to Miami with his family when he was just 9 years old. At the age of 18, Pedro married his wife of 46 years, Debra. He regards her as the “wonderful, smart, and talented” mother of his two daughters, Yolanda and Jessica. The same year they were married, Pedro started his first job working in the kitchen at North Miami General Hospital where he worked for 12 years before the hospital bought a larger facility, Memorial Miramar Hospital. He spent the first 26 years of his career with this company. He says that he was drawn to cooking because of the food insecurities that many people faced in Cuba. In 2004, Pedro moved to Georgia and began working for Wesley Woods in Newnan. He worked with a chef who, not long after Pedro started, left and started working at FSS. This chef then recruited Pedro to work at FSS as his Sous Chef and in 2008, Pedro came to work at FSS.
When talking to Pedro, he says that quality is key in his cooking. “I always want whatever I cook to be better than it was the last time I made it. I won’t let the seniors down when it comes to the food that I make. If it is their favorite meal that I cook, they know what it will taste like and I want to give them a better experience than the time they had it before.” After 13 years of cooking in the Ultimate Café, Pedro and his food have become highly regarded within the FSS community and beyond.
If you would like to try Pedro’s fine cooking, join us for lunch in the Ultimate Café. Lunch is served Monday through Friday from 11:15 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The café is a perk to being a member of Fayette Senior Services and can be enjoyed by FSS members throughout the week. Not a member? Guests can come and try out the delicious food twice before becoming a member. If you would like to see what is on the menu for the month, visit www.fayss.org, stop by either location to pick one up, or call 770-461-0813. There are many ways that you can get involved and volunteer in the Ultimate Café. If you are interested in learning ways you can volunteer in the café, please contact FSS Volunteer Coordinator Carrie Bittinger at cbittinger@fayss.org or 770-461-0813.
