Puerto Rico Meets Appalachia at The Old Mill

by Jimmy Proffitt

The old saying that “good help is hard to find” is very true when you operate a business in a booming small-town tourist area, where staffing needs often exceed the number of local applicants. To expand our options, our project manager Danielle and training director Rebekah traveled to Puerto Rico, where the job market is still recovering from Hurricane Maria, to interview culinary school graduates on campuses all over the territory eager for an opportunity to follow their passions.

They recruited ten talented new interns to join us for 90 days, and learn how to produce Appalachian-style dishes from scratch in a fast-paced environment. It didn’t take them long to fall in love with pimento cheese, banana pudding, corn fritters, and pecan pie, and the staff here is enjoying getting to know them and learn more about their culture and traditions.

We welcome them into our Old Mill family, and strive to give them an education in real Southern hospitality they can carry with them for a lifetime!