Stephanie Toland
Linda Brown, a woman of few words but a multitasker,†began her 30-year career with the Los Angeles Community College District in 1975, while driving home one night from visiting her parents.
She noticed someone on the radio was talking about different jobs available with the college district. One of the openings was for a food service worker.
On a whim, Brown took the number down and called the next day. She put in an application, took a test and soon learned there was a position opening at West Los Angeles College in Culver City.
She started at West L.A. in 1976 as a cafeteria worker then took and passed a salad cook test.
After three and a half years she transferred to Pierce College in salads, became a supervisor, the current manager at that time left and she became manager, something she thought would never happen.
“I have worked my way up,” said Brown.
With her office full of people coming in and out,†asking questions and looking for things, it was hard to get her story and answers of her past.
One of her professional influences is her dad who had a restaurant and was in the food business her whole life, a profession she herself took up at the age of 12.
She had a smile on her face the whole time while laughing and making the people around her laugh and smile.
She likes to have a fun atmosphere where she works just as long as she can get her work done as well.
††††Brown especially enjoys when she cooks something new for people she hasn’t cooked for before. She likes to experiment with guests.
†††††Brown feels as if she is a mom feeding her children at Pierce, especially the students who work for her. At home she is a mom of two adopted boys who are now 24 and 27 years old.
She was married for 32 years until her husband died four years ago. Since then she hasn’t cooked as much at home.†
At Pierce it’s the same thing. She has people to cook for her right now and doesn’t do that much cooking herself anymore. She misses it but is always looking for new products and recipes that students could try.
Possibly being more modest than necessary, Brown said she just “took life as it came.”