This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights Frosty's executive chef Melinda Winner.
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born in Pittsburgh, Penn. too many years ago to say.
Q: Where do you work? Tell us about your job/company.
A: I'm the executive chef at Frosty's. Last year, near the end of Experience Columbia, I made these brownies that I called "extreme brownies," and they had all this crazy stuff in them. Well, within about six or seven hours, my phone started blowing up, and it got nuts! People were calling to request all of these different things like brownies, cheesecakes and banana splits. So I spoke to Kristian Agoglia and told him that I thought we had a real opportunity to continue selling our products because, obviously, there was a high demand. He called me the next day and said, "I'm in. Let's just open Frosty's year around."
Q: What led you to your profession?
A: My mother (Dorothy Painter) was the most amazing cook. When I was really young, it's not that people treated me differently but that most of society thought, "Oh, she's got one arm, so she can't do this or she can't do that." But my parents were determined that I wasn't going to be any different, so I spent hours upon hours in the kitchen with them canning tomatoes, baking things and all sorts of other things. What really pushed me over the edge was an occasion a couple years later when my dad had some of his friends over. They tried something that I made and told me things like, "This was the best thing we've ever had. This is beautiful. She should be on TV." So from the time that I was around 12 years old, I knew that this was what I wanted to do in life.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: I love having the opportunity to make things that are so beautiful that, when you look out among your customers, you see people smiling, especially children. Or when you give someone something and they try to hide their emotion but you can just tell that they're really excited to try it. I also truly enjoy working with my coworkers. We're like family, and we have so much fun working together, laughing and just enjoying one another's company.
Q: What is the most challenging aspect of your job?
A: Making people understand that I'm not different from them. A lot of times people just want to help, and sometimes I'm very grateful, but oftentimes I just want people to understand that it isn't a death sentence to have a disability and I'm capable of doing much more than most people would assume.
Q: What is the most important lesson you have learned in your career?
A: You can't please everybody all the time. Everybody's pallet is different, and what tastes great to me might not taste that great to someone else, but I can't take that to heart. I've also learned that you have to be willing to take constructive criticism and use it in a way that helps you get better at your craft.
Q: Who is the person who has been most influential in your life?
A: I would say my mother, for sure. Professionally, John Kretchmer, who I met during the first motion picture I ever worked on. One of the many things he taught me was to be careful how you speak to or treat everyone you meet because you never know what they may become later on in life, and that's a very important lesson for anyone to learn.
Q: Do you have children?
A: I have three children: Thomas, Christina and Ryan. I also have five grandchildren.
Q: If you could have anything for your last meal on earth, what would it be?
A: Chateaurbriand.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: If you'd asked me that this time last year, I would've said Hawaii, but now I believe my answer would be France. I'd love to have a little culinary adventure there and just take different cooking lessons throughout Paris and other places in the area.
Q: What hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?
A: I love to do crafts. I used to ride horses all the time. I rode barrels in rodeos for years, and I had a horse rescue (operation) for almost three years. But I usually always end up going back to food.
Q: What do you enjoy most about Columbia/Marion County?
A: I really love the small town feel of things, how everyone knows each other and is willing to pitch in and help out with different things. I also really love the staff that I work with. We have a lot of fun, and we tell all of our new employees that if you don't like to have fun, you won't last. Also, I'm really grateful for the dog I adopted here from the shelter. I had just put down a dog that I had for 19 years, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to get another, but it's been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I love my dog so much!
Q: What is one thing you want to do that you’ve never tried?
A: I would really like to go skydiving. I'm like a daredevil. If there's a giant roller coaster that spins or goes upside down, I'm right there at the front of the line to try it. I just really enjoy experiencing new things and going on adventures.
Q: Using one word for each, what are your three most important values?
A: Honesty, kindness and humility.
Q: How would you like to be remembered?
A: I would like to be remembered as someone who loved her children and friends and was always kind. My mother always taught me never to leave anything unless it's better than you found it, whether it's a house, a car, a job or anything else. So I always try really hard in everything I do to just make the world a little bit better than I found it.
