Shimeka A.

Shimeka was born and raised in Chicago. In 2016, she joined our team at Eataly Chicago as a Support Associate. Dedicated to learning Eataly’s operations and mastering technical skills, Shimeka was promoted to Support Specialist and subsequently to Support Lead. 

Shimeka’s work has been critical to keeping Eataly Chicago clean and functional at all times.  She is known to be a great trainer as well as a listener who is always receptive to others’ thoughts and suggestions. Shimeka asks questions, promptly solves any problems that arise, and is proactive about familiarizing herself with other departments, creating the best type of collaboration possible across all teams in the store.

How does the Support Team partner with other departments at Eataly? 
“We come in contact with different departments every single day. They are friendly and helpful, and they encourage us as we come in to do our job. As we are responsible for the cleanliness of the store and the functionality of the dish pit, they know that the Support Team is one of the biggest parts of Eataly.” 

What have you learned during your time at Eataly so far? 
“I learned all the different chemicals from Ecolab, from cleaning the bathroom to washing dishes. I learned how to use all the sanitizers and different types of equipment. I learned how to break down a dish machine and all the pieces it entails. I’m actually the fastest one in my department now. I can break the machine down and put it back together within four minutes!” 

What advice do you have for a new team member at Eataly? 
“My advice for anyone coming into Eataly is to think of it as a family. To work smart, not hard. To engage and ask questions. To be mindful that we’re human and we all go through things in life, but we still get the job done.”  

*Since the above video was filmed, Shimeka transitioned to a new position as a Lead on the Education & Events Team at Eataly Chicago. Well done, Shimeka!