Happy Labor Day!
An appreciation and a photo essay dedicated to the people that make this town work
Last week, we received a message from reader Terri Tachovsky that started as a paean to the folks in the Pacific Market meat department and expanded to a broader appreciation for all the people that work in Sebastopol—and the friendliness and sense of community they bring to their work.
We’re reprinting her letter below, followed by a photo essay by Sebastopol Times reporter Mark Fernquest, about the people he found hard at work this Labor Day weekend.
From Terri Tachovsky…
“Have you been to the Pacific Market meat department lately? If not, I encourage you to swing by the store to check out the incredible display cases in the meat, seafood, and poultry department! While you are there, have a chat with one of the meat department employees.
I recently had a great experience at Pacific Market; I want to share the details. My initial contact was with Bill and Kevin. I explained to them (with my serving platter in hand) that I wanted to buy a nice piece of filet and have them freeze it and then slice it paper-thin into carpaccio. Both gentlemen were interested and engaged, and liked the idea. They suggested I contact Jamie, the meat department manager who would be in the store the following day.
The following morning, I went to the store, said hello to both Bill and Kevin, and asked to speak with Jamie. Jamie jumped at the opportunity to create something on request. She did it with enthusiasm and kindness. She created a lovely platter of carpaccio - a true winner at the dinner party.
Often I find myself going from one store or restaurant to another in Sebastopol, meeting friendly people along the way. I find that when I engage with people, I am feeling the friendliness and kindness of our community. Just last year, I was dining at a restaurant in Mendocino and saw a Sebastopol Hardware employee dining with his wife. I said hello to each of them and made the connection with Sebastopol. A few glasses of wine later that evening and during my next visit into Sebastopol Hardware, I saw Fred again and said hello. He recalled the chance-meeting in Mendocino and smiled.
My experience at Pacific Market this week will certainly give me opportunity to say hello to three friendly people in our town—Bill, Kevin, and Jamie—those friendly folks in the meat department at Pacific Market. I thank each of them for being friendly, kind, and engaging people. And, I’ll be going back to Pacific Market for more of the goodness!
Who’s working this Labor Day weekend?
Photos by Mark Fernquest
These are some of the people who make Sebastopol work—and they were hard at work this Labor Day weekend.
Working on Labor Day
By Laura Hagar Rush
I was heading in to work early this Labor Day morning, and I stopped in at Sunshine Organic Roasters in Forestville for a quick cup of coffee, where I found one of my favorite west county baristas Talia Machado hard at work with her colleague Colleen Schimansky.
Talia, who often works at the Roasters at Andy’s in Sebastopol, asked me what I was doing for Labor Day.
“Working, of course,” I said with a rueful laugh. After all, people fought so hard—and even died—for the rights of workers to take a day off now and then. (See the roots of Labor Day.)
So I told them about our Labor Day photo essay on the people who make Sebastopol work, which, of course, included them—and so I took their photo.
The photos in today’s article are, obviously, an incomplete record of the folks who work in Sebastopol. Some of the ones we missed include vineyard and winery production workers—whose heaviest season is just beginning—and countless others. But we see you, and we appreciate the work that you do.
Happy Labor Day.
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Thank you! This is a beautiful celebration of our community!
great post Mark Fernquest & Laura Hagar Rush - great to see this small and important piece celebrating good work!