George Blackford
Denver,CO
Summary
Motivated kitchen leader offering dedicated experience in food preparation. High standards for taste and quality with expertise maintaining profitable margins. Superior communication and leadership skills.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Short Order Cook
Mountain Shadows Restaurant
05.2023 - 10.2023
- Kept kitchen up to code for health and safety inspections.
- Worked in fast-paced environment with sense of urgency to serve guests quickly.
- Prepared food items according to recipe to drive quality and consistency.
- Understood cooking techniques and fundamentals to maximize safe food handling.
- Changed and sanitized cutting boards, benches, and surfaces between tasks to avoid cross-contamination.
- Checked temperature of foods to guarantee doneness and prevent food-borne illnesses.
- Prepared meals with special accommodations for those with allergies.
- Delivered instructions clearly and respectfully to avoid errors due to miscommunication.
- Worked closely with other kitchen staff to facilitate timely completion of orders.
- Restocked stations and supplies during slower periods between rushes.
Executive Chef
La Burla Bee
01.2023 - 10.2023
- Developed menus, controlled food costs and oversaw quality, sanitation, and safety processes.
- Obtained fresh, local ingredients to improve dish flavors and limit grocery costs.
- Modified recipes to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies.
- Implemented successful cross-marketing strategies such as food and wine pairings.
- Modernized work processes to reduce guest wait times and boost daily output.
- Planned promotional menu additions based on seasonal pricing and product availability.
- Generated employee schedules and work assignments and determined appropriate compensation rates.
- Developed kitchen staff through training, disciplinary action, and performance reviews.
- Developed new recipes and flavor combinations to enhance customer dining experience.
- Worked closely with front-of-house staff to facilitate excellent customer service.
Claims Investigator
American Family Insurance
03.2022 - 11.2022
- Initiate the process on complex auto and property insurance claims.
- Contacting customer and claimant to verify if the claimant has any immediate needs and to breakdown the claims process and set reasonable expectations.
- Thoroughly investigate the facts of the case through recorded statements, crash diagrams, and satellite images of the crash area, witness descriptions, photos of the scene and vehicles, and police reports to determine liability.
- Conducted interviews with witnesses and clients.
- Documented findings and prepared detailed reports.
- Carefully documented statements, observations, and evidentiary materials.
Commercial Lines Specialist
Progressive Insurance Co.
01.2019 - 03.2022
- Assist customers with billing, underwriting and claims information, including accepting payments, entering first notice of loss, and policy surveys
- Assisting and consulting commercial policy holders on any related policy change requests, endorsements, or other policy changes such as removal of drivers, covered vehicles, coverages and initial notice of loss
- Investigate escalated issues to determine root cause of the issue and assist with resolution.
- Analyzed risk factors to recommend appropriate coverage levels.
- Explained detailed policy concepts in easy-to-understand terms.
- Offered detailed information about products and binding coverage.
- Received inbound phone calls and electronic quote submissions.
- Analyzed customer needs to provide customized insurance solutions.
Billing specialist
Charter communications
01.2018 - 01.2019
- Assist customers with telecom, internet, and television service billing inquiries, disputes or general questions to ensure all customers are satisfied on their first call.
- Assist customers with service-related complaints and if applicable, Review/calculate prorated credits for the customer’s bill due to contractual obligations of the company.
- Attempt to upsell customers on additional products based on individual needs,to ensure customers are receiving maximum value for their services
- Responded to customer concerns and questions on daily basis.
- Maintained accurate records of customer payments.
- Researched and resolved billing discrepancies to enable accurate billing.
- Assisted with billing inquiries and provided timely responses to enhance customer satisfaction.
Account specialist and sales representative
T-Mobile
12.2016 - 01.2018
- Set up new customer accounts and updated existing profiles with latest information.
- Served customers with knowledgeable, friendly support at every stage of shopping and purchasing.
- Built relationships with customers and community to promote long term business growth.
- Set and achieved company defined sales goals.
- Managed customer accounts to secure customer satisfaction and repeat business.
- Answered customer questions about products and services, helped locate merchandise, and promoted key items.
- Engaged in friendly conversation with customer to better uncover individual needs.
- Managed efficient cash register operations.
Account specialist and sales representative
Sprint
01.2014 - 01.2016
- Set up new customer accounts and updated existing profiles with latest information.
- Resolved complex billing and payment issues for balanced, accurate accounts.
- Prospected for new customers in target areas or demographics to bring in new business.
- Served customers with knowledgeable, friendly support at every stage of shopping and purchasing.
- Greeted customers and offered assistance with selecting merchandise, finding accessories and completing purchases.
- Built relationships with customers and community to promote long term business growth.
- Performed effectively in self-directed work environment, managing day-to-day operations and decisions.
Education
GED -
College of America
Colorado Springs, CO01.2015
Skills
- Food Handler Certification
- Task prioritization
- Interpersonal skills
- Problem-solving abilities
- Recipe Adherence
- Food safety knowledge
- Cleaning and Sanitation
- Work under pressure
- Knife skills
- Allergen awareness
- Temperature control
- Teamwork and collaboration
Accomplishments
- Supervised team of 7 staff members.
- Designed whole new menu, including meal selections, beverages and pricing.
- Recognized by Colorado Springs Indy with silver award for overall best neighborhood restaurant in 2023.
- Recognized by Colorado Springs Indy with bronze award for overall best restaurant for tourist in 2023.
Certification
- Servsafe Training - August of 2023
Timeline
Short Order Cook
Mountain Shadows Restaurant
05.2023 - 10.2023
Executive Chef
La Burla Bee
01.2023 - 10.2023
Claims Investigator
American Family Insurance
03.2022 - 11.2022
Commercial Lines Specialist
Progressive Insurance Co.
01.2019 - 03.2022
Billing specialist
Charter communications
01.2018 - 01.2019
Account specialist and sales representative
T-Mobile
12.2016 - 01.2018
Account specialist and sales representative
Sprint
01.2014 - 01.2016
GED -
College of America
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