Food and Beverage Manitoba

7 By Trina Rehberg Boyko I f you live in Winnipeg, chances are you've enjoyed a meal at Salisbury House. Sals, as it's known locally, is famous for its classic desserts and Nip sandwich platters with all the fixings. But have you ever thought about how those fixings made it on to your plate? Or how everything that makes Sals what it is—the menu, the branding, the atmosphere—came to be? Maybe not, but Diego Moncado sure has. As director of commissary operations at Salisbury House, Moncado has a hand in all those behind-the-scenes details and he serves them up in what we see when we walk into a Salisbury House restaurant. "I wear a lot of different hats," Moncado says. As part of his role, he negotiates contracts with suppliers, buys all the products and oversees deliveries to the restaurants to make sure everything he buys goes where it's supposed to go. Products are delivered to restaurants five days a week and two times a day, Moncado says, which makes for a busy work life. "Every day offers a different challenge," he says. His first venture into the food and beverage industry was as a dishwasher 32 years ago. He studied hotel and restaurant management at Red River College Polytechnic, working his way through operations and management roles before getting to where he is today. His current position, which he's held for six years, comes with responsibility and rewards. It also comes with working the occasional evening and weekend, though Moncado doesn't mind. He appreciates seeing the results of his hard work. "In my role, you have a direct influence on the success of the people you're working with and the company you're working for," Moncado says. "Every little decision has a ripple effect. But when you have a passion for it and you put the right effort in, the rewards are great." In the restaurant industry, and the overall food and beverage industry, your work matters. Whether you work in operations or accounting, the effects can be felt at every level. "If you're an accountant and you don't pay a bill on time, you might be cut off from a supplier and the food doesn't come on time," Moncado says. "You have an impact on the company as a whole." So next time you order a Nip platter, you may want to give your compliments to the chef—and the server, the dishwasher, the accounting team, the supplier, the director of commissary operations – and so on. Or, at the very least, understand how every role in the food and beverage industry is a valuable one that depends on the work of others to be successful. "You really do get to see the fruits of your labour," Moncado says. "You'll know how your day is going, because you'll see happy faces around you if it's going well." Type of Job: Logistics Coordinator/Supply Chain Coordinator Starting Salary Potential: $40,117 - $52,359 / $52,640 - $74,917 Educational Pathways: High School, Community College Post-Secondary: University of Manitoba, CDI College, Commonwealth College, Association for Supply Chain Management Diego Moncado Diego Moncado of Salisbury House Making an Impact in the Restaurant Business

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