Event Staff & Waiter
Amelia IzquierdoAug 2016 — Jun 2019
Event-based catering work (0–3 nights/week) for a word-of-mouth private catering company — run simultaneously with engineering studies and teaching. The most unexpectedly formative experience: a lasting, unpretentious respect for people, learned through invisible work done well.
Amelia Izquierdo is a private catering company operating entirely through word-of-mouth referrals. Each shift was an event — a different venue, client, and setup — so no two nights were the same and there was no room for a bad performance; you had one shot. The work covered the full arc of an event, from preparation (dessert tables, kitchen assistance, flowers, table setup) through service (welcoming and attending guests): physical, fast-paced, and entirely people-facing. This ran from 2016 to 2019, several nights a week, simultaneously with studying engineering and teaching kids and teachers at School of Tech — at points all three in parallel.
The experience least expected to be formative turned out to be exactly that. Event catering is unglamorous, invisible work; no one at the table knows or cares about your background. The lasting takeaway wasn't about hustle or stress, though both were tested — it was quieter: no one is only what they appear to be. Everyone has a story, and everyone deserves the chance to prove themselves regardless of the role they're currently playing. That fundamental, unpretentious respect for people didn't come from a course — it came from showing up, doing invisible work, and paying attention.