As the new General Manager for the Madison-Shorewood store, Lynn Olson’s background is tailor-made to fit perfectly into vomFASS’ unique family franchise. Although busy acclimating to her new surroundings, she was kind enough to grant us a short interview.
Toni Jakovec: Hello Lynn. When exactly did you take over the General Manager position at the Shorewood store?
Lynn Olson: Let’s see. I started on September 15th.
TJ: How did you become aware of vomFASS?
New GM, Lynn Olsen, with a new product favorite-
Against the Grain Irish Single Grain Whiskey
LO: Kind of round-about actually. Before I really knew about vomFASS I was visiting a friend and I noticed a unique bottle on her table. It had a beautiful female shape and was called the “Eve” bottle. I told her how much I liked the bottle and asked her where she got it. She told me she got it at vomFASS, told me what a fun store it was and suggested that I should go there. I did visit the store shortly thereafter. By the time I saw the ad for the General Manager position, I was well aware of vomFASS.
TJ: What intrigued you about the General Manager position?
LO: I am, by every definition of the word, a “foodie.” I have always been a foodie, long before I knew what it meant. I was introduced to natural and good eating when I left my hometown of Stoughton, Wisconsin and moved to Madison to go to school. Ever since then, I have been on quite a long journey discovering the savory side of life. The vomFASS opportunity seemed like the perfect fit, especially with my previous experience. Everyone I told that I was interviewing for this position encouraged me and agreed that it was the ideal job for me. Although I was not as familiar with vomFASS at that time, I had a million questions during my interview process about the integrity and quality of the products. Coming from an organic (food) background, I knew I would be getting educated questions from my customers and it was vital to me that I would be able to give honest and informed answers. That concern quickly disappeared as I learned more about the level of integrity at vomFASS in both their commitment to sustainability and the very high quality of their products and production methods.
TJ: What background do you bring to vomFASS?
LO: I think it’s important for people to know that I grew up in a grocery store environment. My God-parents owned the local grocery store in Stoughton and various members of my family all worked there. I was very young when I learned the “back of the store” operations and I always really enjoyed the operations of the store. I loved the people, the food and the general excitement around the shop. In college I started out in Human Services and ended up in Advertising and Marketing. Oddly enough, that led to studying Accounting. Eventually, after I had my second son, I took a job at Whole Foods Market in Chicago. I was put on a management track and became Accounting Manager; Bakery Manager; Cheese Department Manager and ultimately the Human Resources Manager. In five years I had a lot of different roles at Whole Foods, and that’s the way they like to train their managers. I flourished in that environment.
However, as much as I loved my job at Whole Foods, I was eager to leave hustle and bustle of Chicago and relocate back to Madison. I let my brother know I was moving back and asked him to find out if there were any positions open at the Willy Street Co-op. He called me back and said they were indeed looking for someone, and had the perfect job for me. I was hired as the Member Services Manager, which morphed into the Director of Cooperative Services. I began educating our owners on the importance of their food; interviewing farmers; writing about the farmers; making certain that customers questions and comments were being appropriately answered and doing a lot of public relations. I became the ‘face’ of the co-op in the media, as well as managing staff of the cooking classes and educational outreach in the community room. I also became active in their governance and interfacing with the board of directors. I had a wonderful career at Willy Street, but I had done all I set to accomplish and it was time to move on.
I happened upon the position listing for vomFASS and I knew the fit was perfect.
TJ: My goodness, that’s a very comprehensive background. And I agree, you are extraordinarily well suited to this position. When you’re not working, what are your hobbies and interests?
LO: I think a great asset for a salesperson at vomFASS is a background in theater. I have always been interested in theater, both in acting and comedy. I am also an artist at heart and love oil painting. I am especially drawn to the meditative side of artistic endeavors. And as I mentioned before, I am an avid cook. Although, I never use recipes and rarely make the same thing twice. My household is largely vegetarian, plus some gluten-free issues, so I have become adept at following both dietary disciplines. I love dining out and enjoy trying to recreate a favorite dish.
TJ: Have you had a chance to discover your favorite vomFASS products yet?
LO: I have so many favorites. My first favorite was the Aceto Balsamico Di Famiglia. I call it ‘heaven on a spoon.’ I love it on beets. On goat cheese I use peppercorns in olive oil and a little garlic with a velvety finish of Di Famiglia….it’s making my mouth water just talking about it. I really enjoy the Against the Grain Irish Single Grain Whiskey and I was intrigued to learn it is made with primarily the same ingredients as our American Bourbon Whiskey. I was pleasantly surprised to taste it with its crisp, clean corn whiskey. It’s amazing that you can actually taste the difference between Irish and American corn. I enjoy having customers taste the two together to appreciate the subtle differences. I have become a great fan of the ‘Old Fasshioned’ using the Fernandez Brandy. I also love the vomFASS Coconut Oil, in all applications, but especially when making raw truffles highlighted with the Raspberry Pearls.
TJ: I will bet you have a recipe for us…..right?
LO: Absolutely.
From Toni’s Kitchen
Here’s a mouth-watering recipe designed by General Manager Lynn Olson. Truffles and pearls…..what’s not to like?
Lynn’s Raw Cocoa-Nut Truffles w/Raspberry Pearls
Ingredients:
- ½ cup vomFASS Coconut Oil
- 1 cup Pecans or Cashews
- ¼ cup vomFASS Hazelnut Oil or vomFASS Irish Whiskey Liqueur
- Dash vomFASS Pyramid salt
- ¾ cup Cocoa Powder
- 1 jar vomFASS Raspberry Pearls
Preparation:
- Combine vomFASS Coconut Oil, nuts, vomFASS Hazelnut Oil (or Irish Whiskey Liqueur) and vomFASS Pyramid Salt in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes, or until mixture is solid enough to roll into balls.
- Roll truffle mixture into 1” balls, than roll each in cocoa powder to coat thoroughly. Make a slight depression with your finger in the top of each ball to place the pearls.
- Garnish top of truffle with 3-4 vomFASS Raspberry Pearls.
