Piada Spotlight | Jessica Flores

Meet Jessica Flores - Piada Med Center's freshly-promoted Chef and new momma to her beautiful daughter, Melanie. Jessica was born in Mexico City, Mexico where most of her family still resides, but moved to Houston, TX with her immediate family 21 years ago. Being the successful recipient of a kidney transplant, Jessica spent a lot of time as a child at Texas Children's Hospital. What started as a temporary residence to stay for monthly check-ups, turned into a full-time residence and lifelong love of Houston.

Growing up in Houston, Jessica loved the tight-knit feeling of community in the classroom and valued being able to grow up with the same people from kindergarten through high school. After high school, she attended Texas State University where she fell in love with the rich history of San Marcos - a college town with a historic downtown and buildings from the early 1900s.

Jessica has always had a love of hospitality, although she initially attended college for nursing. Her first job at 15 years old was at the popular diner, Denny's, where she worked as a server. Having interest in expanding her experience in hospitality after college, Jessica then started working at a hotel. However, she still flirted with the idea of working in the food industry again. When an opportunity to work at Piada presented itself, Jessica took the leap and started as a cashier at our Sugar Land location.

Hungry to learn more, Jessica began working on the line shortly after she started, and even without any training, amazed her previous Sugar Land restaurant Partner, Oscar. When he asked, “How do you know how to do this?” she responded, “I just really paid attention to the line.” Within 6 months, she was promoted to Supervisor and on the 1-year anniversary of her career with Piada, she can proudly say she's been promoted to Chef. “Piada made me realize how much I loved working in the food business.”

Since being promoted into a leadership position last year, not only has Jessica had the opportunity to sharpen her coaching skills, but she's learned the skill of patience:“I don't think I was a very patient person until I started working here. You never really know what's going on in someone's life. Coming to work could be their escape or release. Same with the Guests. The only thing you can do is be nice and give them compassion.”

When asked if she had any coaching advice, she said, “Not everyone thinks the same way you do. You may give someone a task, and you think they will do it one way, but they do it another. And that's okay, as long as it gets done.”

When she's not training our Team Members, Jessica loves to make the pasta at Piada, or her favorite - a BLT Piada with Crispy Chicken! We asked Jessica what sets Piada apart from our competition, and she quickly responded:

“The freshness, the quality, the attention to detail we put into everything we do. The team members, the culture. Everything. It all cohesively comes together.”

When she's not at work, Jessica loves to spend time with her 1-year-old daughter, who already enjoys a ton of activities - “We like going to the park, and she loves shopping. Her favorite stores are Walmart and Ross!” Jessica also frequently cooks for her daughter and family - “I love to cook. I like to make garlic buttered shrimp with rice and Chicken Cordon Bleu.” Jessica spends a lot of time with her family, especially her 14-years-younger sister, Michelle, who she affectionately refers to as her “first-born” child. Michelle also loves to carry Melanie around and play with her.

Not only does Jessica have a close bond with her family, but both Jessica's parents and her aunt are part of the Piada family, who currently all work at our Sugar Land location where Jessica got her start. Her younger sister may only be 10 years old, but Jessica joked that in the future, “we're definitely getting her into the business!”

So, what's next for Jessica Flores? She has her eye on the prize and is motivated by being a great mom to her daughter - “I want to give her a better life than I ever had. You always want better for your kids.” Jessica also strives to impress her superiors and our Guests by providing an excellent work and dining environment. Her life motto - “Never stop going” genuinely matches her personal and professional perseverance. We're cheering for you, girl!