Francine Shaw: Maintain A Cleaner, Safer Kitchen With Food Safety Training Solutions

written by: Zanne Lamb-Hunt

Francine Shaw resided in McConnellsburg, Pa. until she was about thirteen years old. She then moved to Chambersburg, Pa. where she graduated from high school. She moved back to McConnellsburg  about twenty-eight years ago with her ex-husband who works for PennDOT.

Francine has two adult children. Her son is an engineer and her daughter is a professional makeup artist. A seven-year-old granddaughter “with a sixteen-year-old mindset” is the joy of her life.

She also has two cats and enjoys traveling for leisure as much as she can. At other times, she’s traveling for her business. Her company provides consultations and training programs intended to reduce food borne illnesses.

Maintain A Cleaner, Safer Kitchen With Food Safety Training Solutions

* Know The Must Have Gadgets For Every Kitchen

* Properly Check The Contents Of The Refrigerators And Cupboards

* Understand The Difference Between Best By, Sell By and Use By Dates

* Follow Established Sanitary Guidelines

* Examine Food Safety Practices

* Know The Potential Complications And Problems With Sink Aerators

* Shine A Light On The Blind Spots In Commercial Kitchens — What’s Overlooked?

* Engage With Focus Groups To Learn About Stopping Food-Borne Illnesses

“These groups are comprised of individuals who have life-long ramifications from food poisoning. Some have lost parents — others have lost family members — many have lost children to the horrible diseases that come from food-borne illnesses.”

“There’s nobody that hasn’t had norovirus. We’ve all had it…diarrhea and vomiting. Most people pass it off as the 24-hour bug or the flu. It’s norovirus, in most cases, and it comes from eating food that has been contaminated or else you’ve come into contact with somebody who has had norovirus.”

Francine’s Career Path In The Food Industry

“I’ve been in the food service industry all my life. My grandparents owned a business in Harrisonville, Pa. when I was a child — a general store — way before a convenience store was the place to be.

Everybody came and hung out on the front porch, gossiped about what was happening locally, purchased the sundries that they needed for home, came and got gas.

After that, my parents bought a very small grocery store in Mcconnellsburg.” Then, at the age of fifteen, living in Chambersburg, Francine lied about her age to get her first job.

“By the time they figured out how old I was, I was doing a good job so they let me keep the job. I worked my way up to executive management within that organization.”

When Francine left, she intended to leave the food service industry behind. But, the unexpected happened. “I missed it. I missed it a lot! The food service industry is something that I truly enjoy — the interaction with the people in all aspects — and I decided to start my own company.”

The Biggest Challenge of Entrepreneurship

“My biggest challenge has been balance. Balance between family and work, and personal space and work. I truly enjoy what I do, so it doesn’t seem like work to me. So, I have a hard time turning it off!”

She continues, “I would be working until midnight every night. I have such a passion for what I do. I’m a problem solver by nature. My customer’s problems become my problems. I’ll just continue until I get it taken care of and not realize how long I’ve been working on a specific situation.”

Advice Francine Would Give To Herself If She Could Turn Back Time

“Go with your gut! Listen to what your inner self is telling you and believe in yourself. If you can believe in yourself….that’s your biggest obstacle, really. Believing in yourself is going to take you far.”

Francine Recalls Making A Difference

“Not very long ago, I received an e-mail from a young lady who was having a very difficult time moving forward in her career path. I write a lot of articles for trade magazines in my industry, in my field. She is apparently following me.

You don’t realize the impact that you’re having on people when you don’t interact with these individuals every day. I know that I certainly don’t. I just get up every day and do what I do and don’t really think about the people who are paying attention outside my own personal sphere of influence..the people that I see immediately.

I got this e-mail from her telling me that I was having a tremendous impact on her life, what she was choosing to do and the direction she was taking.”

Francine shared, “I work in a male-dominated field. Sometimes, it’s very difficult for us to be taken seriously in the industry. She was kind of backing down because she was struggling with that very specific issue. It was very nice to receive that e-mail saying that I was having such a positive influence on her, being a female in the industry that was successful, that was making the accomplishments and strides that I have in this industry.

In a very short period of time, we’ve done a lot of things. I was just recently on the Dr. Oz show. I’m not somebody who runs around patting myself on the back or anything but it’s just great to know that I’ve had that impact on people’s lives.”

A Quote From Long Ago Still Rings Clear

Francine once had a boss who said something that has continued to resonate with her throughout the years. “People aren’t who they are because of where they are. People are where they are because of who they are.”

Although Francine’s company is primarily focused on commercial enterprises, both large and small, educational programs are open to all groups and organizations who can benefit from learning more about food safety. “Anybody that serves food can be a potential client of ours.”

This includes PTAs so parents can better understand the basics of maintaining a clean, safe kitchen at home to protect their own families from food-borne illnesses.

Churches and other non-profits that serve pot-luck dinners and hold fund-raising food events can benefit greatly by ensuring the food that’s served to the public has been stored, prepared and cooked properly.

Would your commercial, non-profit or home kitchen pass a thorough Health Inspection? What Grade would it get?

“We’re hired to do auditing and inspecting just like a Health Inspector would do, only we do it from another aspect. Our intention is to not only help them to do a better job and to get a higher grade on Health Inspections but to ensure they’re running a better establishment both for themselves and for the safety of the public.”

Reach out to Francine today to put her food safety expertise to work for your business or organization.

Office: 717- 485 – 0473
Fax: 717- 485 – 0474

foodsafetytrainingsolutions.net
info@foodsafetytrainingsolutions.net
facebook.com/foodsafetytrainingsolutions

Content Provided by Frederick Advice Givers Podcast #054: Eric Verdi Interviews Francine Shaw