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Co-op Worker Profile:
Megan Meduna
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by Hope Perlman
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Who bakes those yummy
muffins, breads and treats you find in the bakery case every day? Well,
for the last five months, Megan Meduna has shared the job with Donna
Quinn. Megan works four days a week, waking up when most of us are
still dreaming, and concocting the baked goods sold in the HWFC's Deli.
Originally from the Albany area, Megan took a circuitous route back
home. She grew up in East Berne, and earned her associate in culinary
arts at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. As an
internship, Megan worked for six months at Esalen Institute in Big Sur
(Calif.), taking classes in exchange for a small salary and
room-and-board. Eventually she moved to Hawaii, where she honed her
skills in the industrial kitchen of a large hotel and in a small,
privately owned bakery.
Megan found Hawaii beautiful, but ultimately missed her family and life
back east. She returned home, and after a stint in a Mediterranean
restaurant, found herself at HWFC. Honest Weight feels like a natural
fit for Megan. Her mother was an organic farmer and does aroma therapy
for family and friends.
Megan loves the Wellness department, joking, "I like to be clean and
pretty." She grew up using natural soaps and shampoos, and enjoys
experimenting with all the new products she finds here. She especially
likes Giovanni shampoo.
Asked what she likes about working at the HWFC, Megan says, "I get to
be creative." Part of her work is to look up new recipes, or invent
them. She has been particularly interested in increasing her repertoire
of gluten free baked goods, because there is a large demand for them.
One of her non-vegan favorites is her zucchini-ricotta muffin, which
she says is a "spin-off" of her mother's recipe for zucchini pancakes.
Before she leaves every afternoon, Megan plans what to make the next
day, and prepares her wet and dry ingredients so they will be ready to
mix the next morning. Every day she plans two gluten-free and three or
four vegan muffins, a dairy muffin, and two breads.
Outside of work, Megan enjoys the outdoors. She ran cross-country in
high school and still enjoys regular long-distance runs. A member of
the Albany Running Exchange, she participates in the occasional race.
One day she would like to compete in a triathlon. When she isn't
running, Megan likes to hike with her dog and hopes one day soon to
hike the entire Appalachian Trail.
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