Influential Woman · Catering

Kristel Green

Catering Associate, C&E Catering

Las Vegas, NV

Her Story

About Kristel

I've been in restaurant and food service my whole life, about 20 years total, and I've been doing catering for the last 4 or 5 years. I got introduced to my current boss through a friend who was working there, and she told me I'd make it great there. I started out at the bottom doing tables and dining room work, and then got promoted to dressing rooms, which is what I do now. I work at major venues like MGM, Mandalay Bay, and T-Mobile Arena, handling dressing rooms for concerts and events. My job involves pulling all the equipment needed from our stores, like teapots and coffee pots, getting all the decor like plants and flowers, and shopping for everything on the performer's list. I put together everything they need, from cups to all their requested items, load it into totes, and deliver it to wherever the event is. I pretty much do everything myself unless there are more than 15 dressing rooms, then I'll schedule someone to help me. We work pretty intense hours, sometimes 60-70 hour weeks, and a couple times we've hit 90 hours. Last year we had 4 and 5 shows at a time. I've met some amazing people like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Pink. I also helped my co-worker get a job there about 4 years ago, and she's worked her way up to being head of nighttime dining room.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Kristel

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to working hard and being open to new opportunities. The harder you work, the more you're going to get noticed, and the more you're going to be able to do things that are out of your realm that you might not think you can do. As long as you work hard and your boss sees you're working hard, he'll move you to different directions. You have to be open to it and keep working hard. I'd say my most notable achievement is just the ability to try new things and not be in the same spot where I was in the beginning.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've received is that people always come first. Everybody you wait on, they should always come first. Everybody that you're serving should always come first. This has guided me throughout my career in food service and catering, and it's a principle I live by in my work.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

My advice would be to just try to get your foot in the door somewhere and make it happen. The harder you work, the more you're going to get noticed, and the more you're going to be able to do things that are out of your realm that you might not think you can do. As long as you work hard and your boss sees you're working hard, he'll move you to different directions. You have to be open to it and willing to work hard. That's how you advance in this industry.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

The biggest challenge right now is the raging prices and the food crisis. It's putting a damper on everything, and some performers are cutting back because of it. This year has been a little slower compared to last year when we had 4 and 5 shows at a time. But other than the pricing challenges, the job is great and there are lots of opportunities to go in different directions in this field.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

The values most important to me are honesty and integrity. And overall, just making people happy and making people enjoy themselves. That's what they come to eat for, you know, so spreading joy and ensuring people have a good experience is what drives me in my work.

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