Quote from Staff Swap Employee - Keith Quinn

I attended the ALR in 2022, which was located at Wickham’s Farm.  Having been raised on our farm, and looking forward to a future in agritourism, I really liked their farm and wanted to learn more.  I was debating about a few places to go for a short-term experience, when Bill Wickham greeted me with a hearty handshake at Convention and said “I hear you are working for us this upcoming summer!”  With that great invitation, I felt right at home with the Wickhams.

Going into the experience, I wanted to learn everything about how they run their food service.  I have been involved in our food service for a few years, and liked it, but I know that Wickham’s food service is next level.  Our farm was planning to add our own food trucks to our food offerings, and I wanted to learn more to help with that process at home.  That being said, I was open to learning anything!

Some of my learning highlights included experiencing how to make donuts properly (I had experimented on my own, but never knew the right way!), learning to use a fresh grill for volume, and making fries and other food items efficiently and well.

Outside of work hours, the Wickham’s were welcoming and gracious, taking me to a bunch of different restaurants so I could experience various food service options in their area.  We also visited several other agritourism farms located nearby.

I was also able to share a little of my experience, teaching them to make poutine – which they have now added to their food menu.  I also gave them a new perspective on flow and location setting within their food service, which they say has increased efficiency. 

I went into this experience with the mindset of doing whatever they needed, but also asked for a focus on food operations.  On slower days, I went into the field with them to help out with whatever they may have needed. 

My suggestions for anyone considering a short-term experience on another farm: Don’t be afraid – it isn’t difficult to do.  The other farm will welcome you with open arms.  And if you have knowledge that can benefit them, you can be a great source of outside perspective.  But overall, be sure to have fun!



Quote from Staff Swap Farm - Judy Valachovic

Keith Quinn got a taste of what we do in the 2022 ALR and was hungry for more so he joined the Wickham Farms Team for two weeks in an internship in July 2024 focused on food service.  As a farm intern he went through the full food team training program to become proficient in every food service role we have.  Kieth was game for any task, and got real hands-on experience - like making 200 pizzas for a camp in less than an hour!  Since he wanted to learn everything food related he also learned and experienced cleaning, maintaining and troubleshooting issues with our equipment. He even got to level to donut machine and learned a few millimeters can make a difference! 

In true Quinn fashion not only did he gain some knowledge from us, but he improved our business as well. By bringing a fresh set of eyes to our kitchens we improved some of our layouts and flow.  He taught us how to make Poutine, and we added it to our menu where it quickly became a top item for one of our kitchens!  Seeing how a farm does things is one thing, but getting real hands-on experience takes learning to another level.  We are thankful for Keith's time with us and our NAFDMA network for connecting us!