Jason Ralph
Food Services Manager
Hyland Hills Water World
Federal Heights, Colorado - U.S.A.
Featured in
World Waterpark Magazine, October/November 2023
WHAT IS YOUR EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE?
I have a Bachelor of Science in Food Service Management from Johnson & Wales University (JWU). I have about 25 years of experience working in and managing kitchens.
WHAT CERTIFICATION OR LICENSING DO YOU HAVE?
I hold a ServSafe Manager certificate and I am a ServSafe Proctor.
WHAT HONORS, AWARDS OR SPECIAL RECOGNITION HAVE YOU ACHIEVED?
I graduated JWU Summa Cum Laude. I received a great deal of recognition from my previous employer for managing food costs. I became the food cost expert in my region and would travel to different accounts to help managers achieve their food cost goals. I also hosted periodic webinars on food cost for the company.
WHAT MADE YOU GO INTO THIS FIELD?
From the first time I stepped into a commercial kitchen, I was hooked. I started at 14 at a neighborhood Chinese restaurant and I was so interested in learning more about cooking new things. Even when I had jobs in other fields, I held part time jobs in kitchens because it is where I feel the most at home. Everything about a commercial kitchen makes me happy. The heat, the smells, the camaraderie, everything makes it a unique and perfect experience for me.
WHAT ASPECT OF THE WATERPARK INDUSTRY DO YOU LIKE BEST?
There is a lot to be said for knowing you work a limited season. Being able to take time after the madness of summer and plan for the next year is a great luxury. My previous employment was non-stop, fifty- two weeks a year, leaving no good time to spend planning new things or analyzing missteps. Just being able to get away from the grind at the end of the season and debrief and rethink how to better operate is a huge perk and very unique in my experience.
WHO HAS MOST INSPIRED YOU IN YOUR CAREER?
I was always inspired by Jaques Pépin. Seeing his down-to-earth personality on TV while he made amazing dishes really helped grow a love for cooking and creating. Later, his books La Technique and La Methode made me want to cook great food professionally.
WHAT HAS BEEN THE GREATEST CHALLENGE IN YOUR WATERPARK CAREER?
That is a tough question. I came into the park at the end of the pandemic shutdown. While trying to wrap my mind around running food service in the park (which was really outside my experience), we were also planning for social distancing, mask wearing and enhanced cleaning. We didn’t even know if we would be able to open for the season. Even without the pandemic, taking over a team of young workers who didn’t have any experience with a new boss and learning my style of leadership compared to my predecessor was a huge challenge.
HOW DO YOU KEEP FOCUSED AND MOTIVATED?
I am always trying to envision how operations can be better. I am motivated by constant process improvement. There is nothing we do that cannot be improved. I also like following restaurant trends and trying to see how they could be incorporated into the waterpark.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN WORKING IN THE WATERPARK INDUSTRY?
I would tell anyone interested in becoming involved with the waterpark industry to go for it. It is a great career, filled with amazing people. The industry feels like a family, and at the WWA events I have attended, everyone is trying to help everyone else, trying to collaborate to make every park better. I have not seen that in other segments of industry. Usually, there is severe competition in a market, and it can get pretty cutthroat.
WHAT BOOKS OR PUBLICATIONS DO YOU RELY ON MOST FOR INSPIRATION OR MOTIVATION?
As far as food trends are concerned, I like to read
Food Management magazine, they do a great job following trends in the food service industry. For inspiration, I really get quite a bit out of leadership books like
Turn The Ship Around by L. Da- vid Marquet and
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek.
WHAT CAREER OR BUSINESS WOULD YOU CONSIDER IF YOU WERE STARTING ALL OVER AGAIN?
If I was starting over, I would still be cooking, but I think I would really want to work on container shipping. I think it would be a great career for a single person with no family who wants to see the world, plus I have always loved boats and the ocean, even though I live about as far from it as possible.
HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED WITH THE WWA?
I think Bob Owens signed me up for WWA in my first week at Water World. I didn’t know anything about it, but I was happy to learn and become a member. Now that I have been to the WWA Show a few times, I think it is an invaluable service for the waterpark industry.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART OF YOUR JOB?
I really enjoy working with the team at Water World. Everyone is great to work with and we really have a collaborative team which makes our team close and adds a lot of synergy. I also appreciate my coworkers who have had much more experience in waterparks, they have really helped me focus on what we are trying to accomplish each season.
WHAT IS SOMETHING INTERESTING ABOUT YOU THAT FEW KNOW OR WOULD GUESS?
I don’t think many people would guess that I enjoy creating art. I like to paint, sculpt, and model. They are the activities I go to when I want to get away from everything. •