Many people who work at CKC Good Food came to the company through their connection with our Founder & CEO Nancy Close. That’s evident in our procurement and inventory team.
Shawn Mueller, Procurement Manager
Shawn has worked for CKC Good Food for 12 years but his connection to the company dates to before he was born! His dad was a meat-cutter who provided specialty meats to Caravan Serai, Nancy Close’s restaurant that birthed CKC Good Food. After he retired from meat-cutting, Shawn’s dad had a small delivery route for CKC Good Food. At one time, Shawn and his three younger brothers all worked at CKC Good Food. His brother Scott is still an anchor of our early morning prep crew.
Shawn’s primary responsibilities include scouting for the best prices for the foods used on our menus, tracking the foods used daily, and placing orders for milk, bread, produce and dry items. He also manages commodities on behalf of clients, tracking the commodity items we surveyed in the spring and fall to make sure clients get paid the commodity entitlements they’ve earned.
What do you love about your work and about the company? I love the people I work with here the most! So many different and fun people all working together to feed the kiddos.
Before working at CKC Good Food, Shawn worked for Andersen Windows.
Outside of work, Shawn is a devoted dad to his two daughters, ages 6 and 13. They love going on walks, mini golfing, bowling or just watching movies together.
Additionally, he says, “I shouldn’t let anyone know this, but... I am a rockhound. I like agate hunting when the weather is nice. I also collect sports cards.”
Steve Michalski, Procurement & Warehouse Team member
Steve came to CKC Good Food 7 years ago, in pursuit of a career change. He spent years in retail management, most recently as a store manager for Target and Kohl’s.
When he sought a new career direction, he talked with his long-time friend Nancy Close about the opportunities at CKC Good Food and how he could contribute to the team. In the late 70s, Steve worked as a dishwasher and cook at Caravan Serai for three years during high school. After he and his wife Vickie were married, she, her two sisters and her brother worked for Nancy, who had recently bought the restaurant from her parents.
Today, Steve orders and distributes salad bar items, paper products and offsite kitchen orders.
He also serves as a backup to the Procurement Manager and Warehouse Manager when they’re out.
“I love the interaction I have daily with the team here at CKC Good Food,” Steve said. “I think it’s important for team members to have someone they can ask a question of, and even if I don’t know the answer, I will find the answer out for them.”
Steve and Vickie, who live in Stillwater, have been married for 36 years and have 23-year-old twin sons, Mason and Vincent. When he’s not working, you’ll find him on the golf course or relaxing by the pool with family and friends. Steve is proud to share he’s been sober for more than two years and he enjoys helping others find freedom from addiction.
Wolfgang Mayr, Procurement and Offsite Manager
Before joining CKC Good Food more than 5 years ago, Procurement and Offsite Manager Wolfgang Mayr was an executive chef for many years, working in kitchens from Hawaii to Puerto Rico. He has cooked for many esteemed guests, including Chewbacca and Storm Troopers.
Like many of our team members who previously worked in hospitality, Wolfgang came to CKC Good Food in search of a nontraditional chef position that freed up his nights, weekends and holidays. He likes working with kids, so it was a good fit. He started at one of the offsite kitchens we manage and later moved into procurement.
Today, he splits his time between purchasing breakfast and snack items and working with kitchen managers at our offsite schools to keep them up to date on new products, ordering procedures and anything affiliated with kitchen service, from portion control to sizing specific recipes. If they need help with a recipe, Wolfgang steps in, sharing his years of experience as a chef.
“I love the staff,” he said. “I have worked with a lot of them for many years and they are the best at this. And it shows! It comes from the top!!”
His current position gives him the flexibility to work remotely from Florida, where he can enjoy many of the things he loves: sailing, fishing, snorkeling, freestyle skiing, and, of course, cooking!
Wolfgang met his wife, who was also a chef, at an American Culinary Federation picnic in Denver. Today, she is in home sales. They have two sons; one is a District Sales Manager and the other a pilot.
Steve Fleming, Inventory Analyst
Inventory Analyst Steve Fleming is the newest member of the procurement and inventory team. After working many, many years in large corporations, he sought a position in a smaller company where he could have a bigger impact. That was nearly 2 years ago.
“It feels great having a positive impact on customers and working together with them to overcome obstacles that inevitably come our way,” he said of his work.
Steve manages and tracks the receipt of purchases from distributors, and the removal of items from inventory when they’re used for clients’ meal service. He helps monitor changes in inventory availability and costs to ensure we maintain the most delicious meal plans possible.
Before working at CKC Good Food, Steve spent 18 years in marketing and, prior to that, 5 years in sales management.
Steve has two “fantastic” dogs, Moxie and Lily, and an adult son, Tyler (who is married to Nancy’s niece), all of whom he spends time with whenever he can. Steve and Tyler are pictured together at the CKC Good Food company party in August 2023.
