Did You Know?: Fun Facts about NYC Sales Representative Jenn Cheng
NYC Sales Representative Jenn Cheng is no stranger to winning. In fact, she is a Food Network’s Chopped champion! After spending a day in that fast-paced, challenging kitchen, she was more than ready to join our high-energy NYC Sales Team.
Learn more about Jenn, her experience on the show Chopped, and how her competitive spirit prepared her to come to Main Street Hub and win for local heroes everyday:
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
“I just graduated from NYU in 2016. I got my degree in Nutrition and Food Science. By graduation, I knew I didn’t want to be a dietitian or nutritionist, so I was applying to jobs. I discovered Main Street Hub, came here for the interview, and just loved the culture of the office. So, I decided to come here.”
How did you get a spot on the show Chopped?
“I think I got chosen because I’m very unique — basically because I’m a little weird. I had blue hair back then, and I liked to wear bohemian clothes and everything. I’ve also won a lot of eating challenges, and I have a black belt. They were really confused by me — I think that’s why I was chosen for the show.
What was the biggest challenge of being on the show? Is it as dramatic as it seems to the viewers?
“Yes, it is! I had to get up so early, around 4:30 a.m. We weren’t allowed to walk into any rooms or open any mysterious doors because there were other shows filming there, too. So being in the studio was pretty stressful.
“On top of that, the tour of the kitchen was super brief. It was only about 5 minutes! They’d say ‘here are the sauces,’ and there would be about a hundred sauces, and then we’d move on. They were showing us the craziest stuff — like blow torches. I was thinking, ‘I will never use one of these in my entire life.’ It was all very rushed. As soon as you open the basket, the time starts. There was no prep time, no clues as to what would be inside. You just have to go.”
What was your favorite dish that you created?
“My favorite was definitely the first dish I made. It was a shakshuka, a Mediterranean egg dish. I think I had 20 minutes to create it. The ingredients from the basket were tomato sauce, chicken breast, energy drinks, and rice and beans.
“I was actually pretty lucky because I had never made the dish before. In fact, I’d never had it either. I had only seen it.
“It’s so strange, because I had just had a dream about that dish, even though I’d never made it before! And then, it ended up being the first dish I made on the show because the ingredients just worked for it. It was crazy!”
Did you ever dream you’d be working in sales?
“Not really. But, I liked the culture at Main Street Hub when I interviewed, and I know it’s a really good learning opportunity. I’m learning how to talk to people and how to relate to people. I think sales will be a good way for me to prepare to go into TV later in my career.”
How would you describe the culture of the NYC Sales Office?
“The people here are really great. My manager and my team make me love coming to work. We’re all really close. We have goals to hit, and we’re never shy about helping each other.”
What’s your favorite local business?
“Uncle Boons. I love hole-in-the-wall spots. Uncle Boons is so easy to miss. It’s tucked in a kind of basement. It’s considered Thai food, but they don’t serve the typical plates. They don’t even have Pad Thai on the menu. It’s Thai fusion like you’ve never had before. It’s in SoHo, you should go!”
Join Jenn and the rest of our winning NYC Sales Team — apply here!
