Heartland Reps' culture is built on customer service, industry experience, and people you'd like to spend a little more time with. This is why we love to shine the spotlight on the passionate people behind our company. This month we're talking to our Territory Manager in Western Missouri and Kansas, Dennis Easterla.
How long have you been with Heartland Reps? I started in September, 2017 so almost 5 years.
How did you get started in the foodservice industry? I had a fraternity brother who suggested to me that I wouldn’t have to take as much math if I switched my major from Business Administration to Hospitality & Restaurant Admin. It seemed like a good idea at the time!
Where do you think the industry is headed? I think the outlook for our industry is positive in the short term. But we have to be able to work through the supply chain difficulties we’ve all been dealing with for over a year now.
Do you have a favorite food or beverage? If you’ve ever met me, you would know that there isn’t a whole lot that I don’t like. Some favorites are BBQ, pizza, Italian and Mexican. As far as beverages, I have been known to enjoy an occasional cerveza or glass of Cabernet.
If Chef David could cook you one dish, what would it be? Wow - Chef David is a foodie’s foodie. I’d love to hear how he would answer this question. No doubt, whatever he would choose would be fabulous.
We heard a rumor that you dislike mayonnaise . . . This question was a plant. I’m not going to mention any names (Tyson) but OK . . . here it is. I have never liked mayo. I don’t particularly like pudding or sour cream or cream cheese or that stuff they put inside long johns at the donut shop either. It’s the texture and the way it feels in my mouth that I don’t like. I don’t necessarily have a problem with each of the individual ingredients. I just don’t like its final form.
So here’s a story. In college, I had a cooking class where I had to make my own mayonnaise I called the professor over to see that it was complete and she asked me if I had tried it. I told her no and that I don’t like mayo. To which she replied that I needed to try my mayo or I would get an ‘F’ on my lab project. What can I say, I’m kind of a rebel . . .I took an ‘F’!!!
What's on your bucket list? I want to do an Alaskan cruise but my wife sees no purpose in getting on a cruise ship so we can go freeze our butts off standing on the deck and looking at ice. She seems to think that vacations need to include sand and those little umbrellas on top of a drink (she isn’t wrong). I would also love to explore Europe.
Do you cook at home? If so, what's your favorite appliance? I do cook a little - not a lot, a little. My favorite appliance is the gas grill out on the deck. What guy doesn’t like cooking with fire?
Anything else we should know about you? My wife and I started dating when she was still in high school. We have two daughters, Madison and Holland. Years after we were in college at Southwest Missouri State we discovered that there is actually an intersection on campus of Madison & Holland streets. We took them to Homecoming one year to get a pic, which ended up on our Christmas card that year. Madison graduated from Missouri State in ’20 and Holland is there now!
Ready to meet Dennis and other members of our team? They're always eager to listen to your challenges and propose innovative foodservice solutions. Schedule some time in one of our kitchens to learn more about the equipment and how to help your foodservice business.