Episode 81: An Assistant Principal’s Passion as Level 7 Local Google Guide

Anthony Godfrey:
Welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. You could say she's an assistant principal with great taste. When Adrian Yancey isn't in schools, helping educate students, she's educating perfect strangers, reviewing restaurants as a Level 7 Local Google Guide. On this episode of the Supercast, I find out what it takes to be a Local Google Guide and why it is a passion for this assistant principal. We visit a local restaurant, which is all the rage right now, to do a taste test, and I give the food my own Google review. I love to highlight some of the interesting people that we have working in our district. And we have many of them today. I have the good fortune to talk with Adrian Yancey here at Eastlake Elementary School. Thanks for taking the time to talk with me.

Andrian:
I'm so happy to be here.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're a foodie.

Andrian:
Yes, I'm a foodie.

Anthony Godfrey:
I wish I were a foodie. I just love food. And I want to find out all about what got you here. Let's talk about you and Google and food. How does all of that connect?

Adrian:
I love to do reviews on Google and it just started as a hobby, just pictures here and there of different restaurants that I've visited with my family, and I would add what I liked about that place and include a few pictures and it just built from there. My family, they're pretty into this hobby that I've developed as well.

I've really tried to stay positive, especially with local businesses. I don't want to ruin someone's business or give a negative vibe about a place. I always try to look for something positive. I had an experience just recently where I went to a donut shop. My family and I have been on a doughnut kick for the last couple of years. If you want to know where the best apple fritter is or the best buttermilk bar, you just need to ask me.

Anthony Godfrey:
I want to know where both of those are, so go ahead.

Adrian:
We tried a new as a fairly new establishment and went in with high hopes because they have other businesses that have done very well. So unfortunately, a few of the doughnuts we got were raw inside, so there were some raw dough. That was one that I got some beautiful pictures, but the product wasn't necessarily one that I'd want to review yet. I contacted the business and I told them about my experience. I was kind and I was well received because, obviously, that isn't to standard and they wouldn't want a review on Google highlighting a mistake. So I don't ever want to throw a business under the bus, especially with my reviews. Because I've done so many, sometimes they'll stay at the top of a business, it might not just be based on timeline. So for that I did contact the business. They refunded the amount that I paid for the mixed dozen and I'm going to give them another try.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now that you've mentioned donuts, I do have to know, where are the best apple fritters?

Adrian:
Okay, so you have to go to Mirror Lake Gas Station, it's in Kamas and the apple fritters are as big as your face. They're huge.

Anthony Godfrey:
As big as my face? That's an accomplishment.

Adrian:
They're worth the drive. So that is an amazing place.

Anthony Godfrey:
Where's the best buttermilk bar? My wife loves buttermilk bars.

Adrian Yancey:
The two best places I feel like in the valley are Banbury Cross, and then Lehi Bakery. The Lehi Bakery ones are enormous.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love all of those places. The Lehi Bakery has the square donuts, right?

Adrian:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank they do melt in your mouth. They just run down the back of your throat. There's no chewing involved.

Andrian:
Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
I could talk donuts all day with you. Tell me about what it means to be a Google reviewer.

Adrian:
Okay. So anybody can review businesses on Google. If you go to Google Maps to find a restaurant or a bakery, whatever you're looking for, you can even review locations of, parks, anything. So you go on Google Maps to that place, and then if you scroll down, it gives you the option to add a review.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I've added a review or two, I think.

Adrian Yancey:
Yeah, so it's based on a five star rating and you can decide how many stars do you think that establishment or place merits, and then you can write a detailed review or a simple review. You also have the option to add pictures.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is it the pictures that got the drew attention to your reviews? What do you think made your reviews take off?

Adrian:
I don't know. Maybe. I do think that the pictures have helped. I think that you get more views on your reviews if you're willing to take the time to add photos. So I would say that that has been helpful based on how many reviews I've done and the number of pictures I've posted. I've hit a Level 7 Local Guide status.

Anthony Godfrey:
A Level 7 Local Guide. That sounds like something from Dungeons and Dragons. You roll the dice and you're a Level 7 Local Guide who helps people find the best pie in the castle or wherever.

Adrian:
Exactly. I have almost a thousand pictures posted.

Anthony Godfrey:
And review every time you travel as well?

Adrian:
Yes.  So, like you, I'm a destination foodie as well. I do a lot of research. I know where we're going to eat. I don't have a spreadsheet itinerary, but I definitely have a spreadsheet with different places that I want to try when we travel.

Anthony Godfrey:
Destination Foodie. I've not heard that term. Can I be a Destination Fast Foodie? Is there such a thing as that?

Adrian:
Yeah. You definitely could be a  Destination Fast Foodie, but I do like to look for unique places as well. So whether it's donuts or the best Mexican food in the area, I always try to find l something that's unique when we travel.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about your background that got you interested.

Adrian:
I started cooking as a little kid and I was always encouraged by my parents. My mom was a really laid back mom, so it was okay if I made a big mess in the kitchen and we always had flour, sugar, and eggs on hand so I could bake anything that I wanted to. And so when I got to high school, I had the opportunity, I went to Bingham. Through Salt Lake Community College, there was a Culinary Program. So at the end of my day, I got to go over to Salt Lake Community College, either on the UTA bus or if I had a car, I drove. I started expanding there and I worked my senior year downtown at The Roof and The Garden. And then I expanded into the Lion House. So that'd Beehive Group, and I learned a lot there. And I decided I wanted to go to culinary school.

So I moved to Denver right after high school and finished an Associates Degree. During that time, I worked for an Italian bakery and for the Hyatt Regency Hotel. And I moved with my job to the Hyatt in Houston when I was 20 years old.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Adrian:
So I was really a go getter and I wanted to be a master chef. The thing is about that though, when sometimes when you take your favorite hobby and make it your career, it kind of takes the passion out of it. I felt like I needed a little more variety and I knew that I wanted to extend my education and do something that or I wouldn't be doing necessarily the same thing every day.

Anthony Godfrey:
Right.

Adrian:
And I found it in education.

Anthony Godfrey:
Being an assistant principal at East Lake elementary, I'm sure affords you a new adventure every day, like you were looking for.

Adrian:
It does. It does my, there isn't one day that is the same. I get to deal with, you know, different kid personalities and teachers and administration and the district. And I've learned a lot, even in this short time.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, we're very glad to have you, and I'm very glad to be here with you today to try some pie from Flake Pie Company. Now I told my wife I was doing this today and she was quite excited at the idea that I would get to be trying some Flake Pie. Let's just start the review right now. I really liked the packaging. Is that a seafoam green there? Tiffany blue. Maybe that's a tiffany blue box.

Andrian:
Their logo. Yeah. It's inviting.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, I just opened it and I can smell the crust and it smells really good.

Adrian Yancey:
I know what these are. This one is key lime.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is that banana cream right there?

Adrian Yancey:
This one is the banana, but that has a meringue instead of whipped cream.

Anthony Godfrey:
What was this called? It's something clever. You Lime Up in My Life or what is it?

Andrian:
Yep.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let me look at the, let's see. Oh, Sweet Child of Lime.

Andrian:
Okay. Is it raspberry fields?

Anthony Godfrey:
Raspberry Fields Forever.

Adrian Yancey:
And then this one is like B -A-N-A-N-A.

Anthony Godfrey:
So is it  like bananas, like Gwen Stefani would spell it out?

Adrian Yancey:
Yes. But something that's unique about this one, in Utah we're generally used to banana cream pie having a whipped cream topping. And this one is meringue, which is more common in the South.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Oh, to admit that I don't normally eat things with bananas in them. I don't trust those phantom seeds that they have in them, but I'm all in today. I'm going to go for it.

Adriane:
Okay. What do you want to start with?

Anthony Godfrey:
A Sweet Child of Lime.

Adrian Yancey:
So this one has the graham cracker crust. Yeah. This one has the graham crust.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm going to dive right in there on that one slice.

Adrian:
Okay.

Anthony Godfrey:
I lost a little bit of crust.

Andrian:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk me through what's coming to mind here as we scoop this out.

Adrian Yancey:
Okay. So if this is an authentic key lime. Generally it's probably just regular lime juice that they made this with. Now a key lime, they are tiny and they really do come from.

Anthony Godfrey:
Does that look like a little key lime slice on time?

Andrian:
Yes. It looks like a real key lime. Well, it could be, or it could just be a regular lime, but regardless key limes are really tiny and they're hard to juice. If they bought key lime juice that's totally possible to. So it's usually condensed milk and lime juice and not much else. So let's see how it let's see how it is. I think the filling, the texture is really good. It's sweet. I don't think I could eat, well maybe I could eat the whole pie.

Anthony Godfrey:
The texture is pretty fantastic.

Adrian:
It is really smooth and creamy.

Anthony Godfrey:
But the crust really is moist, overly moist. These are all individual pies. These are maybe the size of, I don't know. What's that the size of?

Adrian Yancey:
I want to say they're 4" tins. The size of the tin is. based on the bottom. It might even be 3" tin, but they're individually sized.

Anthony Godfrey:
But perfect for sharing. Wow. I am going to have another slice of that despite the overly moist crust.

Andrian:
Okay.

Anthony Godfrey:
But after we tried the others.  Do you cleanse the palate in between, do I need some European spring water or anything to cleanse in between?

Adrien:
That would have been nice.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, I'm sorry we don't have that.

Adrian:
Yeah, me too.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. So now we're going for Raspberry Fields Forever, right?

Andrian:
Yes. Raspberry Fields Forever.

Adrian:
Okay. If I remember correctly, it's supposed to be Strawberry Fields Forever, right?

Anthony Godfrey:
It is. Yes, John Lennon would object, I'm sure.

Adrian:
Oh, this one's a little bit softer.

Anthony Godfrey:
It is softer. Do you view that as a negative or is that okay?

Adrian:
It might just be. We'll have to see if you think it's just because it's warm, you know, like maybe it's been out of the fridge for a few minutes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, that might be so in fairness, perhaps we aren't getting it right from fridge.

Adrian:
The crust isn't quite as wet.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm tasting the crust more on this. It's a dryer crust and it's really, really good.

Adrian Yancey:
It's so good. The flavor is so good.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, the flavor jumps out at me on this one. What's something I could say that would make me sound like a foodie? I detect notes of graham cracker. Would that be kind of a foodie thing to say?

Adrian:
I would say buttery. The tartness of the berries cut the richness of the cream. I think this one would taste delicious together with the lime, the raspberry lime. I think that would be delicious.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sweet Child Raspberry. Hmm.

Andrian:
That one's good. That is good.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Yeah. I see a repeat performance on both of these. All right. Okay. I have not had anything with banana in it for a very long time. So I figured this is probably the right time with some southern meringue on top. Let's have a little B-A-N-A-N-A Cream Pie.

Adrian Yancey:
I think banana is hard because you don't get it fresh, then the bananas discolor and they could be too soft.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. This is not bad. I'm having a second bite already. What do you think?

Adrian Yancey:
I like it.

Anthony:
And I do like you like the crust?

Adrian:
I like the crust. I think it's a good thickness. It's cooked all the way through.

Anthony Godfrey:
That meringue seems to have a nice texture to it and gives a little bit, but it holds up.

When we come back, it's time for lunch, Ms. Yancey and I had to a local hotspot for a taco taste test.

Break:
If you're ready to start your child on the path to personalized learning, we are ready to help. The Jordan Virtual Learning Academy is coming to Jordan School District in the 2021 year. Three new schools will be opening as part of the Academy, Rocky Peak Virtual Elementary School, Kelsey Peak Virtual Middle School and Kings Peak High School. Each school will have their own principal and teachers and each will give students a choice in their own learning. The schools will offer synchronous learning, which is teachers providing real time, live online instruction and asynchronous learning where teachers provide videotaped instruction for learning on a student's schedule. To register your student in the Jordan Virtual Learning Academy, visit http://connect.jordandistrict.org

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. We're now here on location in a restaurant. And Adrian's going to tell us a little bit about this restaurant, what it's called and why we're here.

Adrian:
Okay. So it's called the La Casa Del Tamale and we're in West Valley. And I found this place on Instagram. One of my friends that did a review and took some really great pictures. I've been excited to try the Birria Tacos with consomme for awhile because they've been popping up at different restaurants all over the valley. This little place, I don't think it's been open very long. That's a great ambience in here. And I think it'll be really fun.

Anthony Godfrey:
Chips and salsa or a win already. And I'm looking forward to trying this dip taco. Actually a former student of mine, on his Instagram story showed that he'd made this at home and it looks like you cooked the meat and then use the sauce and blend some vegetables. Do you know the process for creating it?

Andrian:
Yeah, I think the meat is stewed, so it's in a pot of cooking liquid, and then they take the meat out and shred it and then use the broth with the vegetables and use that as your dipping sauce.

Anthony Godfrey:
And then the stewed meat goes into the taco and then you dunk it, right?

Adrian:
Yes. We want to try the Tacos Birria with consomme.

Anthony Godfrey:
Let's make it three orders. These chips and salsa actually are really good. If the salsa, I can't put my finger on it. You probably can, but it's a little bit different from what I'd normally expect.

Adrian:
It is. I think the texture is like tomato soup, but then it has really good flavor.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. It's about 11:15. We tried to beat the crowd and the restaurants already mostly full. They do have some spaces left, but I bet it's going to fill up quickly and we have a table of construction workers over there, and that says to me, this is going to be a great place.

Adrian:
There were people waiting outside for the doors to open, so that's a good sign to follow.

Anthony Godfrey:
I liked being an insider here on the early end of a trend. So that is a deep, rich sauce and there's a lot of taco and we both get four tacos each. All right. Should we get a picture of this?

Adrian:
Oh yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
This is a really deep, rich looking sauce. What would you call it? Is it a consomme?

Adrian:
Okay, so the cooking liquid in a crisp shell on the taco piping hot, this looks fantastic. Oh, so good.

Adrian:
So good. Nice crunch on the shell. The meat is so tender.

Anthony Godfrey:
Very tender, but a chunk dropped in. I'll get it when the consomme gets consumed. Somehow my shell is still crispy, even after I've dumped it in the consomme.

Adrian:
Did you try it with the lime?

Anthony Godfrey:
I didn't put any lime on it.

Adrian:
Oh, this is, it's really good. I think that it is meeting my expectation. So I think one of the things they do as well, they dip the shell into the consomme before they crisp them up on the grill and that's why they have that beautiful reddish yellow color.

.Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, it does look great. Let's kind of summarize. We started with pies and started with dessert. What's your recommendation?

Adrian:
I really enjoyed Flake. I thought that the pies that we tried were good. I think the banana was my least favorite, but it wasn't bad. I loved the raspberry. I loved the key lime.

Anthony Godfrey:
I thought the crust was good. It was a little bit different on all of them. And I would definitely go there.

Adrian:
I would go there again and I would recommend it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now let's talk tacos. Let's talk tamales. What do you say about this restaurant?

Adrian:
So the tacos are phenomenal. The consomme is so flavorful and delicious. You literally could drink it when you're done dunking your tacos. The texture of the shells were perfect. They weren't too crunchy, but just crisp enough that had a great texture and it held the texture the whole time that we were eating. The tamales, I think were good, but I was so full from the tacos that I didn't give them very much attention.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yes. The tacos are the star of the show and I've had a lot of Mexican food, but this is unlike anything I've had before. The consomme taste is fantastic and the texture and flavor was just fantastic, out of this world.

Adrian:
The beef is so tender. This was a delicious meal, so I would highly recommend this place.

Anthony Godfrey:
Casa Del Tamale and Flake, both highly recommended.

Adrian:
Thumbs up, both thumbs up.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. I'm going to clean my plate. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. You'll see out there.