Page 4 - Women in Business

4SS • Sunday, October 18, 2015 • Women in Business Advertising Supplement to the Three Rivers Edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
ADVERTISING FEATURE
Brandy Hammontree Marco’s Pizza
By Sarah DeClerk
SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
W hen she was a child, Brandy Hammontree donned a chef ’s hat and apron to flip eggs on “the mon- ster,” an industrial stove her father brought to Los
Angeles from France, where he studied culinary arts. Influ- enced by his work, she eventually became executive chef and franchise operator at Marco’s Pizza in Searcy.
“I love pizza. I have wanted to be a pizza chef since I was in kindergarten,” she said.
After graduating from high school early, she attended California State University before transferring to Johnson & Wales University, she said. There, she learned about culinary arts and nutrition.
“It was very important for me to know not only how to create the art you were eating, but also what was in it,” she said, adding that she wanted to make sure people with special dietary concerns could eat what she served.
She was recruited by Marriott Hotels and worked for several of its properties in New York and Massachusetts. It was the best education she received, she said.
She first learned about Marco’s Pizza from some friends who owned a franchise. At the time, her husband, a member
I LOVE PIZZA. I HAVE WANTED TO BE A PIZZA CHEF SINCE I
WAS IN KINDERGARTEN.”
— Brandy Hammontree
of the armed forces, was stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
“When they introduced me to the brand, I was kind of hooked,” she said.
After her husband was stationed at the Little Rock Air Force Base for the fourth time in 10 years, she decided to open a franchise of her own. Five of his friends, all of whom are active or retired service members, became her investors, she said.
Although she is primarily the executive chef, she said, she also handles bookkeeping, accounting, training, tastings with the corporate office and even cleaning. She always asks people about their favorite pizza.
“I ingrain that into my mind, remember their names and faces, and understand what their family likes and enjoys, so when they come in next time, we can have that kind of relationship with our customers,” she said.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Brandy Hammontree, executive chef and franchise operator at Marco’s Pizza in Searcy, worked as a chef in New York before
she came to Arkansas.
That is how the company’s founder, Pasquale “Pat” Giam- marco, ran the business originally, and Hammontree strives to bring the “culture of accountability” he created to Arkan- sas, she said.