As we continue our week-long celebration of the Mile High City, Sadie Squier stepped forward to share her favorite things about the city and her career. Sadie is a FlightSafety International trained corporate flight attendant who lives in Denver, Colorado but is currently based out of Teterboro Airport (KTEB). Before exploring Denver with Sadie, first let’s get to know more about her.
First and foremost, Sadie is a mom, and she feels it is important that other aspiring corporate flight attendants know that a work-life balance is absolutely possible in this career. At the start of her career in aviation, Sadie worked for a charter airline from 2000 to 2008 and started in corporate aviation in 2004. Throughout the past 15 years she has flown on Boeing 727, Falcon 200, GII, GIV, GV and Global Express. On top of being an amazingly prepared corporate flight attendant (she keeps a stash of office supplies, chargers for cell phones, and cards for all occasions) she also has a degree in culinary arts and completed a bar tending course.
Her culinary skills do not stop there: she also has five years of experience working in kitchens, two of which were as a sushi chef. The extra culinary training adds skills that are loved by her passengers. When she is not busy in the skies, she is working on a book that will cover “tricks of the trade, catering options and information on getting around.”
When discussing her travels, Sadie has a lot of gorgeous locations to talk about. “Out of the 70 countries I have been to, I have five top countries,” she said. “It is hard to pick just one, so I rate them on food, fun, beauty and the people. In no particular order they are Italy, South Africa, Costa Rica, Turkey and Thailand.” One of her most memorable flights was when she “circled low over Victoria Falls and stayed the night on the river just above the falls. That was pretty amazing!”
During her travels she has been to restaurants around the world, serving various styles of cuisine. “I love fondue,” said Sadie, “but not what you find in the States, I mean real Swiss Fondue. My crew lived at Restaurant Beizli in Saint Gallen. Also, I am a carnivore, so Fogo De Chao in Rio or Sao Paolo. You have to order the beef ribs, and that is only restaurant I will say that about, because they leave the back strap on. Oddly enough, there is an incredible Mexican restaurant in London called La Bodega Negra. There is no sign, but the food is off the charts!”
Continuing to discuss food, even though Sadie prefers to barbecue at home, she had some great suggestions for corporate flight attendants visiting Denver. “Sushi Sasa is my favorite sushi place, and Root Down has an excellent brunch,” she said. “For the true Denver experience, the Buckhorn Exchange, which is Denver’s oldest restaurant, has every type of game meat you could want.”
When asked what she would suggest for a corporate flight attendant visiting Denver for the first time, Sadie said, “Patios!” She explained “everyone hangs out at restaurants with outdoor space.” If you have a car and enough time on the ground, Sadie also suggests visiting the “Wild Animal Sanctuary about 40 minutes northeast of Denver, which has been rescuing large carnivores for 30 years. They have over 300 lions, tigers, bears and wolves. The scale is amazing, and if you get to meet Pat, the owner, he has some of the craziest stories to share.”
Regarding transportation in Denver, Sadie says “you absolutely need a car. Public transportation is not good in the West.” Denver has a number of specialized markets to explore. “Amazingly, we have some great Asian markets here. The Pacific Mercantile Company specializes in Japanese, and there is an enormous Asian market on Alameda and Yuma that has everything! Other than that, I just stick with Whole Foods.”
Regarding what skills Sadie believes are most important for becoming a successful corporate flight attendant, she says, “First and foremost, leave your excuses at the door. Nobody cares why you made a mistake. Just apologize, let them know it will not happen again, and move on. It does not matter if it is not your fault, just take the blame – it’s quicker. I’ve taken the blame for the weather before. Also, know your aircraft systems – the pilots are flying the plane, the DVD player is your job.”
If you are someone who is considering starting a career as a corporate flight attendant, Sadie advice is that “you need to be a Gypsy, have a thick skin, and be able to think on your feet. It is not easy getting into this career, but be persistent and learn everything you can. Oh, and, spoil your pilots! They are most likely where your next job will come from.” The next time you are in need of a corporate flight attendant in Denver with expert culinary skills, contact Sadie Squier at sadiekent@yahoo.com.
This article is part of a series of interviews we are conducting with corporate cabin crew members; individuals who are not employed by Air Culinaire Worldwide. If you would like to be considered for an interview, which is posted on our blog and all of our social media accounts, please contact socialmedia@airculinaire.com.
