MELINDA BAYLON UTHAYAGURU - 4th Apr 2022
"Hello and how can we help you today?", a voice chirruped out. Meet Melinda Baylon Uthayaguru, our Customer Service Assistant, a bubbly lady who is always ready to help customers or colleagues in need.
1. Tell us about you and your family.
![]()
After marriage, my hubby and I flew from Philippines to settle down permanently in Singapore and this decision was made 15 years ago. Now we have 3 lovely children and as a family, we will always make a yearly trip back home to Manila to visit my father and siblings.
Ever since the pandemic started, we have not been able to visit our hometown for the past 2 years. Upon hearing the recent easing of travel restrictions, I have already laid down plans for a 10-day trip back home! Hooray!!
I can finally get to see and hug my dear ones and indulge in my father’s cooking. I miss the local delicacies that he prepares for which my cooking skills can never come close! And I have not found anyone here who can prepare food as good as him. You should try his Caldereta and Mechado dishes, the thick and flavourful sauce will leave you asking for multiple helpings!
And I longed to visit my favourite Manila Cathedral where our wedding was held, the place brings me peace and serenity and gives a sense of indescribable closeness.
2. Who has inspired you in your life?
That will definitely be my grandmother! She is a confident and tough lady with a very big heart. While my grandfather is out working, she takes care of her 7 children single-handedly. Even as the children grow up and get married, everyone still stays in the same compound and the grandchildren are also brought up under her care and responsibility. Despite her being so busy with the family, she will still lend a helping hand to her neighbours whenever they are in need. I really looked up to my grandmother and want to be just like her!
3. What do you find most challenging in your job?
The most challenging part of my job is getting to remember the names of all the products in the store so that whenever a customer stops me for direction or to understand a product, I can easily share information with them. The toughest product range for me to grasp will have to be the cheeses, as we carry more than a hundred types from various countries. Fortunately, I have helpful colleagues around to guide and help me in pronouncing and remembering the names, as well as the application of each product. Of course, I will also do some reading up on my part.
Working at Huber’s, I am most grateful to my supervisor, Mercedes who taught me a lot on the job and I can easily open up to her on both work and personal issues.
4. Share with us your most memorable moment at Huber’s.
My most memorable encounter would be my first time attending the company’s Dinner and Dance held at Marina Bay Sands in 2019, and unbelievably, I won the 2nd prize! With the $700 voucher, I went to get Nike and got Jordan shoes for my whole family. In our new shoes, we often take strolls together down the Punggol River to Waterway Point for dinners.
5. If you could master one skill, what would it be?
I hope to enroll for a supervisory management course soon. This is highly relevant to my current retail job experience and will aid in my job progression.
6. Share the one product from Huber’s that you will highly recommend.
Toriyama ribeye is my must-buy Huber’s meat which I often cook for my whole family who loves how the meat melts in the mouth with the juice oozing out! I am also fond of the salami, sausages and cheeses which I will often prepare for birthday parties.
7. This month is Earth Day, do you have any Green habits that you wish to share with our readers?
Before throwing things out, I will look at how to reuse them in different ways. For instance, I will cut up the used plastic mineral water bottles to contain the seeds for feeding my 2 lovebirds. The 1 litre bottles will be used for watering my plants.
