People of Pluckers: Rebecca Houston

"As a child I always wanted to help kids that were in similar situations as myself, I wanted them to feel like they could confide in me the way I did with a teacher. My goal was to teach children both inside and outside of the classroom. I am now a full time 3rd grade teacher with KIPP Houston Public Schools as well as a full time graduate student. Oddly, Pluckers fits into my schedule perfectly as I am a workaholic and hate being bored. Working as a trainer you face many of the same challenges that I do within the classroom, like how to clearly communicate things with different people. Both of my jobs allow me to interact with others and show my goofy side as well as educate those around me."

People of Pluckers: Whitney Curry

"I started with Pluckers almost 7 years ago as a server but moved to the kitchen because food has always been my passion. I've been in a kitchen with my mom and grandmothers for as long as I can remember. Cooking is my love language, it’s how I take care of people. Working in a kitchen is also a huge stress reliever for me, there's something so therapeutic and gratifying about cooking something people love and seeing them happy because of it. I read a lot and it is fun finding different things to make and trying out new forms of cooking. Pluckers has given me an opportunity to be a part of something much bigger than just cooking for people. While opening stores I'm more of a behind the scenes person but it's a good feeling knowing I've put together a well-run kitchen and helped be a part of their success."

People of Pluckers: Juan Quintero

Working at Pluckers as a vegan raises a lot of eyebrows for a lot of people. When I first became vegan I changed as a person. For one, I dropped 45lbs but I also noticed a lot of things in my body were feeling better that I hadn’t realized felt bad in the first place. With the ingredients we have at Pluckers I’ve learned to make a lot of weird dishes through modifications. I’ve had employees try to go vegan, although it is not for everyone I’ve seen people do meatless Mondays or try to cut back the meat in their diet. I think seeing me work at Pluckers these past few years has made people realize that it is not impossible to be vegan.

People of Pluckers: Nic Hawk

"Being on The Voice was one of the most stressful situations I will ever be in. I lived in Los Angeles for a little bit after the show ended and the more time I spent there the more I realized the show taught me a lot about what I want in life. I don’t necessarily need to be Beyoncé, I just want to be successful enough that I have everything I need in life. Right now I am focusing on family, me, and my fiancé. We are getting married in March, and working for Pluckers allows me to save extra money in between singing gigs. After being on national television, I learned that any job you have is about selling yourself. You want to sell where these guests are eating, and Pluckers is a restaurant I can really get behind. I think that is what makes me stay, I came into work today and I saw that I was working with people that I genuinely enjoy spending time around."

People of Pluckers: Ashley Parraz

People of Pluckers: Ashley Parraz



"In January 2012 I got in a very bad car accident where I was extremely lucky to be alive, I broke both legs and shattered my heel/ankle. Not being able to walk I had to move back home to El Paso after moving to Austin and beginning my work at Pluckers back in 2007. Pluckers always told me I had a job when I came back and throughout my recovery my GM would continue to send me shift notes, and keep me in the loop at all times. As hard as it was I pushed myself to walk again as my goal was to get back to Pluckers. If it wasn’t for the care of Pluckers I probably would not have moved back to Austin but I’m glad I did as I met my girlfriend Kim and continued to move up within the company. From not being able to walk to where I am now it amazes me how far I’ve been able to get and I owe a lot of my success to Pluckers for always pushing me."