Larysa Fraifeld is the banquet captain at Radisson. She has held the position since November.
WHAT DOES A BANQUET CAPTAIN DO?
“I make sure the room is set for functions or meetings. I have to meet and talk with guests to make sure everything is fine. Maybe they want to make changes. I talk to the chef about the menu, make sure the food is ready and sometimes I work like a server for big functions or if a server is ill. In the summer, I do meals for the Jaguars during their training camp.”
HEROES COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES
Radisson’s 2001 Employee of the Year, Fraifeld won a 2002 Hospitality Hero award from the Convention & Visitors Bureau this month for customer service beyond the call of duty. “This is very important for me. I’m doing the best I can for our guests and the people who work for me. People come here to have a good time. I try to make sure they’re happy and want to come back.”
WHO DO YOU CONSIDER A HERO?
“My mother. I also want to be a hero for my family, my kids and my husband. I want to give them all my life, see my kids go to good universities, have good jobs and see them happy. I want them to say years from now that I’m their hero.”
LAND OF OPPORTUNITY
“When we [she and her family] came to the United States, we lived in New York. After visiting Florida, we made the decision to move here because it is better for the kids. I applied at the Radisson as a banquet server and was promoted [to her current post] from being a coffee break person. In my country, to have a job you have to be that nationality. You have to be Latvian to have a good job. Here, everybody is the same. When you’re smart and want to learn, they never ask who you are and where you’re from.” After holding a green card for four years, Fraifeld will be eligible to apply for citizenship in two years.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE U.S.?
“People here are more friendly. They smile all the time. In America, there is more of a future for us and the government cares more. This is a safer place for my kids. In my country, you don’t have school buses or special programs. There, homeless kids are everywhere. Nobody cares if they go to school.”
HOW WAS THE TRANSITION?
“I felt like I didn’t know anything. It [the Radisson] was busy, Christmas-time. I didn’t speak English. Nobody spoke Russian so I had to learn. I was like a baby who was just born. After the first couple of days, I cried all night because it was hard for me. I made mistakes and I didn’t understand. But I was a good worker and tried to do everything perfectly. I learned everyday how to do my job. My guests never complain.”
HOMELAND
“I was born in the Ukraine, but my husband is from Latvia. Latvia was part of Russia 12, 14 years ago. It was a little state in the Soviet Union close to the Baltic Sea. Now it’s like a small European country with its own culture.”
EDUCATION
Fraifeld studied electrical engineering at Chernigov High School but never pursued the career. Her diploma there is roughly equivalent to an associate’s degree here. “When I finished the university, I never worked because I got married and had a baby.”
FAMILY TIES
Jurij (pronounced your-e) is Fraifeld’s husband. They reside in Mandarin with their children, Andrew and Anna, who speaks four languages — Russian, Latvian, English and German. She is now in advanced classes in public schools. “Jurij was a Navy border guard in Russia. He finished the Naval University in Moscow. Now he wants to upgrade his diploma here.”
WHAT’S REWARDING ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“I like my job and I like having people around. Now I know exactly my place [in life]. Every day I like to see new people and new groups. Like psychology, I want to understand what they need or want. When I see I can make them happy, I feel good.”
WHAT’S CHALLENGING ABOUT IT?
“People who work with me, they have to work the same [as me]. It’s hard for me when a guest gets upset about little things from our workers.”
HOBBIES
Tennis is her passion; she plays every other day after work. Reading detective stories or tuning into the “X-Files” are her de-stressors. She also enjoys the classic film “Gone With The Wind” and Outback Steakhouse. Her favorite activity is going to Hanna Park to barbecue, swim and play volleyball on the beach with her family.
— by Monica Chamness