Gosh it’s been a while since we did one of these. But we now have so many lovely staff that it seems a shame not to introduce them…
Maya is one of our senior staff and has been with us for aaaages (well, from two years pre-lockdown at least – and that does seems eons ago, right?). She is terrifyingly capable, which is astonishing as she is actually an artist/Camberwell Art College Graduate: no disrespect intended to all you artist types out there but art and efficiency don’t always go hand in hand. She’s a great team player(and has been a valuable member of Team Persepolis on our last two charity challenges), (nearly always) smiley, and one of the few members of staff who can actually give Mrs. Shopkeeper a night off.
Often to be Found: Hiding behind the bar (there are two types of Persepolis wait drones: those who like doing the bar, and those who don’t: Maya is definitely the former). On the terrace pretending not to look as if she is about to have a snooze. On the terrace having a snooze. Behind the counter texting her former-Persepolis-employee boyfriend surreptitiously (one of our first true Persepolis love matches we’ll have you know).
Favourite Persepolis Menu Items: Menemen and devilled halloumi and baghali pulao (rice with broad beans).
What to say to her: Just love the paintings in the loo…
Best not say: Is your Mum here today? (Amazing the number of customers who assume that all of our younger staff are Mrs. Shopkeeper’s children, regardless of patently obvious evidence to the contrary); Have you got room for a party of six with six pushchairs?…
Potted CV: Maya is a really talented artist. We do like to support all of our art student employees (of which – inevitably given our location – we have quite a few), but her stuff is genuinely impressive. TO the extent that she has decorated both of our shiny new ground floor loos and Mrs. S. (who is admittedly a sucker for art) has purchased one of her paintings. She is currently working on her portfolio (actually not a euphemism) and we expect grand things of her. Although work at Persepolis should obviously take precedence. No-one ever leaves Persepolis you know – they try, but they always come back…
PS: Maya 2? This in no way indicates rank or preference – she was simply the second Maya on our rota at the time and the name stuck…