RICHMOND, Va. — A Richmond restaurant worker who started as a breakfast cook and worked his way up through every department at The Smoky Mug has been recognized for his exceptional work ethic and positivity.
Ingram Barnett, a do-it-all employee at The Smoky Mug on Richmond's Northside, was surprised with an honor from the "Eat It, Virginia" podcast and CBS 6 as part of the CBS 6 Month of Giving.
This recognition highlights hard-working members of the hospitality community who might not normally receive the spotlight.
"Eat It, Virginia" hosts Scott Wise and Robey Martin contacted recent podcast guests to compile a list of deserving candidates, and Ingram's name quickly rose to the top.
"Ingram is one of our hardest workers," said Ryan Maynes, pit master at The Smoky Mug. "He started out working breakfast grill. Now he is pretty much bartending. I trained him in the smokehouse. You name it. He can do it."
Maynes and his team nominated Ingram not just for his work ethic, but also for his attitude.
"He's always interested in learning new things. He's got a smile on his face all the time. He's just a hard working, dedicated, loyal individual. And it's awesome that we're honoring him this way," Maynes said.
Restaurant manager Austyn Pedersen praised Ingram's ability to step in wherever needed.
"[He will] throw himself at anything that might be the pinch point of the bottleneck, he's just gonna alleviate it for you," Pedersen said. "The minute we opened this location, it just boomed, right? Like 1,000 people came in the first day, and we just suddenly needed more people to hurry up and throw themselves at stuff. And he's done more than that. He can do everything at the restaurant now."
Restaurant manager Caitlin Ventura shared a story about hiring Ingram when Smoky Mug owner Dan Lee scheduled the job interview for 6 a.m.
Ingram arrived early to the interview.
"He was so bright eyed and bushy tailed that I was like, this is this is strange. Nobody's that happy that early in the morning," Ventura said. "He [was later voted] best employee by a staff of 20-some. He started out as a line cook, and he has moved his way to every single little department of this business."
Shift lead and Smoky Mug barista Bou Zimtseme described Ingram's willingness to help throughout the restaurant.
"Ingram is always willing to help out in any area the restaurant. He always jumps in without even asking. He's willing to be trained in all the different spaces and areas, and he always does it with a smile on his face," Zimtseme said. "I always have fun when I see Ingram on the schedule, we like to joke, and I always like to make sure I've got his drink [a large iced vanilla latte with whole milk] ready to go in the morning. So he's super peppy, hyped up."
Zimtseme said she was excited for Ingram to get this honor.
"You are literally a rock star, King-gram," Zimtseme said. "Thank you so much for everything that you do. Always be willing to step in and help in any way you can. Love you."
Ingram took a quick break from his kitchen duties and was surprised with a small token of appreciation from "Eat It, Virginia" and CBS 6.
"We've heard all about you. We're really excited to meet you," Robey said as a surprised Ingram emerged from The Smoky Mug kitchen.
Ingram said his time at Smoky Mug has been inspiring.
"I just moved to the neighborhood when I first came here, didn't really have much direction, so they kind of, like, helped me grow an aspect of, like, putting back confidence and stuff, because it was like, just starting over from nothing," he said.
Ingram's coworkers and even some Smoky Mug customers broke out into applause as Scott and Robey handed over the gift.
"Thank you, I appreciate it," Ingram said before retreating back to the kitchen so he would not cry on camera.
The CBS 6 Month of Giving made possible by Virginia Credit Union is underway. Watch for a new surprise every day in December on CBS 6 News. Have an idea about who we should surprise next, click here to email our team.
