A Tinian Dynasty success story

A young man with no clear idea of what he wanted to do as a career has developed a passion for baking! His favorite is baking bread—all kinds of bread!

“I love it when I get good compliments…that the pastries I baked were delicious. It’s the ultimate compliment that one looks forward to for inspiration and building self-confidence.”

Jonathan Atalig graduated from Tinian High School in May 2008 and was eagerly looking forward to a long break. Four months later, he was ready to do something.

However, he was not sure what he wanted to do. A job search with the CNMI government gave him very little options and so he turned his eye to the private sector, the Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino in particular. He submitted an application for a security officer with a second choice of kitchen helper. Tinian Dynasty hotel general manager Tom Liu and Executive Chef Gladwin from Malaysia interviewed Atalig and on Dec. 1, 2008, his journey with Tinian Dynasty took its first step. He was offered the position of a kitchen helper and he quickly accepted.

“At first, I was very scared because Chef Gladwin has a very firm voice with a very strong sense of presence. He was strict and would not tolerate too much mistakes. He was more like a strict parent that wanted the best for his child and I really learned a lot from him. He was a good trainer and mentor.”

Atalig was under close supervision during his initial training of three months. By the end of his sixth month, Gladwin was comfortable enough to allow Atalig to work on his own, with little supervision.

Another significant mentor for Jonathan was Peter Capungan who trained him in bread-making, which became Jonathan’s passion. Capungan trained Atalig for one year before he was transferred to another restaurant and eventually saw his departure out of the CNMI.

Atalig feels more confident now but is still fearful of making mistakes.

“I am still developing a ‘steady hand’ that one must have for writing messages on the cakes. My experience has taught me to develop the virtue of patience and that I am learning every day about presentation where the opportunities for creativity are endless.

He also finds working with chocolate fun and offers endless opportunities for growth.

“I found my co-workers to be supportive, fun and easy to get along with. There is a sense of family, a second family with a lot of trust. This is the very core of our success.”

Atalig is now a Demi Chef and hopes to go to a trade school with a focus on baking and that “one day I will build my own pastry shop…that’s my dream.”

Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino wants to make this dream a reality for Atalig and will continue the journey of training, mentoring and providing the supportive environment for him to make that dream come true.

“This is one of the roles of Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino in terms of partnership with the community of Tinian and the CNMI—developing the economy that is mutually beneficial,” said hotel GM Liu.