Tonatzin Ogunleye (also known as T. to her friends and family) has been interning at The Companion Group since 2015. She’s helped almost every department, from sales to product development to creative, while also juggling coursework and extracurricular activities at Berkeley High School. Tonatzin graduated in June (Congrats, T.!) and will be attending San Francisco State University in the fall, where she’s considering studying dance and computer science.

Here at TCG’s offices, we celebrated Tonatzin’s graduation with sprinkle-covered cake and two kinds of berry pie. We sat down with Tonatzin recently to chat about her time at TCG, getting ready for college in the fall, and our favorite subject: pizza.

What does TCG’s culture mean to you?

Family, teamwork and communication. I’ve learned from all of you how to communicate better, even more than I have in school.

You’ve worked with people in a bunch of departments. What have you learned from each of them?

It’s cool to watch the product development guys and learn how they think. I also did a lot of recipe testing with Nick [former culinary manager], which involved experimentation. The plank recipe book was really complicated. It was hard to do, but really fun. We also made pizza with roasted squash sauce, mozzarella, spicy Italian sausage, lamb sausage and pomegranate seeds. That was complicated, but we figured out the right balance eventually.

Also, when I first had to learn how to use Adagio [internal software system], I surprised myself. I didn’t think I could learn how to use it quickly, but I did.

What accomplishment in your time at TCG are you most proud of?

I’m proud of the sample room [a room full of TCG items]. Before it was really messy and I think I tackled it and made it better. It’s more organized now.

T.’s hands show up in several product images like this one. She helped out so much with cooking and testing new products!

What’s an important lesson you’ve learned in your time at TCG?

To not give up. Working with Nick taught me that it’s OK to make mistakes when cooking. Mistakes can be good at times.

What’s your favorite TCG product and why?

I have so many. The Hasselback Potato Rack for sure. It’s easy to use and makes good potatoes.

Name a couple of dishes you love to make at home.

Enchiladas, noodles and green smoothies. No one can cook noodles like me. I make smoothies for my mom because she feels better when she drinks them. I also made baba ghanoush at home after making it here for one of the cookbooks.

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Red enchiladas.

What would you never put on a pizza?

Macaroni, popcorn, peanut butter, or marshmallows. I know some people like to do the sweet-and savory-thing, but I would never put marshmallows on pizza.

Tell us a little about your plans for the fall.

I’ll be studying dance and computer science. I really love dance. Also, we live in a very techie world and I think it’s important to learn those skills.

We’re sure Tonatzin will be busy in the fall but we’re excited for her and hope to see her around the office!

Daniel Replogle

Daniel does business development and marketing at The Companion Group. When he isn’t writing you can find him rock climbing or doing ceramic artwork.