Background

Darlene has a lifetime of experience in the food industry and started out working in a deli at 12 years old! From there she worked in her dad’s deli. At the age of 20 she was driving past the newly opened Market Basket in Franklin Lakes and decided to stop in. She went up to the first person she saw who happened to be Market Baskets founder, Tony Chernalis. She asked if he was hiring, and he told her to start the very next day. Darlene joined our Market Basket family in 1989 and has been with us for 35 years!

“I am very dedicated to my job,” Darlene says. “I still love my job even after 35 years. Market Basket is always about the customer and making them happy and I enjoy making products to perfection for them.” Darlene is a master of all trades and departments here in our store. She started out in catering making the sandwich platters, then she moved onto working in our deli department. She has worked in our kitchen, bakery department, and is now full-time helping lead a production team at our commissary kitchen.

Expertise

We make all of our products in-house and Darlene helps ensure that they are prepared to perfection. She started out making our specialty homemade breads and toasts and expanded her range of products from there. “Not many people know about our specialty homemade toasts, breads and crisps,” she says. “We have so many delicious items we make from scratch ourselves like our Asiago and semolina crisps, sourdough cheddar, rosemary ciabatta crisps and more.”

Darlene also designs the layout and packages the butter and Italian cookie trays. She makes the cheese trays, packages our candy, nuts, our store-made Jazzy Salt, seasoning blends and even has made our hand-dipped chocolate covered strawberries to name a few!

“I am always full of energy and never stop being active,” she says. “I am also 3 years cancer free, and nothing can stop me.” Being a lifetime employee of Market Basket Darlene has a multitude of memories to share. Some of her favorite stories include working during the blizzard of 1996 and preparing 40 breakfast specials with Tony Chernalis for PSEG workers helping out in the storm. “I am grateful for Tony,” she says. “Market Basket truly would not be the way it is without him. We all worked hard but we loved what we did.”

Favorite Part Working at Market Basket

Darlene says her favorite part about working at Market Basket is always having her Market Basket family to go to every day. She is an expert at her craft and loves to showcase that to others. “I enjoy making great things for the customers and have Market Basket be proud of the work that I do. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else after all these years.”