BY RYAN O'CONNOR

Arielle Turcotte, who plans to pursue culinary arts in college, found the perfect opportunity to gain much needed experience with food preparation and cooking at Page’s Country Store in Dunbarton.

Turcotte, 18, of Weare, attends Bishop Brady High School in Concord, from which she will graduate this June. Still, she finds the time to work four to five days per week during the school year, something she said can be tough.

“I need the money for college and I needed the experience for culinary arts school, so I just try to get as much homework as I can done during the day,” she said. “I really like it here. It’s really hard sometimes, but it’s a lot of fun and it’s a really laid back environment.”

Along with working the register at times, Turcotte spends much of her working hours behind the deli and making pizzas.

It was Turcotte’s father, recognizing her desire to work with food, who set up the job opportunity with David Barkie, owner of Page’s Country Store, roughly six months ago.

Barkie, who hires many employees Turcotte’s age, said she has been a breath of fresh air, maturity-wise, compared to the dozens of other high school students he has hired over the years.

“I think she does a great job and she has caught on very quickly,” said Barkie. “She is very quality oriented with food preparation and making sure things are measured right, that kind of stuff.

“Her work ethic is exceptional,” he continued. “She values her job and understands the importance and responsibility of working here every day. She has really been a great influence to some of the younger kids who work here.”