#MyNonCarletonFall: Alex Adamcyzk

What are you doing this fall?

This fall I am taking the term off (as I can graduate early) to intern at Dig Inn, a farm to table restaurant chain based in New York City. I am working with the marketing team at a pretty exciting, busy time as we are opening three new restaurants before the end of the year in Manhattan and Boston. The restaurant started in 2011 and has now expanded to 16 locations. 

How did you decide to do this internship?

I love the product! I first went to Dig Inn when it opened in Boston last summer and have been hooked ever since. Recently, I’ve also developed a love for clean interior design and brand aesthetics (think Aesop, Everlane, Away) and love how Dig Inn values this just as much as the local food we serve. Dig Inn’s internship program provides a more hands-on experience than most and I decided to pursue the opening after having a high school connection at the company. 

While I love Carleton in fall, my drive to graduate early and shift industries (I previously worked in finance), led me to take fall term off. I am excited to comps in the winter, take more art history courses, and play Frisbee when I return.

Tell me about the position

The marketing team handles everything in house from restaurant and menu design to letter boards and overall brand image. We also develop collaborations with like-minded companies to increase awareness and build our following. 

Right now we are gearing up for our largest restaurant opening in the ever-trendy SoHo area. To celebrate, we are curating a press dinner with NYC-based food and lifestyle influencers and teaming up with local businesses for direct consumer activations. 

I am most excited about catering and attending Chromat’s show at NYFW (New York Fashion Week) in September—a great benefit of working directly with clients and companies that I love and are aligned with our brand. 

Describe a day in the life! 

This week I am working on building relationships with businesses in SoHo for our opening (Glossier, Equinox, SoulCycle, PUBLIC, to name a few). Last Friday we had the photo shoot for our fall menu, which was pretty exciting—nothing like watching the design team expertly arrange flowers and Brussels sprouts on marble countertops. 

We are also spending time with our PR team at the Dig Inn farm (yes, Dig Inn owns a farm) in upstate New York.

What is your favorite thing about your job?

The opportunity to take an idea and run with it. I am only one week in, but love that I can organize brand activation strategies and make it happen. We also have a test kitchen at headquarters, so there is always amazing free food cooked daily. And going to NYFW. 

How did Carleton make your summer/fall possible? 

My contemporary art history classes with Ross Elfline have changed the way I want to pursue life, and now here we are in the city. I also externed with alum Liz Banse ’92 at Resource Media in Seattle my sophomore year and that experience proved critical to my current career path.