My name is Anna and I am Deaf. I was born in Russia and became an American Citizen shortly after I was adopted at the age of six. In 2021 I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Global Business Management. I recently completed my Masters degree in Strategic Communication.
I have many years of experience working at a variety of restaurants including high-end national industrial chains such as Steak ‘n Shake, P.F. Changs and the Cheesecake Factory. After those training/learning experiences I worked as a head chef and kitchen manager for two different locally owned bars in central New York state. The high-end restaurants taught me how to hold high standards in cleanliness, ingredient control and recipe standardization; the local establishments gave me the experience of being the sole chef serving hundreds of people in a single night. Those experiences also taught me that some people will disregard good advice, especially when it comes from a Deaf person.
All of this has lead me to the conclusion that I need to establish my own restaurant, hire Deaf and disabled workers and lead by example in how to improve communication and trust between Deaf and hearing people. Def burger is intended to help support other Deaf people who wish to work their way up to management or ownership positions, regardless of the business.
You can directly visit my blog at the following address: defburger.blogspot.com
I enjoy sharing my thoughts and questions with interested people so that we all can learn better how to navigate the business world with both Deaf and hearing participants. In our daily lives, Deaf people generally solve the communication problems that hearing people face when confronted with us. We teach signs, we provide pen and paper, we use our phones, we know the specialized technology and services that exist and we provide the necessary information to smooth out the communication “crisis” that so many hearing people imagine because they don't have experience working with us. In other words, Deaf people are constantly solving the problems that hearing/non-deaf people have in communicating with us.
All we ask is that you keep a positive attitude and an open mind and just focus on visual communication with us - you’ll be fine!
Look for the
Def burger Food Truck
Wed-Sat 6 pm - 10 pm
Sundays 1 - 7 pm
6501 Park Blvd
Pinellas Park, FL 33781
@ the Whiskey on Park
Fantastic Chefs
Chef Anna-Owner / Executive Chef