By Lexi MooreAll jobs come with some kind of perk, and if it’s a good job it comes with several perks.For instance, employees working for major corporations tend to get free promotional material. It might be a free shirt or pen or maybe even tickets to an event the corporation is sponsoring. Employees of smaller businesses usually come out with flexible vacation and family time.Nearly two years ago when I took my job at Tollefson Publishing, the company that prints the Crescent, Star Herald and Announcer, I was aware of some of the perks I would be getting.In fact, the perks are what made it easy to decide to take the job in the first place.Due to my part-time status at the paper, I knew the hours I would have to spend behind a desk in an office would be few. I was also aware that this would keep me at home for the majority of the week. Yes, I would have to do writing, meet with residents for interviews and answer phones calls, but the job gives me the luxury of doing that from the comforts of my house.Another obvious perk was getting to mix and mingle with the people of the community. As a new-comer to an area where everyone seems to know everyone else, I figured working for the paper would be a great avenue for learning names, stories and faces of those around me. So far, it has worked. I have many more people to meet, but I would not know as many around here if it weren’t for my job.Months into being employed by Tollefson, I started to notice a pretty big additional perk, one that hadn’t played into my decision to take the job.It came by way of an area called the "snack court." Nearly every Thursday when I arrive at work there is a sweet aroma wandering through the halls. Sometimes I can smell hints of chocolate or berries but most of the time it just smells sweet.Co-workers continue to arrive throughout the early hours of the workday. Inevitably around 9:30 someone says, "So what did Gayle bring in today?"Gayle Beers, the Tollefson typesetter, is like the grandmother everyone wants, and apparently long ago she started the unofficial tradition of filling the staff with homemade treats.The curious or hungry employee finds the pan containing the goodies and opens it, giving every nose in the building a better idea of what sugary treasure is awaiting them.I sit about 10 feet from the food court, which gives my nose an extra strong smell and my ears a chance to hear the "oohs" and "aahs" of happy co-workers.It is rare that we ever see a baked good more than once. Gayle usually makes something, takes the compliments with a smile on her face and moves on to a new recipe the next week … unless it is someone’s favorite. In those instances, I believe she takes notes, because once you say, "That is so good, and it has got to be my favorite," it somehow makes a return appearance around that employee’s birthday.I am a big fan of an ice cream cake Gayle makes using ice cream sandwiches, and without ever having to ask, it has somehow appeared at the food court for both my 27th and 28th birthdays.As the typesetter, Gayle is in charge of typing the "Cooking with the Crescent" column in this paper. But in fact she does much more than just type the recipes. She actually selects them week after week, and often it is from those very recipes that she draws her inspirations for our Thursday snacks.Her grandmotherly instincts are so acute that she knows the likes and dislikes of the employees at the paper. For instance, she takes the time to make special portions for those of us who do not like the crunch of nuts in our baked goods. And if coconut is called for, she is sure to inform those who favor it and those who dislike it. She evens thinks of the dieters by often including fruit in recipes. After all, a few sugar-coated berries and some whipped cream cover two food groups.Gayle’s treats are definitely a perk of working at the paper. Not many offices have their own resident Betty Crocker, who without complaint or request manages to put sugary smiles on the faces of those around her every week. Story ideas or comments can be e-mailed to Lexi Moore at mailto:lexim@star-herald.com or called in at 962-3561.