Jesse Aitken When he was a kid with his grandmother, Valencia resident Jesse Aitken got an impromptu tour of the kitchen at Ameci Pizza and Pasta to see how the pizzas were made. That attention he got touched him in a big way.  Many years later, Aitken, who works behind the meat and seafood counter at the Stevenson Ranch Ralphs, got to take part in a similar experience, but this time, he reversed roles.   “There’s this woman named Asha, and she has sons — little boys,” Aitken said during a telephone interview. “Her oldest, I believe, had some kind of autism. I’d say hi to him and talk to him. I’d show him the case and say, ‘This is what we sell here,’ and almost give him a little tour of the seafood department. They’d stand there and watch as I cut the fish — because she liked to order fried fish a lot when she would come in. It’s fun.”  Aitken added that he liked doing that because of the kind of impact the Ameci pizza guy had on him years earlier. He wanted to equally give someone else that kind of special treatment.   That’s Aitken. At 26 years old, the self-described old soul is a “people person” who goes out of his way to say hello to those who need it most, and everyone else, too.  “I’m all for the etiquette and respect and wanting to not live life purely for my own selfish interests, but to leave something behind that honestly is worth more than just money,” he said. “There’s a quote that says, ‘Some people are so poor — all they have is money.’ I really like that quote because it shows that there’s other wealth to be had in life.”  Aitken was born in Sherman Oaks. At 8 years old, his family moved to Valencia. He’s been there ever since. He received his high school diploma from Academy of the Canyons, a public middle college high school on the College of the Canyons campus.  “While I was in high school,” he said, “what was really cool about that program was we took college simultaneously. I never got a degree in anything. I was just focusing on general ed. But when I graduated, I needed money, and so, I went to Ralphs and they hired me. I’ve never looked back. I get a pretty good wage, and life’s been humming along just fine.”  Aitken started at Ralphs in 2016 as a bagger. He’d help out in other departments if asked. One day during his first year at the store, he was tasked with helping out behind the meat and seafood counter.   “It was Thanksgiving week,” he said. “The manager at the time came to me and said, ‘Jesse, we need help. Would you please switch over there and help us out?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, sure. Why not?’ I figured it was an adventure.”  Aitken went over, got to work, and he’s been there since. He enjoys the job and appreciates meeting and chatting with customers.   “Growing up, I was taught to be a friend to the friendless, to root for the underdog, to not join in with people who were making fun of somebody else — that kind of thing,” he said. “It just doesn’t hurt to reach out to people and give them a smile and remember their names and ask them how they’re doing. Because people need to love and be loved. And so, I go through life remembering that I need to treat others like I want to be treated.”  Valencia resident Jesse Aitken says he’s a “people person” who goes out of his way to say hello to those who need it most. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal Aitken is the guy who knows everyone’s name. Well, almost everyone, he clarified. But it’s not that he has a great memory, he said. He simply takes an interest in people.   Sometimes a name sticks in his head because of the energy a person might bring. One of his customers shares the name of the 1962 song by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, “Sherry,” and he and the customer will sing the song right there in the store.   Other times, Aitken will have to ask for a name again. It’s really that important to him.  “Something else I was taught by my family growing up was you always want to call people by their name because it makes them feel seen,” he said. “You’re humanizing them. You’re making them feel valued.”  It’s that kind of attention to people that moves so many regulars to the meat and seafood counter to seek out Aitken or wait specifically for him to take care of them.  “As you see these people more and more,” Aitken said, “you start to build a relationship with them. Eventually you talk about, say, your family or your job or something you did on vacation, and you get to know each other in that regard. It really becomes something to look forward to.”  One of Aitken’s co-workers, John Thomas, has noticed how well Aitken interacts with people. He said Aitken is a staple on the staff, someone who keeps a customer-first mindset, always going above and beyond to meet others’ needs.   “A lot of people may not realize the impact local businesses have on their community,” Thomas said. “Jesse has truly figured that out.”  Thomas added that Aitken is encouraging of others and available to support anyone when they need it. He’s like family to so many, Thomas said, in every way possible.  As for life goals — even career goals within Ralphs — Aitken is happy doing what he’s currently doing.  “A lot of people think, ‘Oh, my legacy is making a bunch of money, a big house, the stereotypical perfect family’ — that kind of thing,” Aitken said. “I more so want to make people’s lives a little better and a little sweeter than I found them.”  According to Aitken’s mother, Tamara Mitchin, that’s the essence of her son.  “He really does care about people,” she said. “He helps people. He’s personable, friendly, funny. He’s a great kid.”  She admitted, however, that he does sometimes have his bad days. She didn’t want to leave the impression that all is so perfect.  “When somebody like me is in a position like this,” she said, “they want to talk up somebody and make them seem like they’re so good. Jesse has his moments when he’s tired from work and doesn’t want to be bothered. It just seems to be few and far between when he’s not a happy-go-lucky/let-me-help-you-out kind of person.”  When Aitken is in that low place, though, he likes to go for walks — on the Valencia paseos around the neighborhood and through the community. He’ll regularly walk and talk with his older sister, Sarah Gullano.  Jesse Aitken says walks through his Valencia community to recharge and reset. “I’m able to be better for my family and better for the people around me,” he says. Habeba Mostafa/The Signal “Jesse and I are best friends, and have been for many years,” Gullano said. “We talk about religion, we talk about relationships, we talk about, you know, stuff going on at his job.”  Aitken said walking is a big way for him to recharge and reset. That’s important to him.  “I’m able to be better for my family and better for the people around me,” he said about the benefits of walking. And at the end of the day, he added, touching others’ lives is the thing that truly touches him.  Know any unsung heroes or people in the SCV with an interesting life story to tell? Email [email protected].  The post Faces of the SCV: One man’s life touches so many others appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.