Left Hand Laurel: The Pancake Master

You may know Seth Steele as the guy who cuts your turkey slices and pork-based needs at the Niwot Market-the same guy who's been a part of the family business since high school and has worked his way up from the produce aisle to becoming the manager of the meat department.

Or you may think of him as the son of Bert Steele, owner of the Niwot Market, or the brother of Alison Steele, who coordinates volunteers for the Niwot Business Association (NBA) while also working at the Niwot Market.

But did you know that Seth Steele is also a diligent volunteer, often working behind the scenes? Over the years, Steele has become an excellent chef, and people come to him all the time to prepare meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Over time, more and more people have asked him to prepare meals at charity events.

"Lots of people come to me when they have special projects," Steele said. "I'm pretty involved with the pancake breakfast for the Easter and 4th of July celebration events. I'm also involved in the lobster festival. And whenever the Niwot Business Association is hosting some kind of event-I'm always their go-to guy. I've always been involved in these kinds of things. I can't remember a time when I didn't help organize the pancake breakfast."

As someone who's been working at Niwot Market for 20 years, Steele is proud of the positive impact he's had on the community. "I'm very lucky to be in a position to help the town and use my skills to do that," he said. "It's very humbling, you know. At the 4th of July event, for example, I get to serve about 800 people and it's great to see how happy they all are from eating my pancakes. I want to continue participating in these kinds of festivities in the future."

For his volunteer efforts in the Niwot Community, Seth Steele is the Left Hand Laurel recipient for July.