So, I've been pondering this post all day, as in what to write about. First of all, I hope everyone is enjoying their Labor Day, even if you are one of the several who have to labor on this day. As you may know if you have read this blog before, I have not labored for several months. (I will most likely never go into labor.) Anyway, there are a lot of you who have welcomed this weekend and needed the rest. Especially with this high unemployment rate, those of you who are working are most likely working harder to make up for the work that those of us would be doing if the economy weren't in the shitter and we were not unemployed.
Anyway, I think I will babble on about my employment history. That sounds exciting! I think I'll just write until I feel like stopping. If I write about every job it will be a pretty lengthy post.
So, my first job was cleaning my mom's office. That was a sweet job. It was a lot of money for a kid. I was urged to save most of it, which I dutifully did, with the exception of buying a cassette tape or two every week.
My next paid job was not until several years later, in Boston. I worked at Ben N Jerry's. The running joke at my university was that all us grad students worked at coffee shops and ice cream shops, although, I was the only one I knew who didn't have a professional job. This place was a great job! I mean, the boss pretty much worked in the morning, then the college kid took over around 12pm - 6pm, then another kid came in some time in the afternoon and closed. So, there was minimal supervision. The boss totally trusted one college kid to train another college kid to eventually leave on his or her own to handle money and close. I was writing the schedule after a couple months there. The girl who was writing the schedule had quit, and none of the guys who had been there longer wanted to write the schedule. So, it was the day before the next week, so I had to start writing it in order to know when I was working. And, we could eat all the product we wanted. I was eating a cone, a shake or a sundae every single day. Later on, when the FP started working there with me, we learned that we could make alcoholic shakes while closing, that way we could get a head start on the drinking before we hit the club.
Towards the end of my time in Boston, I got a part time job at the Sam Adams Brewery. That job really was very part time, but it was also a great job. I ran the gift shop. The brewery was only opened for scheduled tours, and the gift shop was positioned at the end of the tour. So I only had a few hours in which I had to sell things. The other hour or two was stocking and doing inventory. Most everyone there was laid back and they all loved beer. This was my introduction to real beer. And really the best part about it was that I got two cases of beer a month. If there was expired beer, which was still drinkable, I could take one or two cases of those as well. And of course, employees had pretty much unlimited access to the taps in the tasting room. My friends came to the brewery twice, and we hung out for hours after the place closed drinking the free flowing beer. What a fun job!
My first job in New Orleans was at a business on Metairie road with later was torn down and relocated. Coffee Cottage. It was a coffee shop which also served food. The vibe at this place was weird. I was originally impressed with the owner because he graduated from the CIA. He was creepy, though. And I guess they used cake mix for the cakes! Only college girls, mostly pretty ones, worked there. And he had cameras all over the place. He allegedly locked himself in the office all day long and viewed all the footage from the cameras. I believe he also made lots of dirty comments to the girls who had been there for a long time. Gross. But, I had some fun nights there. Like the one time this girl was talking about rough sex with her boyfriend. She didn't know there was this old couple in the restaurant, and she was talking very loudly. That was funny.
Next job, Spice Inc. Another beloved job, with an amazing chef owner. I got to work there when we opened. It was such a great concept, so ahead of it's time! Before we opened we had orientation and we tasted teas, olive oils, vinegar, and other stuff. This was my introduction to quality ingredients. And also to really good gourmet deli food and desserts. Unfortunately, this place didn't last as long as it should have. In the early days of the opening, it was like a big party. There were way too many employees on each shift, so we spent a lot of time getting to know each other. One of the best parts was closing, doling out the leftover sandwiches (these sandwiches were so delicious) and the leftover tortilla espanol. This was my first taste of tortilla espanol, and I wanted to eat it every day. On nights when there was none left I was always so bummed! Anyway, even if there were no leftovers to take home, the employee discount seemed to be pretty generous, so we always had that.
The job that I left Spice Inc for was the most influential job of my life, to this day. Vega. This was my first kitchen job. I started on pantry, and I must say, this is probably the most difficult pantry station I've encountered to date. There were so many items on pantry! I admit, I just didn't start the job and master it right away. It was difficult. And the place was so busy! I had lots of work related nightmares there! But, my boss was amazing. She encouraged me to develop as a chef. Over the years, I moved up, and when I left, my title was sous chef. Besides my boss, I met so many amazing coworkers over the years - people who have become lifelong friends. And the Christmas parties were always memorable. My boss always wanted one to be better than the last. So many memories there, good and bad.
Windsor Court. I did an externship there one summer in the pastry department. It was a good chance to work in an area I didn't have experience in. It was interesting to work in an upper echelon fine dining establishment. I kind of had an opportunity to stay on and move to the hotline, but I was kind of scared and I didn't stay.
Cafe Negril. Oh Chef Palmer. I miss your soulful food. I didn't cook there, though, I was a waitress. One of my first days there, I watched a fight between Palmer and the owner, because Palmer had left his weed in the freezer, and the owner had thrown it out or given it away - probably to be a dick. That was a fun job, but I made less and less money the more I worked there. Also, the owners, while entertaining, were scary. One owner told me I was going to have to eventually drop off the deposit, and that would mean I would have to learn to shoot a gun and carry one. In New Orleans. No fucking way. They would get shitfaced, and by the end of the night, the one owner would be accusing us of stealing money, all the while pushing drink after drink on us and trying to hit on one waitress or another.
Herbsaint. Amazing restaurant. I did horribly there. I couldn't hack it in that tiny testosterone filled kitchen.
Whole Foods. Fun fun job. Prepping shit all day, watching the customers walk by, answering their questions. Eating my discount yogurt on my lunch break. My sis worked there before me, so went I started, she got like a $100 referral bonus. And some people from different departments would often go to the bar across the street after work and have drinks. And somehow, we always got our surplus bonus every month. I got in trouble during Mardi Gras though. I didn't realize I was supposed to go in 2 hours early to open. I showed up wasted. I got in trouble. I had to make 150 pounds of different chicken salads, which made me want to throw up. The chef let all the boys go home early, and I had to stay til close all by myself.
The Delachaise. I loved getting to do whatever the fuck I wanted, foodwise. I'm sure some of it bombed, but it was like my own laboratory, to experiment with whatever ingredients I could get in small enough quantities. As far as budget and stuff, I reported to my bosses. My dramatic drinking bosses. But, I got to make anything I wanted. I had access to whatever I felt like drinking - on the clock. I didn't really get paid much, but what a fun job that was. Especially during Mardi Gras, watching all the parades go by.
And Mango House. Such great food. Caribbean yumminess. I loved almost everything on the menu. Fun place, cool people, great cocktails! Dirty little old shack though. My sis also worked with me here, although this time, I started first, without a referral bonus. But, I had a great boss who trusted me to run the place when she wasn't there - boy, what was she thinking?! Anyway, I worked there until Katrina. My one gripe was that we had to pay for Christmas party. My boss had hired her friend to cater it, kind of as a favor to him, and so that none of us had to cook. But I like cooking for parties. And I didn't want to pay someone to do it for me. And, his gumbo wasn't that good. He ended up working there for a while, and he was a cool guy, but I kinda always begrudged him that expensive gumbo!
I'm going to stop here. I kinda wrote a little about some jobs here in San Diego in a previous blog. Plus, I don't feel like writing anymore, as you probably don't feel like reading any more if you've actually read this whole thing! And anyway, how much can one go on about themselves anyway? Blah, blah blabbity blah.
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