2.01.2008

About Me


I grew up in a hotel restaurant family. I started visiting my mom's resort hotel during summer vacations and parent teacher days. Driving around the PGA golf course in my cart, trying not to run Lee Trevino down, when I was still in elementary school. This progressed to me working at that same resort when I was a teenager, and then deciding I would go to culinary school myself.

My parents were very set against that, as they figured they could teach me the family business for free, and felt that I should spend my college years learning and reading about other topics to expand my horizons. So I did. 2 years as a declared English major, reading as many prominent authors as I could, while working on my writing skills. Followed by 2 years as a declared History major. My parent's were so glad to have a college graduate in the family. Until I promptly told them, I was going into the restaurant industry as my career.

So 18 years ago, it was the school of hard knocks for me. I knocked on back doors, I talked with chefs in the Philadelphia restaurant scene, I said I was willing to do anything. And I did do just about anything. Busser, host, cocktail server, baker, cashier, dishwasher, mini bar attendant, banquet waitress, you name it, I think I did it. Finally, one chef, of an expensive, highly rated, Continental fine dining establishment took a shine to me. He had graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, and worked as Executive Chef for 4 Diamond rated resorts in Hawaii for most of his career, transplanting to Philadelphia for family reasons. He paid me a salary to learn how to cook. And taught, cajoled, and harassed me till my skill set was where he wanted it.

I continued to work fine dining for a few years until I heard the call of the beach, and I was off to Virginia Beach, Va. Sand at my door step, sea gulls over head, and Chain Restaurant Hell in the local classifieds. So I switched directions and went to work for one of them. Small scale, $40,000 a week in sales. But I was willing to travel, work in good locations, poor locations, move, move, move. Then the next chain, bigger, $120,000 in sales per week, move here, move there, help this location, help that location. Then a new chain, $175,000 per week. Then another. $250,000/week. A Mexican restaurant, a seafood restaurant, a sushi bar, a country inn, a Disney themed megabox restaurant, a sports restaurant....on and on and on.

Then my friend who I'd known since Day 1 of kindergarten decided she had experienced enough. Suicide. My world came crashing down. For 4 months I walked thru a fog that never lifted. Doing my job, every day smiling. Every day, going home in tears. What on earth am I doing? Is this what it's all about? The simple answer is no. And my boss at the time was a real ass to boot. So I quit.

I feel like I did nothing but think for 3 months. And then it hit me. Only do what you absolutely love, or don't do it at all. Be happy each day to get out of bed, or just don't bother. Teach others what you know, develop whomever you can, create a legacy if you are lucky, enjoy your customers.

It's had its ups and downs in the two years since. Digging yet another restaurant out of the hole it was in. Developing a mentoring atmosphere. Being tough, yes. Getting results, absolutely. When I started on this newest job, someone told me I should keep a diary. I am really terrible at daily writing. But I've made some notes along the way. The incidents that were amusing eventually made it into two blogs on other sites. The incidents that weren't so amusing, made their way onto employees disciplinary paperwork. Regardless I'm currently working on pulling them together onto this site. It's still in its infancy. But as I pull more resources and experience new adventures in dealing with customers, products, employees, and vendors, it will make its way onto my blog. I try to make my blog engaging and bring you into the moment that I and my staff experienced each and every day. Mostly with humor, because, how else can we make it through each day?