Tales From an Urban Chef

I was reflecting today on the anniversary of my dad’s death. It’s been fourteen years already. It reminds me of the Green Day song “Wake Me Up When September Ends.”

Truer words couldn’t have spoken. It’s been a pretty shitty start to the month. Remembering my dad, who I miss terribly. A battery of cardiac tests that I had to have done because of noticeable arrhythmia. A family member struggling mentally and emotionally and the endless search for employment in an ageist hamlet of only eight thousand people. The struggle has been real.

I even tried my hand at being an apprentice at a print shop. It turns out I am NOT a sponge for verbal abuse after all and to be perfectly honest, that industry bored the fuck out of me. I actually don’t give two shits about paper thickness or what laminaters do. What I really wanted was cook.

It took me a hard minute to understand that. I was getting up in years as a chef, and everything hurt  when I moved and I thought I was done with it all.

Then, add the new paradigm of ghosting applicants, and I was like fuck it! I’m finished!

Then my wife started tossing Craigslist ads in my direction. They weren’t chef jobs in the classic sense. They were small, part-time gigs where I could still be active in the culinary scene, but the daily grind of running kitchens was completely absent.

She sent me a listing for a small boutique winery in Stockton, New Jersey. They were seeking part-time kitchen help. It was just a couple of days a week prepping and assembling charcuterie and meddiranean boards for folks to enjoy while wine tasting.

I thought, why not? I can go in, make some extra cash, keep it simple, and it would be a great way to get my ass off the couch, so I sent in my resume. 

The owner of the winery called and we had a quick chat to introduce ourselves. I planned on taking a quick trip to the winery to see the set up and meet her on person. 

The winery was beautiful, well kept, and they spared no expense. I was directed towards the kitchen where the owner was prepping for a upcoming party. 

What I saw blew my mind. An entire, brand new kitchen, all new appliances like I’ve not experienced in decades. They are on hold to fire everything up until a commercial grease trap is installed. The owner made is crystal clear that she thought I was overqualified but as a chef of thirty five years, who has opened four restaurants in San Francisco, I immediately thought of the potential to evolve her menu into something significant.

She seemed extremely excited to hear some of my ideas, and even though I’m just tossing together a few items in the beginning, I’m positive I’ll be able to assist them in developing a great menu that will set them apart from all the other wineries.

September started out like doing the back stroke through the waters of hell, but all my cardiac tests came back negative. My heart condition actually improved in the last five years, and I just landed a job while having great thoughts about my dad. Today has been a great day.