On the Chopping Block: Keeping it Real!

This little guy has changed my world! Here we are at work paying the bills for the week. I have the luxury of owning my own business so I can bring my little guy to work which is great but has it's drawbacks as well. What used to take me 2 hours now takes twice as long. We are making it work but man is life different.

I've owned my Café for 7 years now, and it has been a crazy journey filled with great stories and people. I've always said if I would just write this shit down people might get a kick out of the stuff my staff, friends, and I deal with everyday in this service industry. We are constantly laughing and bitching in the kitchen about stuff that happens out on the floor. I'm a chef because I'm not good at faking it like servers and bartenders. Anyone that knows me at all knows that. May be a downfall for being in this industry but at least I'm honest. Funny quote from one of my kitchen kids recently I said "I need to learn to stop swearing" (we kitchen folk use the "f" word about every other word, not cause we are angry all the time either, please don't get that impression) response from my kitchen kid was "it is a proven fact that people that swear a lot are smarter and more honest!"

My response "well I must be a f-ing genius!!" Just kidding! I own a restaurant I'm far from a genius. This then takes me to a conversation I had last night with a dear chef friend he said to me " Jodi I have enough money saved do I travel for 2 years or buy the place I'm working at?" I said "you travel man, you are 50 years old and owned places before. Go see the world! Do for you for once!"

Now don't get me wrong you're probably thinking to yourself, Jodi it was always your dream to own a place why would you discourage someone from the same thing you are doing. Well this particular chef has done what i'm doing has been married, raised his kids, and spent 30 plus years of his life at the mercy of the public. We work weekends, holidays, late nights (mind you I'm not complaining about that at all I enjoy what I do) I guess where i'm going with this is we are under the chopping block 24/7 in our industry. In our conversation last night this chef said to my assistant, "You know nothing is a guaranty in this industry right? It could all be over tomorrow."

That is the reality that drives us to constantly be better than we were the day before but it is also what takes a toll on our creative souls. One day you are on a top, and the next, the next new up and comer has stolen your place. Or you can have a night of everyone raving about what you created and are savoring every bite and one person in your dining room wants to pick apart a dish you just spent 6 hours preparing before dinner service. Chefs are said to have big egos, I guess but maybe we are much more fragile than people think because we are "On the Chopping Block" every night of the week!