Another Anniversary

No, not the 15th of The Fieldston, but the 9th since I stepped through the swinging door, got hit on the way in and decided to assume the culinary responsibilities of the restaurant. Yes sir, it was time to learn how to cook and become the chef.

It was a major decision to open my own place, but I was confident that I could smile, greet people and make it work. Why not? I was a friendly host who would bend over backwards to please, but to be the chef, that was another story. I didn’t really know how to cook (I couldn’t even make mashed potatoes), I didn’t know my way around the kitchen (I didn’t even know how to use the blender) and I really didn’t want to leave my cushy job, in the front of the house, for the heat and the stress of the kitchen, but I didn’t have a choice, if I wanted to keep my restaurant.

You see, I had gone through ten chefs in six years. That’s not counting the five that lasted less than a month. I had some serious problems with my hired help. For example, I had to close on a Sunday, in July, one year, because my main man and his main man went fishing. That’s no lie! I had to find a new chef and sous chef in two days, so I could open on Wednesday. That’s just one of many stressful situations. Maybe, I will fill you in on others, another time.

One thing all my chefs had in common, they were moody and often grouchy. I could never understand it, until I walked through the door to chefdom. A metamorphosis started to unfold.

Remember one of the myths and facts, about the Fieldston, in a previous blog.

Myth : The chef/owner is a grouch.
Fact: The chef /owner is a grouch…. so on and so forth (see other blog).

This was meant to be a bit humorous, but there is a lot of truth to it.
My personality started to change.
I started to get moody, way out of character for someone, who once had one mood …. good.
Yup, I have to admit, I even started to get grouchy. How could that be? I was the guy who could have fun in a closet. I liked to wear the lamp shade even when I wasn’t drinking. From Santa to the Grinch…it happened fast… I didn’t like how I felt and I didn’t like how I was.

Well, something happened on my way to “Hell’s Kitchen”. My friends tolerated me with good humor, my patrons tolerated me with loyalty and my staff tolerated me with hard work and a smile.

We all have our little moods. I know in the heat of the kitchen (sometimes 110 degrees), under the gun ( putting out 100 dinners ), I will have some moods, but I have no reason to be a grouch, with all these good people in my life. Thank you, all, for enlightening me.

Jan Perrin