Line on a new job... ?

Since my decision to pursue the culinary arts, I've been doggedly pursuing jobs and researching training/education options. Aside from my banquet serving and all-too-rare bartending gigs, I told Cheryl, the food service recruiter for the Employment Store, that I can do kitchen work too. This got me almost immediately into the dining room of the Eastman School of Music... as a dishwasher. Sounds unappealing, but it had to be one of the easiest jobs I've worked in ages. Everyone I worked with was as nice as could be. I did some floor-sweeping, and then volunteered to help out with prep, so I chopped up a bunch of tomatoes for the dinner hot line. Then I stood around with my thumb up my ass for almost another two hours, with no pots or pans to clean. And what was really great is that nobody, management included, gave a shit! See, this is a union kitchen, and it operates a lot differently than the places I'm used to working at. Trish, the day manager, also works at the Hyatt when I was there, and that familiarity allowed me to have a frank talk with her, asking all kinds of questions about the place, and if I'd get to work there more in the future. She gave me the low-down on how a union kitchen runs, and apparently it's a phenomenally easy gig. Good time off, and sick days which staff routinely use when they don't feel like coming in. Hence we temps get called in to bail out kitchens. Trish bitched about this situation and ruefully told me to join the union; the benefits are incredible even if a total pain in the ass to her. She took down my number and noted that I can work grill station, in case people call out on her.

Lately I've also been hitting up the Summerville Grill for work too. A couple weeks ago I had several (if not many) beers with one of their three cooks, asking him for a recipe for Tahou's style meat hot sauce. I got it, and we wound up shooting the shit until the bartender Jim closed up at 2:30 or so. Dale, the cook, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in the late 70's, so he knows his shit. Like many "cookies" (as my new favorite author, Anthony Bourdain calls them), he's opinionated and passionate about ingredients, quality, and the right way to do the job. He expressed interest in training someone "who really wanted to learn." Last week, I dropped in to have a couple drinks and try to talk to Jeffy, the weeknight barkeep, into putting in a word for me. He said he'd talk to the owner about training me and having me around for Wednesday and Thursday nights during yachting season; it gets slammed after dinner. Last night I went in for a couple pints and mentioned this situation to Jim, who pours on the weekends. I'm really beating the hell out of this horse here. He said he was fed up with having to cook and bartend after dinner service, since the cooks refused to stay late. Apparently the management is finally considering hiring a fourth cook to work Friday and Saturday nights with Jim so he can focus on the bar. He had me fill out their sad excuse for an application, which didn't even take up a whole side of a page, and said he'd recommend me to the owner. This puts me in a better than average position, since three people are putting in a good word for me. I'd be cooking the late-night bar menu, which is all grill and fryer stuff. Burgers, chicken sandwiches, wings and Italian baskets... that kind of thing. When I wasn't cooking, I'd be prepping for the next day, which I think is a great idea too. I'd get in some good practice, and Jim said the cookies love to take days off, so after I have a foot in the door, I'd eventually wind up filling in for lunch and dinner shifts with the big guns. I definitely hope this works out. I'll round this job out with some training or schooling somewhere, just so I know how to make stocks and consommé the traditional way. Add to this the SUNY EOC Culinary Arts 16-week training program, and I may find a means to get my skills and stay in town come fall.

Yeah.