The Delicious Life Cookbook-A-Day Giveaway
Summer Weekend Reading Edition, no. 2
Leave a comment on this post with a restaurant-industry job you've had, whether it's from the summer between your freshman and sophomore years in high school as the junior assistant to the cleaner of the spaces between the bins on the salad bar at Sizzler, or your lifelong career as a Master Sommelier (because I know every master sommelier reads The Delicious Life), or you have to just make one up so you can play.
From all the hundreds! of thousands! of comments, I'll randomly pick two "winners," one for each of The Saucier's Apprentice and Service Included. Since The Delicious Life is not bound by any corporate legal department, "random" could mean "I'll pick you because your job was worse than mine so that makes me feel better" or it could mean "I'll pick you because you live nearby and the postage to send the book to you is within my 2008 budget."
Or, "random" could just mean "random."
You have until the kitchen closes to leave a comment.
Good luck, and please comment, even if you don't want either of the books. A giveaway post with no comments is like The Delicious sitting alone at a table set for four, waiting for a birthday party that will never show up.
tags :: food : and drink : american : restaurants : books : cookbooks : reviews : los angeles
d'wite says
U was a dishwasher at a small but popular Japanese restaurant in Gardena, Calif. while in high school.
d'wite says
U was a dishwasher at a small but popular Japanese restaurant in Gardena, Calif. while in high school.
Danielle's Daughter says
I was a reservationist part time last year for a popular restaurant-twosome cofounded by one of the Iron Chefs on the Food Network. (Not naming any names...but lets say the name of the place(s) sounds like the first half of the name of a kind of cheese....frequently found on pizzas....tee hee)
Yeah, anyway. Great food at both restaurants, but after being instructed by the management team to be 'less nice' and 'less accomodating' to patrons, AKA MORE HOLLYWOODISH, PRETENTIOUS AND EVIL, I had to quit for greener pastures.
Unemployment pastures, but, still.
Diane says
I was a host for the Claim Jumper in Torrance for the summer between high school and college. It actually wasn't bad -- for some reason, the hosts got a better deal on the free/cheap food than the servers did.
Also, this is off topic, but I just went to Benito's for the first time the other day. I blame you.
The Butcher says
Oi! Wine steward, host, busser, bartender, butcher. Food por vida!
Kate says
I am currently a cheesemonger and we offer plates for people to enjoy at the store. The only problem is the occasional person who makes us run our tails off for them after making the plate - more bread! more water! open more wine but not all at once and naturally only when there's a rush!
Then, because it's not technically a restaurant, they have an excuse not to tip. Thankfully that is the exception rather than the rule! Most folks are very nice. I don't care (much) if they don't tip if they're nice.
freeway-J says
I was assistant manager of Cafe Maxie! A small restaurant in middle of nowhere Bisbee Arizona. We had an international menu, salad bar, and a full bar in the lounge!
MetroDad says
My first restaurant job (of many) was working as a busboy at a rib restaurant when I was 14 years old. In case you're wondering, there are few shittier jobs than being a busboy in a rib restaurant. It's disgusting. You can't help but smell like crap after a shift and you always end up dirtier than a pig in shit. The job was freaking miserable and it probably showed on my face.
One day, Eddie Murphy came in with a giant entourage. As he was leaving, he started throwing $100 bills around the joint. He gave me $200 just for clearing his plate.
At that exact moment, I decided that there were easier ways to make a buck and I quit the next day.
MetroDad says
My first restaurant job (of many) was working as a busboy at a rib restaurant when I was 14 years old. In case you're wondering, there are few shittier jobs than being a busboy in a rib restaurant. It's disgusting. You can't help but smell like crap after a shift and you always end up dirtier than a pig in shit. The job was freaking miserable and it probably showed on my face.
One day, Eddie Murphy came in with a giant entourage. As he was leaving, he started throwing $100 bills around the joint. He gave me $200 just for clearing his plate.
At that exact moment, I decided that there were easier ways to make a buck and I quit the next day.
Mitchypoo says
The closest I've come to the industry is working at a popular pizza/italian restaurant in the take out area years ago. I'm not sure I could do that work b/c I don't like a lot of people's nasty attitudes. I so appreciate servers. I'd love to win though!
Erin says
The closest I ever got to the food industry embarassingly (or fortunately) enough was when I worked at McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts in high school. God that was awful...
SJK says
I was a short order cook in high school and for a brief time later on I worked for a fast food chain. Currently, I am a patron at various establishments in the DFW area.
Simply says
To tell you the truth...I've never worked in the restaurant/food-industry. I've always avoided it because I love food so much that I was afraid working in a restaurant would make me sick of said-food T_T
Tiffany says
Since my parents own a Chinese fast food restaurant, it was natural for me to follow in their footsteps. I served combos, cashiered and learned how to manage standing up for almost 8+ hours straight.
Tiffany says
Since my parents own a Chinese fast food restaurant, it was natural for me to follow in their footsteps. I served combos, cashiered and learned how to manage standing up for almost 8+ hours straight.
Tee says
:( I've never had a job in the industry for fear of eating all food I saw or having to serve food I did not like... yet I'd love to own either of the books. Dilemna, dilemna!
d* says
hmm..
I began as a hostess at a small upscale Vietnamese restaurant. The restaurant was so small we didn't have busboys. meaning I was the busboy, plus hostess, plus food runner at times.
So in the end I just switched to being a server.
sarah j. gim says
dwite: me? or u?
danielle's daughter: they TOLD you to be that way? the nerve.
diane: yeah, but did you WANT free food from the jumper?
and wasn't benito's just nasty delicious?
the butcher: butcher of all trades!
kate: an "excuse" not to tip? no excuse!
freeway J: salad bar - that's funny
metrodad: and everyone deserves an entourage
mitchypoo: why is that people always have such nasty attitudes? like they take it out on the servce staff?
erin: yeah, but did you get to take the leftover donuts home?
sjk: short order cooks get mad props - they have to have the most speed, accuracy, and agility of anyone in the restaurant
simply: yeah, that happened to me - but not that i would get sick of food; i decided i would NEVER open my own restaurant
cookie monster: is it panda express?!?!
tee: yo're very lucky you didn't :)
H. C. says
I worked at the pub at my University... getting the professors, TAs and seniors drunkedy drunk drunk on lunch hour.
Liz says
I worked as a waitress in a local Japanese restaurant during my senior yr in HS.
Craig says
I was a manager for a Korean restaurant in Pasadena, couldn't speak a word of Korean though.
But I did eat a lot of kimchee.
Natty says
The closest I came to working in the food industry was working as a personal assistant to the wife of one of Pasadena's elite businessmen. She was a very, very nice woman and I was kept their household in groceries and restaurant reservations for nearly three years. I would also work at their posh dinner parties and would often spend hours polishing silver/setting tables/picking up center pieces/negotiating with the caterer/taking coats and purses/filling water glasses/opening wine bottles/cleaning up afterwards.
Other career highlights include taking a urine sample from a dog, repairing broken screens that covered access points to the crawlspace under the house (while wearing stocking and heels) and driving fabric and cushions to Sun Valley several times a year for reupholstering. Several times, I had to visit a lamp shade factory.
SunJun says
I worked for a sandwich shop one summer. I spent many hours sweeping floors, scrubbing bathrooms, cleaning fryers, and taking deliveries. It is my reminder of why I went to college.
sarah j. gim says
hc: naughty.
liz: i am always amazed at people who worked in restaurants during high school. for real. when i was in high school, i had NO patience, was too sassy and smart mouthed to ever be a good server.
craig: how did you pick up on allthe korean women, then?
natty: that would be SUCH an awesome job - basically a personal concierge. minus the doggie urine sample, though.
sunjun: hopefully the other half of your job wasn't cooking - i always wondered if restaurants could do that - have the same people who do all the cleaning, do the cooking, too.
sarah j. gim says
hc: naughty.
liz: i am always amazed at people who worked in restaurants during high school. for real. when i was in high school, i had NO patience, was too sassy and smart mouthed to ever be a good server.
craig: how did you pick up on allthe korean women, then?
natty: that would be SUCH an awesome job - basically a personal concierge. minus the doggie urine sample, though.
sunjun: hopefully the other half of your job wasn't cooking - i always wondered if restaurants could do that - have the same people who do all the cleaning, do the cooking, too.
John S. says
I've never had a job in any way related to the restaurant industry. The closest I got was a PE firm I worked at was one of the early investors in Jamba Juice... I don't think that counts unfortunately... but hey, free Jamba Juice!
If I had to pick a job though, hm, maybe LeAnne Wong's job on Top Chef... or pastry chef.
[email protected] says
As a shy 16 yr old, I had a summer job at the local greasy spoon. One morning while taking an order, I meant to say, "How would you like your eggs?" instead I said, "How do you like my legs?" Being the country bumpkin I was at the time, I was mortified and quit later that day.
christopher says
I'm heading out the door right now to work the lunch rush and then dinner at a hoity-toity hotel. Of course the highlight of my culinary career was when something I prepared was blogged about by the delicous herself...
Naomi P. says
cashier at the local pastry shop two summers during high school.
the daniel says
I've done my time in food service - never again! Started out working in the kitchen of a pizza place, moved on to getting up at 5AM to be a short order breakfast cook at a grocery store deli, and in college I was a cook and waiter at a mongolian BBQ chain.