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All right.
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You juiced up on, it's too much caffeine.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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The caffeine's got me.
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All right, Hi, I'm Sean Collins.
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I'm Steven Berry.
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This is, we feed them a podcast about the people and the stories that shape the food industry.
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Yeah.
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And today we have a guest, good buddy of mine.
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We've, known each other for quite a while, and he is a hell of a cook.
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He is currently a chef, correct? Yep.
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And so his name is Justin Williamson.
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Um, why don't you tell us a little bit about what you got going on right now as far as professionally? Yeah, so right now, I kind of left the fine dining industry to find better work-life balance.
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And, now I'm working at a bakery.
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Early hours.
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Get in there early, leave early.
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It's been great.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Just making all kinds of pastries and soups and paninis and stuff like that.
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It's been, really cool to change up.
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Yeah.
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And you don't work weekends, right? Sundays and Mondays off.
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I kept it the same as my fine dining schedule, just to keep my life pretty steady.
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But yeah.
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Are you a football fan, like an NFL football fan? NFL No, but like Premier League.
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Yeah.
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Ah, man.
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I feel Premier League.
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Yeah.
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Okay.
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Football.
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Yeah, I got you.
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Sunday, Monday's the best when you're an NFL fan.
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That's what I was asking.
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Oh, okay.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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I remember when I had Sunday Mondays off the first time.
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It was, 'cause I mean, I went about six years where I was just working Sundays every, every week.
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And I'm a huge Colts fan, and.
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Finally got to where I had Sundays off that first, weekend.
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It was like NFL opening week or whatever.
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I remember I had NFL Red Zone on my big tv.
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I had the Colts game going on a smaller tv, and I was just sitting in my house alone, baked one o'clock in the afternoon.
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I've witnessed the setup.
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He is not joking.
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No.
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The two TV thing.
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Yeah, I've definitely seen that set up in your house.
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Yeah.
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Yep.
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Yeah.
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But I, I mention it because I feel like just even having Sundays off in this industry is pretty rare.
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Right now I'm, I'm in a job where our busiest day is Sunday, so, I, I think that I'm just gonna work Sundays for the rest of my life at this point.
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It sounds like you've already kind of found a better work life balance than what you had.
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Yeah, yeah.
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I was starting to struggle there for a minute mentally, and I just knew I had to get out and, find something that I could, you know, be happy with myself at.
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So it's nice to have that change up and have free time and be with my family more.
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You know, now I can do like real adult things like, you know, be the man of the house, fix stuff, mow the lawn.
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Cool stuff.
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What was the, what was the mental struggle? Was it related to hours or the pressure of what you were doing? It was a little bit of both.
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So the hours were, 11 to 11 basically every day, which is pretty standard in the industry I know.
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So I'm not like complaining.
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That's what I signed up for.
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But just over the five year period I was doing it, I was just starting to realize what am I doing this for? That's such a bummer when you work 12 hours and then on top of that you get off of work and it's completely dark out and nothing's open, you know? Exactly.
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It was wild the first time I got off at three o'clock and I just went to lunch.
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I just went and got lunch and it was open.
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I was like, is other people awake? Yeah.
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Real life is pretty cool.
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Yeah.
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I, especially after COVID, because it used to be 24 hour Walmarts and late night convenience stores, and now I feel like everybody shuts down at 10 or 11.
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Mm.
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And I, I used to go to just Walmart or Meyer and just wander around for the hell of it, just I got nothing else to do, right? So I might as well just wander around, maybe spend 20 bucks, eat some snacks, and, and now you can't do that.
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Which I never understood why they, they closed, they, they shortened the hours during COVID for places like Walmart to reduce the risks, which never made sense to me.
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Maybe I misunderstood the situation because Yeah, I don't, it seems like the more hours, the more you can spread the traffic out, but I don't know.
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And they never went back.
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They're like, shit, we like this.
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It seemed almost like that's, they had a different agenda, you know, that they were already trying to, it was all a plan.
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Right.
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I knew it, dude.
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This was like just all a plan to funnel more people into fourth meal at Taco Bell Drive-throughs.
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Yeah.
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That's, that's all COVID was.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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I knew something was up dude, to plan from the big three.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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McDonald's, taco Bell and, and, uh, burger King.
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If those are the big three, I don't know.
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Maybe Wendy's is getting a little closer to taking Burger King out.
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Well, it's, it's kind of funny, uh, even mentioning COVID.
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'cause I feel like we met during COVID times.
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Yeah.
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And even to this day, when I picture you, I picture you with a COVID mask.
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Same.
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I got you.
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So you've, you've been in the workforce now for.
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I, I mean, as far as just pursuing your dreams and stuff.
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What has it been? Six, seven years now? Yeah, about six, seven.
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Yeah.
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Uh, and, and you went to, fuck, dude.
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Six, seven.
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Six seven.
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Here we go.
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I'm so mad at myself for that.
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I'm sorry.
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No, it's been seven in all reality though.
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Seven years professionally cooking.
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Um, and, and you went to culinary school, correct? Yep.
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I graduated from culinary school.
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They really just taught me pastries.
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There not a lot of cooking skills.
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So I really learned everything.
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I learned how to cook in restaurants.
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Well, it seems that you've, I mean, obviously it comes into play now, you know? Right.
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Working at a bakery.
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Did you grow up, or in your teenage years, were you adamant that you wanted to be a chef or is it something you had to decide on? No.
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So, um, just dive into it then.
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Yeah.
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So, uh, growing up, um, I had something to prove to myself I needed to be successful.
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So I thought I was gonna do whatever it took to be successful and be miserable.
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And so I, I went to engineering school to be a computer science major.
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Um, hoping that that would give me the riches and the life that I wanted.
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Right.
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And then,, halfway through engineering school, I realized that I don't like doing math like that, you know, quick math is fine, but when you're doing like two pages of math to get one problem out, it's not something I could do.
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So I actually ended up dropping out of engineering school.
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Just 'cause I, I just wasn't clicking with it.
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It was not something I liked to do.
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I kind of came home defeated, realized that life is kind of harder than I thought it would be.
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You know, when you're 18 you feel like you're invincible and then you go out in the world and you realize that people are working hard, right? So, uh, so yeah, then my family and everybody encouraged me to join cooking because I didn't really know what I wanted to do.
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I applied to a couple gas stations even.
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I was just really defeated.
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'Cause I've, I really enjoyed food my whole life, but it's not something I would recognize about myself.
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Hmm.
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So then when I joined the cooking industry, I did realize that the people that love me were right.
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It was my passion, you know, I, and, and.
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When I admitted the defeat from dropping out of engineering school, I had a couple other, trauma issues that I had incurred in college.
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Um, and so really I was running for myself.
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And so getting into a kitchen and being able to just bang it out for, you know, eight hours and just be in the fire, in the flames and just be in a pirate crew and all that stuff, allowed me to have my own head space and get away from those thoughts.
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And so in a way, the kitchen really healed me as a person.
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So I like it for a lot more than just pleasing people and everything like that too.
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I feel like I can relate to that.
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There's, I think that we've talked over the years a lot of times about how it's tough to put a finger on it for me, but there's just something that the restaurant did that sort of made me feel like I have a place, you know, I don't know, there's just something about like the ragtag ness of what's going on in the kitchen, especially for me that's, or I guess the whole hospitality where you just, you realize that other people are broken and trying to heal and for some reason it just feels like they're collecting in this one space and.
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But they're actually just trying to serve strangers and there's something about that that somehow heals us or breaks people too, I guess.
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But yeah, I, I feel like I can understand what you're saying about that, you know? Yeah.
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I know that he and I both had like tumultuous home lives, uh, growing up and, it kind of gives you a sense of belonging and, and a place to be.
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And, it's, it almost kind of feels like it's disconnected from the world.
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A kitchen, 'cause it, there's, there are no windows, you're just kind of, you're, you're back in this little secluded space with, uh, a couple people that you end up growing to know and love, and sometimes you are around these people more than you're around your actual family, and yeah, I mean, I, I think that I would say the restaurant industry has detracted from my life personally, but it's also, it is been an escape for me a lot as well, to kind of.
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Uh, just get away from the problems of my life and, and the world and, uh, to just hide in the kitchen and chop some onions, you know? Yeah.
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It almost feels like you're accepting some sort of punishment, you know? Like, I've been bad.
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Just put me in here with the flames.
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Like, I wanna be, it's gonna be 110 degrees on my station and no windows, like you said, and I won't see any humans when I get off of work.
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Like, there's just something I don't know.
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And, and it, I, I guess that's not actually what's happening.
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You're not actually trying to, you're not like a step closer to hell, but sometimes it feels like, yeah, this is where I'm supposed to be back here hidden.
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And then you start to find ways to kind of blossom from it.
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I think it's really cool.
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Like you said though, I think it takes a real certain mentality because I've, I've also seen him break people too.
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I remember one time there was a, a fry cook that just lost it and I was managing him and he just started ranting about, man, this is, I just can't do this and I don't wanna be in this kitchen, and I think, I don't think this is the right thing for me.
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And I was like.
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Alright, man.
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But how long in that popcorn shrimp, you know, because this is what you're doing right now.
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So I mean, at least let's talk about this by the dumpster with a cigarette.
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Did you go to the, the, the same school for culinary or was it a separate No, so I was going to a university for, uh, engineering school, and it was a whole thing to test, even test into engineering school.
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And then, um, when I dropped out, I went to just a community college and just got, you know, my two year degree in and out so really I was just trying to get a piece of paper and move on to be a cook.
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Can I, can I ask about the, the financial? Yeah.
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Okay.
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How, how is that, how is, I'm assuming you have loans from the initial engineering degree that you were going for and then more for, so for most people that would be a huge problem, but I have to just admit that I'm a very privileged person.
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My family took good care of me and.
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I don't have any debt, um, from university Oh.
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Because of that.
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And so I'm very grateful for that and I realize how rare of an opportunity that is.
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But yeah, so, um, no, I'm, I basically had a clean start.
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I was able to work for a couple years and buy my own house and, you know, start life fresh basically.
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So yeah, I have small community college loans, but for the most part, you know, it's, it's been great for me and it's a really lucky experience.
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Yeah.
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And my, my question was, the pressure for success, was that a more internal thing or was that something that, your parents were pushing you in that certain direction? Or was it just something that you kind of fell into? I think my parents always wanted me to be successful, but they didn't push on me like that.
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They want me to be happy.
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Right.
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Um, me, internally, I saw money as being happy, so I was like, you know, whatever it takes to do that, that's what I'm gonna do.
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So it was my own internal struggle of being like, I need to be somebody.
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If you ask me at 16 what I was gonna do, I say I'm gonna be a CEO of a big company.
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You know, I, I really believe that.
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And then you get out here and, you see everybody working hard and you're like.
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This world is, yeah, it's real big out here.
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I'm 34 and I'm, I'm still having moments where I go, all right, I don't, maybe I'm not gonna be on MTV cribs.
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Yeah.
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Literally.
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I mean, maybe, maybe, but I'm gonna have to bring it back myself also.
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But yeah, I, I had some of that same, which is good.
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There's nothing wrong with that, you know, of just having this super ambitions, 'cause I think it, like if you reach for the stars, you fall in the cloud.
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Exactly.
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You know, that's Kanye West.
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Yeah, that's Kanye West.
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I said, I already recognize that people might not like that, but there it is and I've also kind of realized that.
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I mean, there's a lot more to life and happiness than just money.
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And I, I feel like I had a lot of that mentality too, especially growing up poor was, you know, money would fix everything.
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And I, I'm, I'm at the point now where I'm content with my life and all I really need is what I need to get by, and just maybe a little bit extra to, kind of throw around here and there and kind of, buy the frivolous things that I don't really need, but I want.
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But, I don't really feel the pressure to be a millionaire anymore, you know, like, yeah, like I did when I was a teenager.
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But for me, I mean, I originally went to college for journalism.
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It's kind of what I wanted to do, but I also feel like I was pushed into it, by outside forces, you know, my, my parents and stuff, my stepdad, just kind of really.
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They, I, it felt like, I don't know, when, when you're a teenager, sometimes it feels like everybody is kind of pushing you and telling you the only way to do this is to go to college for four years and that's the only way you're gonna be anything.
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And if you're not doing that, then you're just gonna be working at seven 11 for the rest of your life.
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You know? And it almost feels that black and white.
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And until you get a little bit older and you start to get into the workforce and you realize, oh, there's a lot of different avenues towards, just defining success for yourself.
209
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You don't necessarily have to fit into somebody else's mold of success.
210
00:12:22,100 --> 00:12:25,640
So, so you are happily married now.
211
00:12:25,740 --> 00:12:28,140
I met your wife a few times, she's lovely person.
212
00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:37,410
And, how has your work life kind of affected positively and ne negatively that.
213
00:12:37,860 --> 00:12:39,990
Um, newfound relationship.
214
00:12:39,990 --> 00:12:45,780
Well, I guess it's not a newfound relationship, but you've been married for what, like four years now? I think we're going on four or five years and Yep.
215
00:12:45,780 --> 00:12:49,230
And then we've been together for, uh, 11 years in total, so Oh, we've been together forever.
216
00:12:49,230 --> 00:12:49,440
Yeah.
217
00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:50,220
High school sweethearts.
218
00:12:50,400 --> 00:12:50,550
Yeah.
219
00:12:50,550 --> 00:12:51,270
Pretty much your whole life.
220
00:12:51,300 --> 00:12:51,390
Mm-hmm.
221
00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:54,450
She's been with, I mean, she's seen all the whole Yep.
222
00:12:54,540 --> 00:12:55,050
The whole story.
223
00:12:55,050 --> 00:12:55,260
Yeah.
224
00:12:55,290 --> 00:12:55,710
All of it.
225
00:12:55,950 --> 00:13:00,220
Is she an industry person? Just recently she became the head of social media at our business.
226
00:13:00,310 --> 00:13:00,430
Okay.
227
00:13:00,430 --> 00:13:02,890
So, um, she is now as of about a year and a half.
228
00:13:03,010 --> 00:13:03,490
Oh, cool.
229
00:13:04,090 --> 00:13:04,420
Sick.
230
00:13:04,510 --> 00:13:04,900
But yeah.
231
00:13:04,900 --> 00:13:18,610
Anyway, um, how, how has the industry kind of positively and negatively impacted your relationship? Well, it's really, uh, caused a lot of struggle at first because, you know, like I said, working 11 to 11 and her schedule didn't align with that.
232
00:13:18,610 --> 00:13:23,910
She was working mornings and getting off around three o'clock, it was, um, a lot of time where we couldn't be together.
233
00:13:24,150 --> 00:13:27,510
And then when I get home, she needs to go to bed and that's understandable.
234
00:13:27,510 --> 00:13:31,410
So, obviously, not as much time together as we'd like when I'm in fine dining.
235
00:13:31,460 --> 00:13:32,030
Especially.
236
00:13:32,450 --> 00:13:36,590
And the stresses of the job were making me lash out in different areas.
237
00:13:36,590 --> 00:13:40,790
Not like aggressive, just you know, maybe I'm not listening as close as I should.
238
00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:43,080
Maybe I'm not being as supportive as I could be.
239
00:13:43,210 --> 00:13:50,390
Just because I'm wore out, I'm just mentally exhausted and I feel bad about myself because, the chef told me that I'm never gonna be great.
240
00:13:50,390 --> 00:14:00,600
You know what I mean? So, you know, there'd been struggles at first, but then, you know, you find your path and then you find your compromises and, she started eating dinner with me like in like midnight, which is crazy.
241
00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:06,120
Um, so yeah, that's cereal usually fast food, you know, we ain't cooking when we get home.
242
00:14:06,120 --> 00:14:06,450
Yeah.
243
00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:15,090
It's kind of funny 'cause Yeah, that's another thing is everybody assumes that when you're a chef or this is what you do for your life, they're, they're like, oh man, I bet you're throwing down at home.
244
00:14:15,090 --> 00:14:16,200
It's like, no frozen pizza.
245
00:14:16,230 --> 00:14:16,680
Pretty much.
246
00:14:16,710 --> 00:14:16,950
Yep.
247
00:14:16,950 --> 00:14:18,870
You know, hot Pockets.
248
00:14:18,870 --> 00:14:18,990
Yeah.
249
00:14:19,090 --> 00:14:19,840
That's pretty cool.
250
00:14:19,870 --> 00:14:36,640
That's cool that she, I mean, like, I feel like that was her showing you that, or maybe she was asking you to, to find a way to meet her halfway too, because if she was gonna stay up late and wait for you and have dinner for you with you at midnight, you know, like you said, you, you felt like you were missing the, missing the Mark A.
251
00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:38,970
Little bit because of the hours and the stress, so Yeah.
252
00:14:39,030 --> 00:14:49,880
Was that like a wake up call moment? No, we didn't have any moments that were like that, you know, we've had a really strong relationship and credit to her for being really understanding, she understands that this is my passion and how far I want to go in the industry and all of that.
253
00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:51,260
So she's always been very understanding.
254
00:14:51,260 --> 00:14:57,650
We didn't have any moment where it was like, hey, it was actually more of me being burnt out and just feeling down about myself and being.
255
00:14:58,715 --> 00:15:00,785
What makes me happy is being with my family.
256
00:15:00,815 --> 00:15:01,805
I don't wanna miss my kids'.
257
00:15:01,805 --> 00:15:04,415
Softball games, baseball games when, you know, when we have a kid.
258
00:15:04,420 --> 00:15:04,440
Yeah.
259
00:15:04,490 --> 00:15:11,060
I, maybe I want to coach the team, you know, and, and if I, if I don't change something about my life, I'm never gonna be that person for my kid.
260
00:15:11,330 --> 00:15:12,850
And that's really what woke me up to that.
261
00:15:12,850 --> 00:15:15,780
I was just thinking what's the long game here? You know? Like I'm getting older.
262
00:15:15,900 --> 00:15:18,990
It's crunch time to do the things that I want to do in life that will fulfill me.
263
00:15:19,230 --> 00:15:20,430
You know, career is one path.
264
00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:22,020
Uh, family's another.
265
00:15:22,050 --> 00:15:23,640
So had to find a balance there.
266
00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:27,720
And so that's why I'm working where I work now, uh, working mornings and it's been great balance.
267
00:15:27,780 --> 00:15:28,590
Now we have the same schedule.
268
00:15:28,590 --> 00:15:29,520
We even worked together, so.
269
00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:30,090
Yeah.
270
00:15:30,095 --> 00:15:30,195
Yeah.
271
00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,135
We, um, you and I both worked for the same chef for a while.
272
00:15:33,140 --> 00:15:33,355
Mm-hmm.
273
00:15:33,540 --> 00:15:36,020
And, it was kind of hard for me to see.
274
00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:41,600
Uh, just the things that he was going through as a parent, and one of his kids lived a couple hours away even.
275
00:15:41,780 --> 00:15:50,640
And, um, knowing that he was working just as much as we were, these 12 hour shifts every day and just kind of like looking at him and bewilderment.
276
00:15:50,700 --> 00:15:53,040
'cause he seemed like a great dad, I'm sure he is.
277
00:15:53,430 --> 00:15:56,880
Um, and a great father, or I'm sorry, a great husband as well.
278
00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:05,970
Um, but it, it was just kind of like how I was just, I was always perplexed at how he found the time to, to balance his, his work life.
279
00:16:05,970 --> 00:16:18,415
And especially, I know his wife is not in the industry and, it, it seems in my experience that women kind of don't really understand when they, when they haven't really had a taste of the industry.
280
00:16:18,415 --> 00:16:29,535
Sometimes they don't understand why you've been at work for so long or why you might be in a bad mood when you get home, That's something that I've kind of struggled with as well, even to the point where I've had.
281
00:16:30,015 --> 00:16:35,085
Girls just kind of thinking that I'm doing something you like, they're like, you're not really working that much.
282
00:16:35,085 --> 00:16:37,125
It's like, no, I, I'm open to clothes today.
283
00:16:37,605 --> 00:16:38,475
You know? Yeah.
284
00:16:39,135 --> 00:16:39,285
Yeah.
285
00:16:39,285 --> 00:16:51,405
There's moments where I almost feel like I'm overexplaining why I've been so gone, or even now I've been with my fiance for six years, I think it's been six years, and I'll, I'll say, Hey, I, you know, I was late because of this.
286
00:16:51,405 --> 00:16:52,935
And then she's just like, okay, yeah, I know.
287
00:16:52,935 --> 00:16:53,325
I get it.
288
00:16:53,325 --> 00:16:59,175
And I go, okay, but you know, just seriously, like, you know, the dishwasher was flooding the kitchen.
289
00:16:59,175 --> 00:16:59,955
And she's like, yeah, I know.
290
00:16:59,955 --> 00:17:00,465
I believe it.
291
00:17:00,465 --> 00:17:00,825
I get it.
292
00:17:00,855 --> 00:17:01,545
I go, okay, cool.
293
00:17:01,755 --> 00:17:04,665
'cause nobody else can like, you know, I, okay.
294
00:17:04,665 --> 00:17:05,025
You get it.
295
00:17:05,025 --> 00:17:05,385
Yeah.
296
00:17:05,385 --> 00:17:05,395
Yeah.
297
00:17:05,505 --> 00:17:07,575
It's almost like you feel more guilty than you should have to.
298
00:17:07,575 --> 00:17:08,055
Yeah, I know.
299
00:17:08,055 --> 00:17:09,045
There's nothing I'm not doing.
300
00:17:09,045 --> 00:17:10,275
It's, you're not doing anything wrong.
301
00:17:10,275 --> 00:17:16,655
You just, I don't know, there's so many unexpected turns and you can't just punch out and, and dip out.
302
00:17:16,955 --> 00:17:24,875
I mean, it depends on, I guess, what role you're playing in a restaurant, but I feel like the people that exceed in this industry are usually the people that are willing to.
303
00:17:25,385 --> 00:17:36,275
Do all of that extra crap or kind of like, not necessarily break their backs, but, you know, just show that they're willing to sometimes do things without any extra compensation too.
304
00:17:36,725 --> 00:17:44,885
And I mean, it does pay off or it doesn't pay off in that moment, you know, it might not, it might not actually get handed a $20 bill because you did something off the clock or whatever, but, right.
305
00:17:45,035 --> 00:17:45,395
Yeah.
306
00:17:46,025 --> 00:17:46,325
Yeah.
307
00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:57,415
And I mean, I mean, I think that all three of us, I think I can speak for you guys as well, have enough passion and drive that, we don't really accept mediocrity.
308
00:17:57,745 --> 00:18:05,515
I feel like I don't, there, there are certain points where you, you just have to say, this is good enough because you can't be perfect every day.
309
00:18:05,575 --> 00:18:07,915
But every day I aim for perfect.
310
00:18:08,275 --> 00:18:13,955
And I think that that kind of, causes me to give a little bit more to my job.
311
00:18:13,985 --> 00:18:25,935
And I mean, time, effort, even physically, And sometimes that detracts away from things that are also important in life, or sometimes more important in life, you know? Yeah.
312
00:18:26,865 --> 00:18:31,455
Um, what was the first day at culinary school? Like? I've never gone, so I'm just curious.
313
00:18:31,505 --> 00:18:35,495
I want to know, well, what were you feeling? And for me, I was already working at a brewery at this point.
314
00:18:35,525 --> 00:18:35,885
Okay.
315
00:18:35,885 --> 00:18:37,235
For a couple weeks, maybe a month.
316
00:18:37,655 --> 00:18:46,235
And, um, well, let me, I was working there for about three months as a dishwasher, and then they put me on the line about a month before I joined culinary school.
317
00:18:46,325 --> 00:18:46,955
And I was green.
318
00:18:46,955 --> 00:18:48,065
I didn't even know how to use a knife.
319
00:18:48,215 --> 00:18:48,515
Yeah.
320
00:18:48,515 --> 00:18:51,835
And, so I kind of got some quick skills right before I went to culinary school.
321
00:18:51,835 --> 00:18:52,855
So I walked in confident.
322
00:18:52,885 --> 00:18:56,435
'cause all these kids were just there 'cause their parents told 'em to go to college, like they didn't even wanna cook.
323
00:18:56,495 --> 00:18:56,615
Yeah.
324
00:18:56,615 --> 00:18:58,685
You know, they had no passion for it, and I really did.
325
00:18:58,805 --> 00:19:01,925
So on the first day, the chef was asking everybody you know, welcome to the class.
326
00:19:01,925 --> 00:19:05,285
Like, what are you here for? And I was like, Hey man, I want you to push me as hard as you can.
327
00:19:05,285 --> 00:19:06,575
Make me the best you can make me.
328
00:19:06,625 --> 00:19:07,495
I want be the best.
329
00:19:07,495 --> 00:19:08,155
I don't wanna be good.
330
00:19:08,155 --> 00:19:09,325
I wanna be the best.
331
00:19:09,565 --> 00:19:13,025
And so for me, I walked in with full confidence and became, um.
332
00:19:13,085 --> 00:19:15,185
Yeah, pretty much like the star student of the class.
333
00:19:15,185 --> 00:19:22,565
I got a scholarship for the, some scholarship I don't remember, and got put up for an Italian magazine for my Bon Bonds and didn't get it sadly enough.
334
00:19:22,625 --> 00:19:25,235
What kind of magazine for your Bon Bonds? Italian.
335
00:19:27,215 --> 00:19:27,755
That's cool.
336
00:19:28,775 --> 00:19:34,965
Was there moments there, was there moments during that time that it was, there was just humbled where you go, shit, I don't know.
337
00:19:34,965 --> 00:19:43,455
There was just something that maybe the instructor schooled you on or something that you felt, yeah, so my instructor was not afraid to kind of jerk you around a little bit.
338
00:19:43,455 --> 00:19:46,995
You know, like, you're cutting something a little bit wrong, he's gonna grab your elbow and move to left.
339
00:19:46,995 --> 00:19:48,045
Like, that's not what we're doing here.
340
00:19:48,045 --> 00:19:50,455
And it's like, whoa, you know? I'm a co I'm a college student.
341
00:19:50,455 --> 00:19:56,245
Like I've never cooked before, you know? Um, so luckily for me, I didn't experience nearly as much of that as the kids I was going school with.
342
00:19:56,275 --> 00:20:01,465
'cause I was learning quick skills in the brewery and I was really trying to succeed and I took pretty naturally to it.
343
00:20:01,465 --> 00:20:04,195
I feel like I was lucky, but I had a ton of struggles at the brewery.
344
00:20:04,195 --> 00:20:06,225
I remember one day, the chef walked.
345
00:20:06,705 --> 00:20:17,955
And I, I had washed my whole cooler for the night and I was about to leave and he was doing the final cooler check and he walked in and he opened the cooler and he wiped his finger across the bottom and there was like a speck of dust on his finger.
346
00:20:17,955 --> 00:20:21,435
And he goes, what is this? And I go, what? And he goes, you didn't clean that good enough.
347
00:20:21,435 --> 00:20:23,505
I said, what do you mean? He said, it's not perfect.
348
00:20:23,505 --> 00:20:24,555
I wouldn't eat off of that.
349
00:20:24,585 --> 00:20:25,365
Do it all over again.
350
00:20:25,365 --> 00:20:28,755
And he took all my prep outta the cooler and just dang.
351
00:20:28,755 --> 00:20:30,975
And so I had to stay for another, like two hours just to do that.
352
00:20:30,975 --> 00:20:33,765
So those were the experiences that humbled me and shaped me in college.
353
00:20:33,765 --> 00:20:37,905
I was pretty much above the grade of the people I was going to school with.
354
00:20:37,935 --> 00:20:47,145
Was that brewery chef, was that what he was always like, or was he trying to give you a little extra struggle? Um, I think that, actually, I'm not sure.
355
00:20:47,145 --> 00:20:47,775
I didn't really know him.
356
00:20:47,775 --> 00:20:54,105
I only worked with that chef for like two weeks and then he walked out with the whole kitchen staff and they all went to a different restaurant altogether, so.
357
00:20:54,105 --> 00:20:54,195
Oh, whoa.
358
00:20:54,255 --> 00:20:54,585
Yeah.
359
00:20:54,590 --> 00:20:54,830
So, uh.
360
00:20:55,515 --> 00:20:58,635
Pretty much, we had a whole new crew by the time that I felt comfortable on the line.
361
00:20:58,635 --> 00:21:00,435
So I don't really know his personality.
362
00:21:00,435 --> 00:21:01,755
I've heard some wild stories about him.
363
00:21:01,785 --> 00:21:04,275
So was this like in the middle of service, everybody just kind of mm-hmm.
364
00:21:04,515 --> 00:21:07,485
Dropped what they were doing? It was towards the end of the night, so it wasn't catastrophic.
365
00:21:07,485 --> 00:21:07,665
Yeah.
366
00:21:07,665 --> 00:21:20,385
But the chef was just like, Hey, everyone we're walking out and the whole calf, the whole staff, minus three people, just all walked out and they all got hired at the same, did with the same place? No, because like, including me or? No, because I wasn't on the line every day at that point.
367
00:21:20,385 --> 00:21:24,255
So I was doing dishes and they said, Hey, you, you've cooked up here a couple times, right? I say, yes, sir.
368
00:21:24,345 --> 00:21:25,035
They said, get up here.
369
00:21:25,035 --> 00:21:25,875
I said, yes.
370
00:21:25,875 --> 00:21:28,815
They were like, congratulations for the new chef, dude.
371
00:21:29,295 --> 00:21:32,685
So I was like, it was a good thing for me, you know? Yeah, dude.
372
00:21:32,685 --> 00:21:38,495
Could you imagine though? You, you go alright chef, we're walking out and you guys are marching on the alley or whatever, and he's like, Hey, I appreciate you.
373
00:21:39,995 --> 00:21:40,340
Oh, we didn't.
374
00:21:41,120 --> 00:21:41,510
Shit.
375
00:21:41,780 --> 00:21:44,150
You didn't, you didn't, you weren't supposed to come with us.
376
00:21:44,990 --> 00:21:48,125
What do you mean you're still like drying a fucking plate, like ugly duck right in the back.
377
00:21:48,125 --> 00:21:48,845
Sh Come on man.
378
00:21:50,065 --> 00:21:52,370
He goes, ah, alright, we'll find you a spot.
379
00:21:52,370 --> 00:21:52,700
I guess.
380
00:21:52,700 --> 00:21:53,150
Come on.
381
00:21:54,590 --> 00:21:54,860
That's nuts.
382
00:21:54,860 --> 00:21:56,120
Make sure that cooler's clean though.
383
00:21:56,150 --> 00:21:56,840
Yeah.
384
00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:56,850
Yeah.
385
00:21:57,290 --> 00:22:07,240
That's the, that's the biggest way that people get thrusted into quicker, um, promotions almost in, in, in their career with this stuff is, I feel like I had something similar.
386
00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:24,700
It was pretty much the whole kitchen rotated out in a small period of time and, and they just kept, you know, I didn't get promoted to like the chef or anything, but they just, I went from dish to fry guy on Friday before I was prepared to flat top on Mexican night, which was a pretty busy night in that restaurant.
387
00:22:24,705 --> 00:22:25,780
The, the, the next week.
388
00:22:26,110 --> 00:22:33,340
And then I'm working 40 hours as a cook, and then I was working 60 hours a cook and, I still, I didn't know how to hold a knife quite properly, you know? And yeah.
389
00:22:33,430 --> 00:22:33,610
Yeah.
390
00:22:33,610 --> 00:22:36,940
The um, the first time that I stepped up to assistant management, it was because.
391
00:22:37,345 --> 00:22:44,175
Somebody had walked out and he was like, our, at the time we had a, a night prep person, and I was working the line.
392
00:22:44,295 --> 00:22:47,955
And after he walked out, I just kind of started doing his job too.
393
00:22:48,235 --> 00:22:53,275
I was doing both of our jobs 'cause, and it wasn't really, I didn't really have anything in mind other than, oh shit, we need rice.
394
00:22:53,455 --> 00:22:55,255
And I went back there and started doing rice.
395
00:22:55,260 --> 00:22:55,290
Mm-hmm.
396
00:22:55,590 --> 00:23:10,345
You know, and then the next day my boss pulled me in the office and was like, Hey, you, you showed a lot, and kind of proved that you, uh, have the ambition and drive to do something with this, so would you like to be a key holder? So, yeah.
397
00:23:10,345 --> 00:23:17,105
I, I think that those, those are the moments that kind of make or break people that end up excelling in this line of work, yeah.
398
00:23:17,585 --> 00:23:17,885
Yeah.
399
00:23:17,885 --> 00:23:20,195
Cheap manager, that's what he was thinking.
400
00:23:20,855 --> 00:23:20,915
Yeah.
401
00:23:20,915 --> 00:23:21,365
Pretty, pretty much.
402
00:23:21,365 --> 00:23:21,665
Yeah.
403
00:23:21,935 --> 00:23:25,445
He was like, man, do you remember your first key? I like that when you said key holder.
404
00:23:25,445 --> 00:23:28,385
I remember the first time I was handed a key and it was kind of a big moment for me.
405
00:23:28,445 --> 00:23:32,135
Do you remember the first time you were handed a key to a, a restaurant? Yeah, it's actually a.
406
00:23:32,495 --> 00:23:36,875
Place we used to work at together, um, was You ended up being the sous After I left, right? Yeah.
407
00:23:36,875 --> 00:23:45,365
So right after you left I had me, um, me and a coworker assumed double sous position because I was green and the chef knew that and honestly it was wisdom.
408
00:23:45,365 --> 00:23:47,615
I was offended at the moment, but it was a good choice.
409
00:23:47,615 --> 00:23:49,835
And and then shortly after, he actually left too.
410
00:23:50,045 --> 00:23:54,785
And then there was no chef there, so who was gonna take over, you know, so us, the sous chefs.
411
00:23:54,785 --> 00:24:02,195
So I actually got to run that place for a couple months, six, seven months before we, uh, actually got into the new chef that we hired after us.
412
00:24:02,195 --> 00:24:06,375
So, um, that's when I was given a key, when I became the chef and I was totally undeserving.
413
00:24:06,465 --> 00:24:09,675
But we made it work and we had actually some of the craziest nights.
414
00:24:09,675 --> 00:24:12,585
I remember one night I was maybe in charge for a month.
415
00:24:13,005 --> 00:24:15,315
The crew was pretty small, but they're reliable, really good crew.
416
00:24:15,495 --> 00:24:19,645
Um, we had over 120 cups booked 'cause it was a really busy holiday event.
417
00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:22,810
And then we also had a party of a hundred people in the next room doing a wedding.
418
00:24:22,810 --> 00:24:25,600
So we had to make all the party food and prep for 120 people.
419
00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,240
And you know, in that restaurant, that's like as busy as it can get.
420
00:24:28,270 --> 00:24:28,480
Yeah.
421
00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:29,290
That's full capacity.
422
00:24:29,290 --> 00:24:30,670
And we didn't miss a single ticket.
423
00:24:30,730 --> 00:24:31,720
Everything went out great.
424
00:24:31,780 --> 00:24:36,010
And that was one of the proudest moments is like a full on leader that had, I was proving it to myself we did this.
425
00:24:36,010 --> 00:24:37,950
And I made sure to tell everybody that was killer.
426
00:24:37,950 --> 00:24:39,300
Like let's do that every day.
427
00:24:39,305 --> 00:24:39,475
Yeah.
428
00:24:39,630 --> 00:24:43,500
And um, I remember telling 'em before shift 'cause I, I didn't know if we were gonna sink or swim.
429
00:24:43,770 --> 00:24:51,520
We had everything prepped, but then it all comes down to executing, you know? And I remember telling 'em, I said, Hey, um, what you believe to be your limits are not your limits.
430
00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:52,450
That's your comfort zone.
431
00:24:52,510 --> 00:24:54,790
And as soon as you break your comfort zone, you're gonna fly.
432
00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:55,930
And they did.
433
00:24:55,930 --> 00:24:57,850
And it was so rewarding to watch.
434
00:24:57,850 --> 00:24:57,910
Yeah.
435
00:24:57,915 --> 00:24:59,380
That's like, put that shit on a t-shirt.
436
00:24:59,380 --> 00:25:01,390
Yeah, I was gonna say, that's like halftime speech in a movie.
437
00:25:01,390 --> 00:25:04,000
You know, I was going for, I was trying to be on my Bill Belichick.
438
00:25:04,090 --> 00:25:07,180
Dude, you came in your first day and they hand you a key and you were like, I'm ready.
439
00:25:07,180 --> 00:25:09,375
You came in with a whistle the next day, let's go.
440
00:25:09,875 --> 00:25:11,740
That's, that's awesome though.
441
00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:12,070
That's fine.
442
00:25:12,070 --> 00:25:17,350
Preparation is, I mean, I don't even know what you would say if it's 50% or more, but it's, if you.
443
00:25:17,710 --> 00:25:25,510
If you just take all the time and make sure that you have, especially when you know you're gonna be busy, you don't have to worry about how much, but just everything that you need.
444
00:25:25,510 --> 00:25:28,900
And then backups and backups and backups just stock like an army's coming.
445
00:25:29,350 --> 00:25:34,060
And then, like you said, the next thing is execution, which is a whole problem, but if or not a problem.
446
00:25:34,060 --> 00:25:42,130
But if you're in the middle of trying to execute and you go to reach for something or there's something missing, and when you're behind in prep, everything starts to unravel.
447
00:25:42,610 --> 00:25:54,040
And so just being prepared is, dude, if there's any, if there's any young bartenders or cooks listening and don't understand the importance of stocking and prepping for success, this is your notice.
448
00:25:54,045 --> 00:25:59,620
Like you have got to be ready because you will just look so much better if you just have everything in place.
449
00:25:59,650 --> 00:25:59,800
Yeah.
450
00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:07,110
Think of reason plus think of, think of how much time and energy you're wasting, running off the line to go to the cooler for every little thing, just because you didn't take that.
451
00:26:07,830 --> 00:26:12,215
What, what, 20 minutes or whatever beforehand to actually make sure that it's all there, yeah, I know.
452
00:26:12,215 --> 00:26:13,355
Uh, especially on days.
453
00:26:13,355 --> 00:26:14,525
I know that it's gonna be busy.
454
00:26:14,525 --> 00:26:18,130
Like mother's days and stuff, I'll over overstock and over prep, you know yeah.
455
00:26:18,130 --> 00:26:18,410
It's crazy.
456
00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:18,850
Yeah.
457
00:26:18,855 --> 00:26:23,615
You just, uh, you say like, well, I mean, I don't think that we could have enough of this, you know, so.
458
00:26:23,615 --> 00:26:23,625
Right.
459
00:26:24,005 --> 00:26:25,175
You just do a bunch of it.
460
00:26:25,175 --> 00:26:50,575
But you also touched on something too that I, I think is a pretty interesting note in that, in a leadership role, and I think this is something that you kind of taught me as well 'cause he's, he's always been like a step ahead of me in our career, so like, when he was a chef, I was a sous chef, and when he was a sous chef, I was, I was just learning grill, so it was kind of it cool to like walk behind him and, uh, he, he would learn a little things here and there and just kind of hit me out to it.
461
00:26:50,845 --> 00:26:56,675
And one of the things that he kind of, taught me early on in my career was in a leadership position, you have to.
462
00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:02,020
Be that stoic, you know, stone face leader and like, never show sweat.
463
00:27:02,230 --> 00:27:05,170
Even if in your head you're like, oh shit, I don't know if we're gonna do this.
464
00:27:05,770 --> 00:27:15,340
You know? Uh, like when the, when the walls are coming down, you gotta kind of run in there with the, with the sword out, and just, just so everybody else can kind of see that and rally behind it.
465
00:27:15,340 --> 00:27:21,260
'cause if you, if you don't do that and you falter, then uh, play that little seed of doubt in everybody else's mind, agreed.
466
00:27:21,260 --> 00:27:24,530
And I think that that's why like the word team is so strong in a restaurant.
467
00:27:24,530 --> 00:27:31,850
Because if you're a team and everyone has everyone's back and everyone you know, knows that we're not gonna point fingers if something goes wrong, we're just gonna fix it.
468
00:27:32,180 --> 00:27:37,010
Um, and there's a leader that, you know, enforces that we're gonna be like, that's the unit we're gonna run.
469
00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:38,960
And only inputs positive energy.
470
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:44,990
I feel like just the belief in that alone is so powerful because if everyone believes, then we're gonna do it.
471
00:27:45,110 --> 00:27:47,690
And, doubt is not a great thing to creep into the mind.
472
00:27:47,690 --> 00:27:51,040
So, yeah, I think everyone believing in the same thing is key.
473
00:27:52,215 --> 00:28:02,020
I had some moments where I'm, I might be overseeing a project where I'd start to, I think I start to show that there's doubt or I, maybe the overwhelmingness sets in.
474
00:28:02,020 --> 00:28:08,470
I'm really sensitive to caffeine, so I might have amped up a little too hard trying to get ready for something, and then I start to get the shakes and feel it a little bit.
475
00:28:08,470 --> 00:28:10,690
And, um, I don't know.
476
00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:13,000
I'm, there's been a lot of those moments.
477
00:28:13,660 --> 00:28:16,430
I guess they're they're probably, I guess, sort of few and far between.
478
00:28:16,430 --> 00:28:20,580
But I, but in my head, like they really seared into my mind and I don't know.
479
00:28:20,580 --> 00:28:28,350
In those moments I was really proud because the couple that I'm thinking of right now, there was, my staff was always understanding and they stepped up and just sort of covered me.
480
00:28:28,590 --> 00:28:30,420
I remember one of 'em, we did a concert here.
481
00:28:30,420 --> 00:28:34,530
You were here, and I was feeling we'd never had done anything like that.
482
00:28:34,530 --> 00:28:37,470
We went from full, we had a, we had a full capacity.
483
00:28:37,470 --> 00:28:38,430
Every seat was full.
484
00:28:39,030 --> 00:28:46,620
And then at seven o'clock we had to empty the dining room, remove all the tables and chairs, and get a band set up with.
485
00:28:47,025 --> 00:28:49,665
Full audio lights, soundboard, like everything.
486
00:28:50,085 --> 00:28:53,325
And then people started coming in and there was a cover charge for the band.
487
00:28:53,385 --> 00:28:56,535
And, uh, it, it was, I've never tried to do this before.
488
00:28:56,685 --> 00:29:02,505
And we had families out here eating and we basically had to like, kick them off their tables and pick the tables up and, Hey, get the hint.
489
00:29:02,505 --> 00:29:04,965
We're trying to get you outta here, which sucked.
490
00:29:04,995 --> 00:29:17,025
But anyways, during that moment, I, all of that stress, we were filling the kitchen with tables and the bar stools, and I just, that was probably the last time that I was just like, I don't know, I, uh, I need to go find a cigarette and I don't smoke anymore.
491
00:29:17,145 --> 00:29:18,375
But I, I think I found you.
492
00:29:18,375 --> 00:29:22,365
And I was like, can I have a cigarette? We went outside and I just, okay.
493
00:29:22,725 --> 00:29:25,785
Nicotine is not gonna help in a stressful situation.
494
00:29:25,785 --> 00:29:26,895
So I don't know what I was thinking.
495
00:29:26,895 --> 00:29:27,945
It was just an old habit, yeah.
496
00:29:28,215 --> 00:29:40,005
But I still felt that, and I came in and, some of the project that I was working on had progressed and the staff had stepped up and, and which they, it's not like they were lacking in the first place, it's just that, they saw where I was going with it and I was losing it.
497
00:29:40,485 --> 00:29:42,945
And then they, they finished the job and I thought that was really cool.
498
00:29:42,945 --> 00:29:44,955
But I, I was a little embarrassed, but still proud.
499
00:29:44,955 --> 00:29:51,455
It's interesting to hear your perspective on that now because, just being a bystander in that and watching it, it seemed very seamless, thanks.
500
00:29:52,085 --> 00:30:02,065
It kind kind of seemed like it all happened as planned, but now just kind of reflecting on that, what you must have been thinking oh man, it was, that was intense for me.
501
00:30:02,365 --> 00:30:03,265
Yeah, that was intense.
502
00:30:03,325 --> 00:30:10,345
But like, we have a, on the security camera, I gave it to one of the bands to do for, um, uh, like promo material.
503
00:30:10,615 --> 00:30:14,125
We, we sped it up of us trying to go, okay.
504
00:30:14,125 --> 00:30:19,555
It was a full dining room full of people, and then we finally got one table up and then like three of us come out to bus.
505
00:30:19,555 --> 00:30:23,605
But instead of just busting the table, we're also picking up chairs and tables and, and taking 'em out.
506
00:30:23,605 --> 00:30:26,425
And then, so we, we have the speed up, um.
507
00:30:26,980 --> 00:30:27,760
Clips of that.
508
00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:33,130
And I, I think they used it in like a reel to say, you know, Hey, we we're trying to find unique places to play.
509
00:30:33,130 --> 00:30:37,960
And imagine being the person sitting at the other table, they see you come out the bus and then next thing you know, you're moving the table.
510
00:30:38,155 --> 00:30:41,290
What the fuck is going on here? Oh, they're really into this bus in there.
511
00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:43,150
They don't leave anything.
512
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:44,140
No stone unturned.
513
00:30:44,140 --> 00:30:44,770
Holy shit.
514
00:30:45,580 --> 00:30:46,765
Gotta sweep underneath the table.
515
00:30:46,985 --> 00:30:50,140
It like every spot underneath the table? No, the chairs go through the dish tank.
516
00:30:50,140 --> 00:30:51,850
We don't, we don't play around.
517
00:30:51,850 --> 00:30:56,890
Dude, man, See, I'd actually like to touch on, uh, ego.
518
00:30:56,890 --> 00:30:58,840
I got myself into a little bit of trouble with ego lately.
519
00:30:58,950 --> 00:31:00,090
I guess I'll just start from the beginning.
520
00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:03,990
When I started cooking, my whole mission was just to serve, like basically my community.
521
00:31:04,050 --> 00:31:09,190
I wanted just to serve burgers, just common foods that everyone could enjoy, my friends could come eat, that kind of stuff.
522
00:31:09,460 --> 00:31:16,690
And then I realized that, if I wanna be really special, maybe I should go to find dining so I could learn some cool techniques and I can learn like how to cook meat perfectly and how.
523
00:31:17,815 --> 00:31:23,635
They're really cool aspects of cooking work, so that way I can implement those factors in an everyday cuisine for people at the same price that we would give them.
524
00:31:23,695 --> 00:31:23,965
Yeah.
525
00:31:24,025 --> 00:31:26,005
You know, regular everyday stuff.
526
00:31:26,155 --> 00:31:28,105
And so I thought okay, let's go to fine dining.
527
00:31:28,465 --> 00:31:34,565
Um, and when I got to fine dining, I kind of let my ego explode, you know? I felt like we were doing the coolest thing ever.
528
00:31:34,565 --> 00:31:37,735
I felt like we were the best and you know, we, we were, we were kind of the best.
529
00:31:37,735 --> 00:31:38,610
But yeah.
530
00:31:38,665 --> 00:31:39,565
You guys are doing some pretty cool stuff.
531
00:31:39,565 --> 00:31:40,225
Yeah, we were pretty cool.
532
00:31:40,225 --> 00:31:41,815
But, um, none of that really mattered.
533
00:31:41,815 --> 00:31:43,585
And I, at the time, it's all I could think about.
534
00:31:43,585 --> 00:31:51,735
I felt really proud of myself and, and I let myself get a really big ego and, I fell in love with fine dining, but did I really, or did I fall in love with my ego? Right.
535
00:31:51,735 --> 00:31:55,380
So, just every day, the guests, oh, I just came back from Italy.
536
00:31:55,410 --> 00:31:57,390
This pasta was the best pasta I've ever had.
537
00:31:57,430 --> 00:32:00,640
You're better than the next place, next door, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
538
00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:03,910
Like all this ego, you just absorb it all day, every day from everybody.
539
00:32:03,940 --> 00:32:04,030
Mm-hmm.
540
00:32:04,270 --> 00:32:06,240
And it's like, okay, I'm the man.
541
00:32:06,340 --> 00:32:08,230
And then, um, I realized that.
542
00:32:08,730 --> 00:32:20,365
It, it, it like started to affect my personality and my relationship because I would go home and, you know, my wife would just treat me like a real person because she knows me as a real person, not like some chef that's, you know, getting smoke blown door just swings open.
543
00:32:20,365 --> 00:32:22,570
You're like, here, I'm bitch, it's me.
544
00:32:23,755 --> 00:32:23,995
Right.
545
00:32:24,055 --> 00:32:27,655
Just like, uh, you know, I just expected to get more praise, just praise.
546
00:32:27,655 --> 00:32:33,265
I just, my ego was so big, I was just expecting every praise from everybody all the time and it was so unhealthy.
547
00:32:33,535 --> 00:32:36,415
And it just led to a lot of mental, just oddities I would say.
548
00:32:36,415 --> 00:32:39,465
It's not a struggle even, it's just the way I was thinking wasn't healthy for anybody.
549
00:32:39,525 --> 00:32:39,855
Yeah.
550
00:32:39,905 --> 00:32:50,495
So finding out that I was acting that way and it took me a while to realize that that's why I was feeling the way as I was feeling was the biggest wake up call for me to go back to the doing community-based things.
551
00:32:50,495 --> 00:32:52,265
You know, I've done my time in fine dining.
552
00:32:52,265 --> 00:32:53,585
I still love fine dining, but.
553
00:32:53,960 --> 00:33:00,230
What I love more is just serving everybody, you know, not just the elite people that are gonna kiss your feet because it makes them look cool at the table.
554
00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:00,590
Yeah.
555
00:33:00,590 --> 00:33:02,900
You know, and they're not really your friends, but they're gonna say you are.
556
00:33:02,900 --> 00:33:06,350
And everything they tell you, they're going next door and saying the same thing to them about you.
557
00:33:06,650 --> 00:33:07,670
So none of it's really real.
558
00:33:07,670 --> 00:33:09,470
You know, you don't have real friends, but it feels like you do.
559
00:33:09,830 --> 00:33:15,130
So I think that that made me feel like I had a community behind me, but did I really? I still don't know.
560
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:18,420
But I did know that I was expecting it from everybody all the time.
561
00:33:18,420 --> 00:33:24,480
And for me that was the biggest wake up call to be Hey, remember what you started for, return home to your original idea and remember who you are.
562
00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:31,980
So this year for me has been soul searching, relearning who I am, through the seven years of me, getting all this ego and redefining me as a person.
563
00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,640
I realized that work was defining me as a person and it wasn't healthy.
564
00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:38,520
So it'd been really soul search on this year, getting back into regular hobbies.
565
00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:40,360
Like we've been disc golfing a couple times, you know, oh yeah.
566
00:33:40,360 --> 00:33:42,190
Getting a dog, you know, it's been great.
567
00:33:42,250 --> 00:33:43,300
So I love disc golfing.
568
00:33:43,540 --> 00:33:50,700
I hurt my elbow, which I, yeah, they call it tennis elbow, and I feel like it's fucking, it's like a rich bitch thing, so I don't, I hate saying it, but yeah.
569
00:33:50,700 --> 00:33:53,520
I hurt my elbow and I cannot, I don't think I'll ever be able to disc golf again.
570
00:33:53,550 --> 00:33:58,160
It sucks that we can't go anymore because you're, you're the one who actually turned me on to dis disc golfing, yeah.
571
00:33:58,165 --> 00:34:02,685
And, um, yeah, I always loved going out there with you and I, it's so fun.
572
00:34:02,895 --> 00:34:03,285
Yeah.
573
00:34:03,345 --> 00:34:08,685
I might just go and drink and smoke with you guys sometime if you're going that basically the only reason I go, I'll putt not very good.
574
00:34:08,865 --> 00:34:09,105
Yeah.
575
00:34:09,255 --> 00:34:11,595
I wasn't either, but now, yeah, I can't drive.
576
00:34:11,595 --> 00:34:20,115
I mean it, dude, we started cut cutting fries from scratch here, and that's what really, it was like something was tingling and we started cutting fries from scratch and it just exploded.
577
00:34:20,125 --> 00:34:26,095
And now I can't even use this arm to cut and then shaking a bottle, uh, like formula for my daughter when she was born.
578
00:34:26,695 --> 00:34:29,635
But I think a lot of people deal with that ego thing.
579
00:34:29,635 --> 00:34:29,645
Uh.
580
00:34:30,265 --> 00:34:38,395
Maybe it's like, it might even be a masculine thing that exceed goes outside of this industry, but I know for me, I've dealt with it.
581
00:34:38,875 --> 00:34:49,225
Um, I'm told all the time that I have an ego problem and, and I feel like at 34 I've been conscious of it and have made a lot of conscious efforts to try to bury it.
582
00:34:49,765 --> 00:34:54,295
But there's still moments when I'm told by my fiance that it exists.
583
00:34:54,355 --> 00:34:59,575
And it's embarrassing because, you know, like, no, I feel so humble in this part of my life.
584
00:34:59,575 --> 00:35:01,255
You know? I really feel like I'm there and I,.
585
00:35:02,665 --> 00:35:04,915
But I, yeah, I don't know.
586
00:35:04,915 --> 00:35:06,565
Being aware of it's probably the first step.
587
00:35:06,685 --> 00:35:07,280
Yeah, I think so.
588
00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:11,785
I wish I knew what to say because I'm, I'm, I'm still dealing with it, apparently, and I don't, and I can't put my finger on it still.
589
00:35:11,870 --> 00:35:53,555
I think it's taken a lot of, obviously mature reflection on your part to get to the point where you're at, and a lot of people, so to speak, just kind of get high on their own farts, and especially, especially when you're, I heard that when you're stuck, or I, I don't wanna say stuck, but when you spent a lot of time in the same spot, the same restaurant, and you're consistently putting out good work you, you might not have those humbling experiences that would otherwise make you feel like, you know, I mean, I guess from my perspective, I spent almost six years, in my first like, real kitchen, to the point where I started as a solid cook and I ended up as the, kitchen manager by the.
590
00:35:54,465 --> 00:35:57,675
And I was, I really felt like I was a badass.
591
00:35:57,675 --> 00:35:58,845
I felt like I was the shit.
592
00:35:59,265 --> 00:36:09,375
And then I went to the job that we worked at together, and I got out of my element, and I, I quickly realized oh man, I'm not really as good as I thought I was.
593
00:36:09,425 --> 00:36:22,325
I was, uh, I was a big fish in a small pond and then once I got out into the ocean, I kind of realized how, how vast it was and how much, how I, I guess, how, how high of a climb that mountain really is.
594
00:36:22,385 --> 00:36:24,005
I don't know if you're remembering that correctly, Steve.
595
00:36:24,335 --> 00:36:26,615
What's that? Uh, you busted me outta that so many times.
596
00:36:26,615 --> 00:36:29,375
I remember struggling and you busted me out of everything.
597
00:36:29,375 --> 00:36:30,755
I don't feel like you were behind at all.
598
00:36:30,785 --> 00:36:32,445
I feel like you were guy who got it done.
599
00:36:32,445 --> 00:36:34,295
You know what I'm saying? I feel like you're being hard on yourself, man.
600
00:36:34,345 --> 00:36:40,915
I can't remember how many times I was drowning on saute and you had 20 filets going, 10 ribeyes, you know, all the green beans.
601
00:36:40,915 --> 00:36:41,635
They're all ready to go.
602
00:36:41,635 --> 00:36:43,015
And I'm like, wait, I still have my duck.
603
00:36:43,015 --> 00:36:44,365
And you're like, bro, get it going.
604
00:36:44,365 --> 00:36:46,815
You come over, you put the stuff on for me You saved me a lot, man.
605
00:36:46,815 --> 00:36:48,460
I, I don't, yeah, you're being hard on yourself.
606
00:36:48,460 --> 00:36:49,360
Well, I appreciate that.
607
00:36:49,360 --> 00:37:07,570
I mean, I don't specifically remember Insta instances, but, I, I do everything that I can to, to help out the team and, uh, man, I, I hate anytime I've worked in a kitchen where people just, they're like, I'm the grill guy and this is my job, my job is just to work this and you can like drown on your station and I'm just gonna sit over here on my phone if I don't have anything to do.
608
00:37:07,620 --> 00:37:10,530
I feel like that kind of mentality is cancerous to Yes.
609
00:37:10,740 --> 00:37:12,780
Our, our industry all around.
610
00:37:12,780 --> 00:37:14,970
I mean, not even back of house, but front of house as well.
611
00:37:14,970 --> 00:37:18,360
The people that are just like, I'm only gonna run my food and, you know, fuck that bitch.
612
00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:19,440
I'm not running her shit.
613
00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:19,720
And mm-hmm.
614
00:37:19,740 --> 00:37:26,650
You know, it just kind of like deteriorates everything from the ground up and, uh, well, I mean, I appreciate you for saying that.
615
00:37:26,710 --> 00:37:35,770
Uh, obviously at that point, my ego had humbled and I'd, I'd already been working there for a year, so like, I'd kind of figured it out a little bit, you know, at that point.
616
00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:38,680
Um, honestly, as far as ego goes.
617
00:37:39,490 --> 00:37:47,500
Uh, I'm not advocating this to anybody out there, but something that has really helped me out with my ego over the years is, well, two things, really.
618
00:37:47,725 --> 00:38:07,570
The, the thing that I'm not advocating is psychedelics because, uh, I feel as if, specifically LSD has, the few times I've taken it has caused ego death and kind of made me realize that, my ego's bullshit and, what really exists and what really matters is, the universe and the whole, and that I'm a, I'm a part of this.
619
00:38:07,570 --> 00:38:08,960
I'm not, above anything.
620
00:38:09,620 --> 00:38:16,170
Um, the other thing is, I've gotten, I've told you about this, we've gotten really into Eastern philosophy in my life, Taoism and stuff.
621
00:38:16,590 --> 00:38:24,540
And I think that a lot of that is preaches just kind of not viewing yourself, uh, highly or above others.
622
00:38:24,780 --> 00:38:31,260
And I think just religion in general kind of has that, that hallmark of kind of steering people towards.
623
00:38:31,625 --> 00:38:33,485
Collectivism and not individualism.
624
00:38:33,965 --> 00:38:46,535
So, uh, I, I've always struggled with that, in that, in that ego conversation you were saying how you felt, but there, there's something, there's a difference in what's happening at home and what's happening at work.
625
00:38:46,595 --> 00:38:51,185
And this is a profession that really does, it almost requires a little bit of ego to be honest.
626
00:38:51,185 --> 00:39:01,035
You know, you, 'cause if you have a cook who's kind of beating themselves up and they don't believe in themselves, you almost need them to go like turbo mode and be like, don't just believe in yourself.
627
00:39:01,035 --> 00:39:03,345
Believe that you can do it better than everybody, and then we'll get you there.
628
00:39:03,375 --> 00:39:03,465
Mm-hmm.
629
00:39:04,065 --> 00:39:06,255
And so I think that it does help, honestly.
630
00:39:07,035 --> 00:39:13,125
So, but you, but leaving and then you kill your ego at the door and go home and treat your family like you're not better than them.
631
00:39:13,515 --> 00:39:16,965
And maybe that's where, where I'm trying to figure out where my issue is.
632
00:39:17,205 --> 00:39:23,505
And like I said, I really think I'm getting better at it at this age, but it's like a lifetime where you have to check yourself.
633
00:39:24,405 --> 00:39:26,715
But it's, it's so.
634
00:39:27,345 --> 00:39:30,375
It's such a weird thing to have to separate these two lives.
635
00:39:30,405 --> 00:39:32,115
It, it almost feels like you're living a double life.
636
00:39:32,115 --> 00:39:41,285
I mean, you, you are the same character and you have the same, um, you carry your dignity through home and work and you're, you have, you have integrity everywhere.
637
00:39:41,285 --> 00:39:42,365
Like there's a lot of things of the same.
638
00:39:42,365 --> 00:39:43,505
You're wearing the same t-shirt here.
639
00:39:43,535 --> 00:39:51,065
Well, sometimes you change your clothes between the two, but you're probably wearing non slips when you're taking your dog for a walk once in a while, you know, like that type of stuff.
640
00:39:51,065 --> 00:39:57,725
But, but there's still something that, there's just a part of you that you have to kill when you walk away from the restaurant that goes into, into the home.
641
00:39:57,785 --> 00:40:00,365
And I don't know what that is, but I've experienced that too.
642
00:40:00,725 --> 00:40:08,975
You, you know, like you'll make fucking eggs in the morning and you're kind of waiting on every, you're eating and you're kind of waiting on someone to be like, damn, these eggs are the best eggs I've ever had.
643
00:40:08,975 --> 00:40:11,195
You're like, stop it.
644
00:40:11,245 --> 00:40:12,805
But then they don't do that and you're just like.
645
00:40:13,705 --> 00:40:15,355
Anybody think these are the best eggs they ever had? Yeah.
646
00:40:15,355 --> 00:40:17,245
You're like, what, what's wrong with them? They're fine.
647
00:40:17,245 --> 00:40:17,755
They're fine.
648
00:40:17,815 --> 00:40:18,205
Oh, okay.
649
00:40:18,205 --> 00:40:26,745
No, they're just, I'm just wondering because usually I go medium heat and crumble the sausage, but this time I actually crumbled it in my hands and then added it to a hot pan.
650
00:40:26,775 --> 00:40:27,825
Nobody sends a difference.
651
00:40:27,855 --> 00:40:28,395
That's fine.
652
00:40:28,995 --> 00:40:29,655
That's fine.
653
00:40:29,685 --> 00:40:30,885
No, they're just normal eggs.
654
00:40:30,885 --> 00:40:32,205
I, I'm gonna go to work now.
655
00:40:32,475 --> 00:40:34,755
You know, my frozen pizzas are caramelized perfectly.
656
00:40:34,755 --> 00:40:35,025
Yeah.
657
00:40:35,030 --> 00:40:35,180
Yeah.
658
00:40:35,535 --> 00:40:38,385
You didn't notice I sprinkled some, uh, garlic salt on there.
659
00:40:38,925 --> 00:40:47,955
I think it's kind of funny that you mentioned though, like the dichotomy of, who you are at work versus who you are outside of work too, is, and I've been thinking about it a lot and you've known people that I've worked with.
660
00:40:48,315 --> 00:40:52,755
Uh, you, I mean, you're not withstanding because I, I feel like you saw a different side of me.
661
00:40:52,995 --> 00:40:55,065
I wasn't really necessarily the boss there I was.
662
00:40:55,660 --> 00:41:07,030
More so I, I, I saw myself more as a worker than a boss, even though I guess I was a little elevated, but regardless, there was like five of us there, you know? So, uh, I felt, and I was there all the time, so I felt like I could open up a lot more.
663
00:41:07,030 --> 00:41:15,190
But, uh, now it's, it's funny because he meets people that I've worked with since where I've been in more of a managerial role and.
664
00:41:15,595 --> 00:41:18,535
I'm not really who I am outside of work at work so much.
665
00:41:18,895 --> 00:41:20,455
You know, I corporate Steven Yeah.
666
00:41:21,055 --> 00:41:24,745
Called me what was a stiff collar Stevie, something like that.
667
00:41:25,095 --> 00:41:26,835
But yeah, I'm, yeah.
668
00:41:27,105 --> 00:41:29,265
When I'm at work now, I'm just very, yeah.
669
00:41:29,295 --> 00:41:36,295
Stoic and just, by the book on things and, I, I rules matter a lot to me, and just making sure that people are doing the right thing.
670
00:41:36,295 --> 00:41:45,195
And, uh, I think people see me as a stiff, you know, they, they, they don't really see the, the personality side of me or, my, how I am outside of work.
671
00:41:45,435 --> 00:41:51,840
And it kind of trips me out to think that, people might actually see this podcast and they'll be like, who the fuck is that? The people that I work with, you know? Yeah.
672
00:41:51,900 --> 00:41:53,580
Um, I think that that's gonna happen.
673
00:41:53,940 --> 00:42:04,020
Yeah, probably, I think probably for both of us, I, I'm a little more open in my position because it's a small local restaurant, but there's still some things that I won't talk about with customers that they might see me talk about here.
674
00:42:04,890 --> 00:42:06,150
And, uh, so we'll see.
675
00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:07,590
I mean, you might experience it too.
676
00:42:07,590 --> 00:42:08,040
I don't know.
677
00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:17,160
I don't know how you, this is the first time that we've had a conversation, so I don't know how you show up outside of, I mean, that's why I had to remove myself from the situation entirely and just do something that was more humble in general.
678
00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:17,220
Yeah.
679
00:42:17,250 --> 00:42:19,650
Because it, I was, I wasn't separating that.
680
00:42:19,710 --> 00:42:21,690
I had no separation between work home.
681
00:42:21,780 --> 00:42:24,840
I, I was mentally in one spot and I was too tired to fix it for myself.
682
00:42:24,900 --> 00:42:30,900
Is it melting now? Is it starting to like, oh, it's gone? Yeah, like, um, I've really found who I am again, like this year and it's been great.
683
00:42:30,930 --> 00:42:43,840
Um, that was actually the breaking point of the fine dining restaurant for me was when I realized that I can't even be the chef that I can be because I'm so bogged down mentally that how am I gonna get this team lifted up with me when I'm so far down in the hole that I don't even want to exist, bro.
684
00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:44,440
Like, yeah.
685
00:42:44,500 --> 00:42:50,710
You know? So it was really good to separate myself entirely from that because I, there was, I could not separate it.
686
00:42:51,220 --> 00:42:51,640
Yeah.
687
00:42:52,300 --> 00:42:54,040
You can't be afraid to walk away from shit sometimes.
688
00:42:54,070 --> 00:42:54,160
Mm-hmm.
689
00:42:54,850 --> 00:42:57,520
So, and I was so proud of what we were doing that it was really hard to walk away.
690
00:42:57,850 --> 00:43:04,470
But when you walk away from something and go to something that's perceived as something more humble, more community based, you realize that Being happy is like subjective.
691
00:43:04,520 --> 00:43:10,610
It's doesn't, pride isn't one thing, it's still great, still serving people every day, serving more people every day, actually people in my community.
692
00:43:10,610 --> 00:43:11,840
So it's, yeah, it's been cool.
693
00:43:12,110 --> 00:43:13,130
And sorry.
694
00:43:13,490 --> 00:43:17,120
No, I just wanted to mention, you said you work with your brother now, right? Yeah, it's uh, my brother-in-law.
695
00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:17,330
Yep.
696
00:43:17,420 --> 00:43:18,225
He Oh, your brother-in-law.
697
00:43:18,225 --> 00:43:18,465
Mm-hmm.
698
00:43:18,545 --> 00:43:18,665
Yeah.
699
00:43:18,770 --> 00:43:20,930
So, I mean, and you get along with 'em, I'm assuming.
700
00:43:20,960 --> 00:43:21,050
Yep.
701
00:43:21,050 --> 00:43:41,140
So, I mean, I think that's a, that's a pretty cool thing too, that kind of helps, like mend those fences I guess, or I guess blurs the line between, work and outside of work is when you actually work with people that you love and care about, outside of work in general, I think it elevates you, mentally a little bit, it seems to, but anyway, what were you gonna say? Well, I don't remember.
702
00:43:41,230 --> 00:43:41,500
Oh.
703
00:43:42,010 --> 00:43:42,610
So fuck it.
704
00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:49,900
But I'm glad you bring up that topic 'cause I, yeah, I just think that it, we could probably do a whole episode about ego.
705
00:43:50,570 --> 00:43:55,060
I do you naturally feel that you're an opener or a closer? I'm definitely an opener.
706
00:43:55,090 --> 00:43:56,770
It's a conflict of interest on schedule here.
707
00:43:56,860 --> 00:43:58,840
I don't want to get off at 11 and midnight anymore.
708
00:43:58,840 --> 00:43:59,440
So yeah.
709
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:00,220
I like to open.
710
00:44:00,310 --> 00:44:01,810
Plus closing is like a drag.
711
00:44:01,810 --> 00:44:04,360
You gotta clean everything and make it real spotless, set 'em up for success.
712
00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:05,860
When you open, you just come in and cook stuff.
713
00:44:05,860 --> 00:44:07,180
That's what I'm here for, you know? Right.
714
00:44:07,240 --> 00:44:07,480
Yeah.
715
00:44:07,780 --> 00:44:08,230
That's crazy.
716
00:44:08,230 --> 00:44:09,010
I feel the opposite.
717
00:44:09,010 --> 00:44:12,430
I feel like an opener comes in and sets up the night for success.
718
00:44:12,430 --> 00:44:14,800
A lot of times they should be, and their closer has like.
719
00:44:15,325 --> 00:44:23,825
You got the cleaning to do, but, most of the restaurants I've been involved in the closer has, um, the higher volume of tickets.
720
00:44:24,635 --> 00:44:33,505
And you still need to do, you still need to restock for the morning guy, but a lot of times if it's not there, you're writing a note for the open, uh, you're gonna wanna make this.
721
00:44:33,510 --> 00:44:34,765
I, I tried to restock it.
722
00:44:35,095 --> 00:44:47,335
When I'm a closer, I'll try to do a couple things, but if I, sometimes I get too into it, I'm like, what am I gonna be here for the next two hours after close to try to prep? Sometimes I'll do that just to be a friend to the opener or whatever.
723
00:44:47,335 --> 00:44:51,295
But it's funny that you mention that though because uh, I feel like everywhere that I've worked that's been.
724
00:44:51,775 --> 00:44:53,515
Open for morning and nights.
725
00:44:53,515 --> 00:44:55,735
There's always been that war of Oh yeah.
726
00:44:55,735 --> 00:45:01,135
You know, the, the opening people are just like, oh, these night people are not fucking stocking or doing their cleaning.
727
00:45:01,135 --> 00:45:07,505
And then,, maybe it gets busy in the morning and the morning people can't do it, and then night night people come in, they're like, oh, this is fucking bullshit.
728
00:45:07,505 --> 00:45:08,885
You know, nobody cut limes last night.
729
00:45:08,885 --> 00:45:10,205
It happens in the front too, oh, no.
730
00:45:10,205 --> 00:45:11,075
Silverware rolled.
731
00:45:11,075 --> 00:45:11,885
Oh my gosh.
732
00:45:11,885 --> 00:45:12,965
Rolling silverware.
733
00:45:13,115 --> 00:45:23,555
But it, it almost goes back to the ego thing that you were talking about, because I feel like a lot of times people can't step outside of themselves and be like, oh, maybe Joe was having a really hard day.
734
00:45:23,555 --> 00:45:29,325
And, like just, I, we, we all get to that point sometimes that we're not doing what we're supposed to be doing, mm-hmm.
735
00:45:29,480 --> 00:45:44,595
But I think that a lot of times people are so focused on what their selves and what they need, uh, I hate to say that, but it's just true, that they, they look at what everybody else is doing and it's easy to point the finger at them, but they can't point the finger at themselves, you know? Yeah.
736
00:45:44,835 --> 00:45:44,895
Yeah.
737
00:45:45,435 --> 00:45:50,505
What do you feel like is next for you right now? Are you focusing on now or do you have plans for Yeah, so there's actually big plans.
738
00:45:50,505 --> 00:45:52,395
So really, really recent big plans.
739
00:45:52,515 --> 00:45:55,515
Um, right now I'm baking in the morning, pastries and all that stuff.
740
00:45:55,515 --> 00:45:59,565
And then we're actually gonna expand and open up a full on breakfast restaurant, so I'll be in charge of that.
741
00:45:59,595 --> 00:46:00,105
Oh yeah.
742
00:46:00,165 --> 00:46:01,275
And so that'll be a lot more fun.
743
00:46:01,275 --> 00:46:02,235
I can't wait for service.
744
00:46:02,235 --> 00:46:06,045
I, I didn't think I would miss the ebb and flow and the stress of service, but I miss it, man.
745
00:46:06,075 --> 00:46:07,845
I miss the fire, so I'm excited to get back in.
746
00:46:07,845 --> 00:46:12,285
As soon as you start to feel like this is it, and then you're gonna rush yourself right back into some shit.
747
00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:12,760
Yeah.
748
00:46:12,975 --> 00:46:13,545
Yeah.
749
00:46:13,575 --> 00:46:18,855
But I think it's healthy because I'm starting to miss it and it is stuff I, you know, I, I don't think I'm ever gonna leave the industry.
750
00:46:18,855 --> 00:46:22,185
It's what I'm good at, right? I've been in it for so long and I love serving people and making people happy.
751
00:46:22,185 --> 00:46:30,315
So, you know, it might be more hours, but I feel like if we do it right, it won't be as stressful as some of the other places I've been at.
752
00:46:30,405 --> 00:46:33,255
And it's just, it'll be my own mentality, honestly.
753
00:46:33,345 --> 00:46:33,585
Yeah.
754
00:46:33,585 --> 00:46:38,175
You got a moment to reset now and a different perspective it sounds like.
755
00:46:38,175 --> 00:46:42,075
So I think, yeah, you can go in it with a more confidence and.
756
00:46:42,495 --> 00:46:44,025
And it should, I would, I would hope.
757
00:46:44,025 --> 00:46:46,425
I mean, I I, it sounds like it's gonna smooth things out.
758
00:46:46,785 --> 00:46:47,415
Yeah, I think it will.
759
00:46:47,595 --> 00:46:58,715
And I also think that that area is really starved for, just breakfast spots or just good restaurants in general, and it's really gonna, I mean, 'cause it's back where you're from, right? Um, no, it's actually in the neighboring town.
760
00:46:58,785 --> 00:46:59,345
Whoville.
761
00:46:59,690 --> 00:47:00,350
Yeah, Whoville.
762
00:47:00,870 --> 00:47:05,970
But yeah, every time I go up there, it's just kind of, it feels like it's, right now it's all dispensaries.
763
00:47:06,915 --> 00:47:15,645
There's, there's like literally nothing else, so I think that there's a lot of people around there that are looking for something, so you guys are gonna be filling a wood munchies dude, for sure.
764
00:47:17,025 --> 00:47:17,715
That's actually crazy.
765
00:47:17,715 --> 00:47:19,845
The dispensaries bought like, a lot of restaurants out.
766
00:47:19,845 --> 00:47:20,535
A lot of buildings.
767
00:47:20,535 --> 00:47:23,805
Just on the pretense that we were gonna vote for more dispensaries in our town.
768
00:47:23,835 --> 00:47:23,955
Yeah.
769
00:47:23,955 --> 00:47:24,555
And we didn't.
770
00:47:24,735 --> 00:47:36,115
And so now all these buildings are sold and all these, other businesses are closing down, like all of our Our bowling alley's closing down our, mini golf places is closing down for dispensaries.
771
00:47:36,115 --> 00:47:36,295
Right.
772
00:47:36,295 --> 00:47:42,145
But it's like, even if we did build more dispensaries, people come and then what do they do? Just go to more dispensaries.
773
00:47:42,145 --> 00:47:43,255
Like, we need activities too.
774
00:47:43,285 --> 00:47:45,265
How many fucking dispensaries do you need? Yeah.
775
00:47:45,445 --> 00:47:45,835
Right.
776
00:47:46,165 --> 00:47:46,825
Yeah.
777
00:47:47,305 --> 00:47:51,595
How do you see, uh, do you ever think about retirement? Not often.
778
00:47:51,985 --> 00:47:55,165
I think I'm just gonna, yeah.
779
00:47:55,165 --> 00:47:56,395
I, I don't have a plan.
780
00:47:56,755 --> 00:48:04,585
I, I kind of feel like I'm just gonna be like the 75-year-old dude that's still coming in, mopping the floors and just bullshitting with people, you know? I'm be like, Wolfgang Poke 90 on the line.
781
00:48:05,125 --> 00:48:05,725
Yeah.
782
00:48:05,785 --> 00:48:09,505
Jamie was saying that he wants to, he was, I think this will be episode.
783
00:48:09,505 --> 00:48:09,745
Yeah.
784
00:48:09,750 --> 00:48:12,745
It, it would be the last episode before this one, no, two episodes ago.
785
00:48:12,925 --> 00:48:12,985
Yeah.
786
00:48:13,375 --> 00:48:21,085
And he was saying that he thinks retirement might be in a, maybe he'll wanna be a dishwasher and just wait for the, the one moment, a year in where he'll be like.
787
00:48:21,850 --> 00:48:26,170
I can cover that guy that called off sick, like, you're a fucking dishwasher.
788
00:48:26,230 --> 00:48:27,670
He's like, ah, I still got it.
789
00:48:29,020 --> 00:48:30,220
Pull like a feature out of his ass.
790
00:48:30,220 --> 00:48:35,130
He's been like eyeballing the inventory, trying to write the perfect dish to just you know, it's just exotic fruit flambe.
791
00:48:35,455 --> 00:48:35,535
Yeah.
792
00:48:36,115 --> 00:48:42,900
You know, like, what the heck? He's like, what's that? Goodwill hunting or whatever where the janitor is? Um, I haven't seen it.
793
00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:45,630
Oh, is that that movie? I am not a movie guy.
794
00:48:45,660 --> 00:48:46,110
Okay.
795
00:48:46,680 --> 00:48:49,290
There's a movie where the janitor is like, some kind of savant.
796
00:48:50,190 --> 00:48:50,520
Oh, okay.
797
00:48:50,520 --> 00:48:55,470
He's like the janitor of a college and, but it turns out that he's actually smarter than a professor or whatever.
798
00:48:55,475 --> 00:48:55,655
Yeah.
799
00:48:55,680 --> 00:48:56,220
Yeah.
800
00:48:56,220 --> 00:48:58,080
I, I think it's goodwill hunting, but I'm not sure.
801
00:48:58,740 --> 00:49:00,270
I think about retirement a lot.
802
00:49:00,855 --> 00:49:04,695
Um, 'cause I wanna retire really young, but I don't think it's gonna look traditional.
803
00:49:04,815 --> 00:49:07,395
I don't think that you just go, all right, I'm cashing in my 401k.
804
00:49:07,395 --> 00:49:12,015
Well, obviously you, you won't because if you're retiring young, you're probably not gonna pull your 401k.
805
00:49:12,675 --> 00:49:15,885
Also, I don't have one, so I did for a minute.
806
00:49:15,915 --> 00:49:19,305
Um, I had a corporate job and I was, but it's, there's really nothing there.
807
00:49:19,305 --> 00:49:20,385
That's, that's helpful.
808
00:49:21,225 --> 00:49:27,075
So I, I always think that retirement's gonna look like I'm trying to set myself up in a way to have passive income.
809
00:49:27,495 --> 00:49:33,195
And there's, I might still need to be active, but I'm hopefully not tying on an apron.
810
00:49:33,195 --> 00:49:36,705
And I don't wanna be stuck in a, in an area, I don't wanna be stuck here.
811
00:49:36,705 --> 00:49:45,405
I wanna be able to, we really hope that we can get an RV and just go do our shit, which then comes with like, well, maybe we should have a food operation tied to this rv.
812
00:49:45,405 --> 00:49:53,055
And, if we're gonna go to the Smokies, then we're gonna be there for four days and maybe two of them we need to try to sell fucking paninis or something.
813
00:49:53,055 --> 00:49:55,355
I mean, whatever, And is that sustainable? I don't know.
814
00:49:55,355 --> 00:50:02,105
It's fun to brainstorm because it's, I feel like life is moving a lot faster these days for me, and it's gonna be here before I know it.
815
00:50:02,765 --> 00:50:08,795
And at this pace, I'm just gonna be literally cooking until I stroke on the line.
816
00:50:08,795 --> 00:50:15,895
I've opened a restaurant, but I still work, I still work in this and it's, and I, it's kind of necessary, so that's why I bring it up.
817
00:50:15,895 --> 00:50:28,565
I don't know if you have any thoughts at all or any plans on how it's gonna look? I mean, long term I'd like to, maybe open a restaurant, maybe have some sauces, go viral and set, put 'em on Walmart shelf.
818
00:50:28,805 --> 00:50:33,845
That would be ideally the end goal, you know what I mean? Just having a manufacturing deal and collecting 5% on the beach somewhere that would be awesome.
819
00:50:34,055 --> 00:50:34,355
Yeah.
820
00:50:34,415 --> 00:50:38,845
Uh, but that being said, I do love service, so stepping outta the kitchen might not even be rewarding.
821
00:50:38,845 --> 00:50:41,095
I might still wanna be part of it even then, but it's true.
822
00:50:41,245 --> 00:50:41,665
Yeah.
823
00:50:42,475 --> 00:50:57,295
I'm, I'm hoping that, someday if I can just stay on the, the corporate path, eventually I'll, I'll be at a point where, I'm overseeing restaurants that a, a family of restaurants and I can just kind of come in and tell people what they need to do.
824
00:50:57,295 --> 00:50:59,905
And you bridges keep going one inch higher every year.
825
00:50:59,965 --> 00:51:00,535
Yeah, yeah.
826
00:51:00,540 --> 00:51:01,795
Start to wear the suspenders.
827
00:51:01,795 --> 00:51:02,125
Yeah.
828
00:51:02,545 --> 00:51:08,695
Um, uh, that's kind of the path that I'm on and I think that's what will eventually end up happening as long as I do well.
829
00:51:09,145 --> 00:51:18,475
Um, but it kind of, man, what was it like last week? One of the other managers that I work with, she's in her sixties and she's just been doing this forever.
830
00:51:18,475 --> 00:51:22,855
And she told me, she was like, I don't know, I think she was just frustrated.
831
00:51:22,855 --> 00:51:26,365
She gets agitated sometimes and she just says she flies off the handle of stuff.
832
00:51:26,365 --> 00:51:27,055
And she was like.
833
00:51:27,775 --> 00:51:31,765
You're just gonna be doing this like me, and you're, you're just gonna be exactly where I'm at and stuff.
834
00:51:31,825 --> 00:51:34,425
And it was kinda like fucking punching down on me, dude.
835
00:51:34,575 --> 00:51:35,715
I just wanna be like, fuck you.
836
00:51:35,715 --> 00:51:37,935
But no, that's what I was trying to do.
837
00:51:37,935 --> 00:51:38,745
Is that not Right?.
838
00:51:40,225 --> 00:51:47,600
I mean, obviously I have great ambitions and I mean, I'm hoping that this podcast goes somewhere, and Yeah, that'd be sick.
839
00:51:47,600 --> 00:51:55,000
You know, that would I, it's not something that I'm planning on, but if I could, just talk about cooking, that'd be awesome.
840
00:51:55,030 --> 00:51:55,330
You know? Yeah.
841
00:51:55,330 --> 00:52:00,040
I hope that, I hope that this podcast at least takes us somewhere that adds value to our life.
842
00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:07,190
Whether it's like, I mean, financially it would be awesome if we could lean on it some for some monetary value, that'd be really cool.
843
00:52:07,190 --> 00:52:13,140
But I, I do expect that it will take us some places where we just have new experiences.
844
00:52:13,140 --> 00:52:14,850
I mean, this is a new experience, you know? Yeah.
845
00:52:14,850 --> 00:52:17,310
I don't know if you and I were ever gonna sit down and chat.
846
00:52:17,790 --> 00:52:19,110
So I'm glad that we did same.
847
00:52:19,215 --> 00:52:20,850
It's, it's already adding value in my life.
848
00:52:20,850 --> 00:52:22,710
'cause I mean, I'm seeing old friends.
849
00:52:22,710 --> 00:52:22,830
Yeah.
850
00:52:22,830 --> 00:52:27,630
And I get to see you every week, you know, which is, aw, well, uh, guys, let's hug.
851
00:52:28,680 --> 00:52:31,170
I mean, it, it just, it gets difficult.
852
00:52:31,200 --> 00:52:45,690
Even we've lived in the same area for, I mean, within driving distance of one another, but our lives have just gotten so hectic with work and family lives and stuff that it's hard to carve out time to, for your friends sometimes, yeah.
853
00:52:45,690 --> 00:52:57,330
So, I mean, that, that's the one big positive for this podcast to me so far, is that I actually get to, hang out with my buddies, you know? But yeah, it was sort of carved out a way to, to make it work or like make it.
854
00:52:58,305 --> 00:52:59,265
A job in a sense.
855
00:52:59,265 --> 00:53:00,345
I mean, it feels like a job.
856
00:53:00,345 --> 00:53:04,215
It's not paying, but it's still, it has those moments where you go, we put all this work in.
857
00:53:04,605 --> 00:53:07,845
But yeah, we're getting to reconnect with people or make new connections and stuff.
858
00:53:07,905 --> 00:53:08,145
Yeah.
859
00:53:08,145 --> 00:53:13,005
Regular viewers might notice that the sun has come up and that's, I mean, this is our first time shooting in the morning.
860
00:53:13,035 --> 00:53:13,245
Yeah.
861
00:53:13,245 --> 00:53:14,115
We've never shot in the morning.
862
00:53:14,115 --> 00:53:16,155
We've always shot after dinner service.
863
00:53:16,155 --> 00:53:16,215
Yeah.
864
00:53:16,245 --> 00:53:16,905
Late at night.
865
00:53:16,935 --> 00:53:18,795
And so we're drinking coffee.
866
00:53:18,825 --> 00:53:19,515
I'm all amped up.
867
00:53:19,515 --> 00:53:20,355
Well, this is vodka.
868
00:53:20,385 --> 00:53:21,465
Steve's going kind of hard.
869
00:53:21,555 --> 00:53:21,915
Yeah.
870
00:53:21,915 --> 00:53:21,925
Yeah.
871
00:53:21,925 --> 00:53:24,555
And I've gotta work later, so, you know, I gotta tie one on.
872
00:53:24,945 --> 00:53:26,625
Well, my bedtime's at 7:30 PM Sharp.
873
00:53:26,625 --> 00:53:27,735
So, good thing it's in the morning.
874
00:53:27,735 --> 00:53:28,665
Dang.
875
00:53:28,695 --> 00:53:30,225
What time do you go in? Nah, I'm just kidding.
876
00:53:30,315 --> 00:53:31,365
I go to bed around nine though.
877
00:53:31,545 --> 00:53:32,055
Oh, okay.
878
00:53:32,145 --> 00:53:32,985
That's still pretty early.
879
00:53:32,985 --> 00:53:33,915
I wake up at like five.
880
00:53:34,095 --> 00:53:35,115
I struggle to go in.
881
00:53:35,115 --> 00:53:36,765
I struggled to go to bed before midnight.
882
00:53:36,900 --> 00:53:40,185
I, I went to bed at one last night knowing I had to wake up at six today.
883
00:53:40,185 --> 00:53:43,540
And I was, I couldn't, I just tried, I couldn't sleep nowadays by, by nine o'clock.
884
00:53:43,665 --> 00:53:45,375
I mean, 'cause I work morning job as well.
885
00:53:45,380 --> 00:53:45,500
Mm-hmm.
886
00:53:45,580 --> 00:53:46,425
You know, for the most part.
887
00:53:46,755 --> 00:53:53,075
And by nine o'clock I'm, my eyes are so heavy I might as well go to bed 'cause I'm not gonna enjoy or put.
888
00:53:53,555 --> 00:54:02,485
A lot of energy into anything that I'm doing while I'm awake now, so what else we got? Any other wild stories you got up your ass? Hopefully not.
889
00:54:02,485 --> 00:54:02,935
Alright.
890
00:54:02,935 --> 00:54:10,375
One time I was at the brewery and the dishwasher in the back was screaming and punching boxes, like really loud.
891
00:54:10,375 --> 00:54:13,075
And then he runs up to the line and I'm on the pizza station.
892
00:54:13,075 --> 00:54:15,715
So I'm like the first person he talks to and I'm not the boss by any means.
893
00:54:15,985 --> 00:54:22,075
He goes, Hey, my mom, my baby mom just called her ex is there and she's getting her ass beat right now.
894
00:54:22,105 --> 00:54:26,935
Can can I go? And I'm like, what? Why are you asking me? I said, run, run out the door.
895
00:54:26,935 --> 00:54:28,585
And he, he said, okay, thanks.
896
00:54:28,585 --> 00:54:31,465
And he sprinted out the door and he came back like three hours later.
897
00:54:31,515 --> 00:54:32,745
You know, mangled and sweaty.,
898
00:54:32,815 --> 00:54:34,375
How'd it go? He is like, oh, I, oh, I won.
899
00:54:34,495 --> 00:54:40,145
And I was like, what? And I asked him, I said, why did you ask me to leave? Isn't that more important than work? And he is like, well, I just wanted, you know, not to get fired.
900
00:54:40,145 --> 00:54:41,985
I wanted someone to know what I was going to.
901
00:54:41,985 --> 00:54:45,345
I was like, bro, dang, that reminds me, man.
902
00:54:45,345 --> 00:54:46,245
I mean, that's wild.
903
00:54:46,245 --> 00:54:51,945
But, um, there was one job that I, so it was right when I'd stepped into full service.
904
00:54:51,945 --> 00:54:57,135
I was coming from fast food and I pulled in this guy from fast food, and he was a little, he was a little off.
905
00:54:57,135 --> 00:55:04,635
I mean, he's a good guy, but he was in the Iraq war and he had seen people die, killed people.
906
00:55:04,635 --> 00:55:16,775
And, uh, I think it kind of fucked him up a little bit mentally, and I remember one day as I was training him, he, he, I think he was working a double shift or something, and he showed up later than he was supposed to.
907
00:55:17,255 --> 00:55:21,125
And his hands were all fucked up and he was like, sorry, I'm late, man.
908
00:55:21,155 --> 00:55:21,605
Uh.
909
00:55:21,965 --> 00:55:24,725
I caught these guys trying to break into my garage and I beat the shit out of them.
910
00:55:26,075 --> 00:55:29,795
Was like, whoa, what? We're gonna tell him that all this food looks great today.
911
00:55:29,855 --> 00:55:30,245
Yeah, for sure.
912
00:55:31,210 --> 00:55:32,375
And he's like, he's heated.
913
00:55:32,555 --> 00:55:32,975
Yeah.
914
00:55:33,425 --> 00:55:34,295
That's wild dude.
915
00:55:36,305 --> 00:55:36,995
Well, awesome man.
916
00:55:36,995 --> 00:55:38,105
Thank you for joining us.
917
00:55:38,135 --> 00:55:38,750
Thanks for having, I appreciate it.
918
00:55:39,155 --> 00:55:43,895
I feel like we could talk for a long time, but we gotta put a cap on it at some point, so, um, yeah.
919
00:55:43,955 --> 00:55:46,865
I'm glad you, I'm glad you stopped in and we had this conversation.
920
00:55:47,495 --> 00:55:47,915
Cool.
921
00:55:48,215 --> 00:55:48,935
Yeah, thanks for having me.
922
00:55:48,935 --> 00:55:49,505
It's been great.
923
00:55:49,685 --> 00:55:50,285
For sure.
924
00:55:50,615 --> 00:55:51,935
Alright, well thank you.
925
00:55:51,995 --> 00:55:56,615
Oh, we're supposed to be saying that you need to fucking follow and like, and comment on our shit.
926
00:55:56,645 --> 00:55:56,675
Okay.
927
00:55:56,975 --> 00:55:57,605
Yeah, please.
928
00:55:57,605 --> 00:56:00,365
Yeah, let's, let's start a discussion in the comments about, yeah.
929
00:56:00,575 --> 00:56:02,585
Are we gonna send an old boy to kick your ass? Yeah.
930
00:56:02,615 --> 00:56:03,455
Yeah, my buddy.
931
00:56:03,515 --> 00:56:03,695
Yeah.
932
00:56:03,695 --> 00:56:07,835
I still got his number and he's, he's still as crazy as ever, so he's taller than me.
933
00:56:08,135 --> 00:56:10,085
Yeah, he's taller than everybody actually.
934
00:56:10,085 --> 00:56:12,395
Dang, this man's, uh, Shaquille and Neil size.
935
00:56:12,485 --> 00:56:14,915
So we've had no, we've had some good support.
936
00:56:14,915 --> 00:56:16,685
So if you're watching this, obviously you're supporting us.
937
00:56:16,685 --> 00:56:18,185
Yeah, I did actually wanna mention that.
938
00:56:18,265 --> 00:56:24,175
Uh, this podcast has had a lot of people reach out to me that I haven't spoke to in a long time.
939
00:56:24,235 --> 00:56:35,075
And I mean, Sean knows these guys know that, um, I, I'm pretty reclusive in my personal life and I don't really mean to lose contact with people, yeah.
940
00:56:35,105 --> 00:56:36,545
But it kind of just happens.
941
00:56:36,545 --> 00:56:47,415
'cause, I mean, I'm just kind of floating around, focusing on whatever is in front of me, so I wanna thank everybody that's reached out and with support and people I haven't talked to in a while.
942
00:56:47,415 --> 00:56:48,165
I love you guys.
943
00:56:48,245 --> 00:56:58,405
And, you know, I just, I don't mean to be that way, but just trust that, uh, I, I'm not intentionally trying to, steer away from anybody.
944
00:56:58,405 --> 00:56:59,335
I'm just kind of like.
945
00:56:59,965 --> 00:57:03,835
Probably just sitting at home high by myself doing a painting or something, you know, like this.
946
00:57:03,835 --> 00:57:05,365
Well, the mean comments are getting to you.
947
00:57:07,525 --> 00:57:08,635
There's a lot of 'em so far.
948
00:57:08,635 --> 00:57:08,935
Yeah.
949
00:57:09,535 --> 00:57:10,610
I try, I try to stay away from the comments.
950
00:57:10,770 --> 00:57:21,265
I think the worst comments I've seen so far was we had one Instagram reel, get a lot of views, and they were, it was a mixed bag, but the worst ones were just calling me a liar basically.
951
00:57:21,265 --> 00:57:24,955
And I was like, oh, whatever this is, this is all good content.
952
00:57:24,955 --> 00:57:31,645
Pretty much it was because I, I had said that I'd worked an overnight shift and they were like, bullshit, you've never worked an overnight shift.
953
00:57:31,645 --> 00:57:33,685
And I was like, why would you lie about that? Yeah.
954
00:57:33,685 --> 00:57:36,175
Multiple times, you know, like, that's part of this game sometimes.
955
00:57:36,205 --> 00:57:38,995
And if you're not, then, um, that's awesome.
956
00:57:38,995 --> 00:57:40,705
I mean, I'm not doing 'em anymore, that's for sure.
957
00:57:40,735 --> 00:57:54,125
I've, I've done, maybe last year we opened another concept in, a neighboring town and there was maybe one time that I was like, I got home at like 6:00 AM but I left at 6:00 AM the day before type shit.
958
00:57:54,125 --> 00:57:58,055
And so, but I, but you know, I still came home and crashed out and went to sleep for a while.
959
00:57:58,910 --> 00:57:59,450
Getting older.
960
00:57:59,450 --> 00:58:00,530
I can't do that crap anymore.
961
00:58:00,560 --> 00:58:10,380
It is kind of funny though, because I've never really been a con, well, obviously never been a content creator until now, and just seeing the different comments from the different sources and what they kind of lean towards.
962
00:58:10,380 --> 00:58:12,330
And I've noticed that Instagram is pretty vile.
963
00:58:13,560 --> 00:58:15,090
There's a lot of shitheads on Instagram.
964
00:58:15,090 --> 00:58:15,870
No, that's good though.
965
00:58:15,870 --> 00:58:16,350
Sorry.
966
00:58:16,350 --> 00:58:16,710
Sorry.
967
00:58:16,770 --> 00:58:18,415
Uh, I mean, there's a lot of good people on Instagram too.
968
00:58:18,420 --> 00:58:19,590
No, I think the shitheads are good.
969
00:58:19,860 --> 00:58:20,190
Shit.
970
00:58:20,190 --> 00:58:21,930
Some of these people, it's like the same.
971
00:58:21,930 --> 00:58:23,040
They're arguing with themselves.
972
00:58:23,160 --> 00:58:25,920
They're just logging into their other one, or it's a fucking bot maybe.
973
00:58:25,920 --> 00:58:26,400
I don't know.
974
00:58:27,000 --> 00:58:29,400
They all seem, maybe they're, I don't know how to identify a bot.
975
00:58:29,400 --> 00:58:31,530
I don't really care what anybody says about me, honestly.
976
00:58:31,530 --> 00:58:33,030
Like, I, I think it's all great.
977
00:58:33,030 --> 00:58:37,360
Kind of positive, negative, leave whatever, whatever you're feeling in your mind, I want to hear it.
978
00:58:37,740 --> 00:58:45,230
But it's, yeah, it is just kind of funny to see, I know Facebook has kind of been a, a little bit more like what I was talking about, somebody I haven't seen in 20 years.
979
00:58:45,235 --> 00:58:45,385
Mm-hmm.
980
00:58:45,465 --> 00:58:46,940
They're like, oh, hey, there's Steve.
981
00:58:47,870 --> 00:58:47,930
You know? Yeah.
982
00:58:47,930 --> 00:58:50,120
Steve's not even on social media pretty much at all.
983
00:58:50,180 --> 00:58:50,450
Yeah.
984
00:58:50,455 --> 00:58:51,065
Personally, that's, yeah.
985
00:58:51,140 --> 00:58:58,235
That's why I wanted to take the time out to say that because Yeah, I'm, I, I know that I take one picture every five years, you know? So.
986
00:58:58,235 --> 00:58:58,435
Yeah.
987
00:58:58,750 --> 00:59:01,630
Uh, and it's in my phone 'cause I'm like, Hey, we're camping.
988
00:59:01,630 --> 00:59:02,170
Come on bro.
989
00:59:02,170 --> 00:59:02,770
Take a photo.
990
00:59:02,860 --> 00:59:04,660
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
991
00:59:04,660 --> 00:59:05,890
Sometimes you'll send me pictures.
992
00:59:05,890 --> 00:59:08,980
I'll be like, when did I even fucking, oh, you know what? I, just real quick.
993
00:59:08,980 --> 00:59:17,440
I think that we should add that if, if you are, I think bartending or cooking and you're trying to make a name for yourself, you gotta take pictures.
994
00:59:17,830 --> 00:59:24,280
Like, I think that you really should, personally, I think that you should start to build a social media base for your projects.
995
00:59:24,280 --> 00:59:32,940
You should, and like running by some people because you, sometimes I'll look back at something I did when I was 23 that I thought was really nice and really the, the plate composition wasn't quite there.
996
00:59:33,660 --> 00:59:36,270
And I know that's gonna happen when I'm 50 looking back and stuff I'm doing when I'm 30.
997
00:59:36,330 --> 00:59:38,880
But for real, take, learn how to take some good pictures.
998
00:59:38,940 --> 00:59:41,400
Don't be afraid to get a little bit, maybe just a little light.
999
00:59:42,000 --> 00:59:44,040
And really try to build a base.
1000
00:59:44,100 --> 00:59:46,890
And I can't really explain how it helps, but it does like it.
1001
00:59:46,890 --> 00:59:49,290
I mean, it just helps build a little bit of a personal brand.
1002
00:59:49,710 --> 00:59:54,390
It makes you more hireable, more li more than likely in a lot of restaurants.
1003
00:59:54,750 --> 01:00:03,690
And, uh, if you ever, if your main goal is to someday run your own concept, building an a base takes years.
1004
01:00:03,900 --> 01:00:12,000
And so if you start taking photos now, you know, it might, 10 years from now, you might have some people that have been following your journey that are excited about your project.
1005
01:00:12,000 --> 01:00:15,420
So I think that that's, yeah, it's like a, it's really big.
1006
01:00:15,420 --> 01:00:15,630
You really are.
1007
01:00:15,630 --> 01:00:17,700
It's like a modern day portfolio, you know? Yeah.
1008
01:00:18,120 --> 01:00:18,360
Yeah.
1009
01:00:18,360 --> 01:00:19,770
I think put it out there, for real.
1010
01:00:19,770 --> 01:00:21,690
Just keep and try to make those connections.
1011
01:00:21,690 --> 01:00:23,220
If this is what you really want to do, then.
1012
01:00:24,375 --> 01:00:25,815
I think that that's super important.
1013
01:00:25,815 --> 01:00:31,035
I remember the first kitchen I worked in where the guys were all taking photos and I was like, I thought that they had, they were all ego tripping.
1014
01:00:31,065 --> 01:00:31,155
Mm-hmm.
1015
01:00:31,695 --> 01:00:38,175
And then, but over time I realized that they were all really humble guys, but they knew that they were trying to build their careers in a certain direction.
1016
01:00:38,775 --> 01:00:47,655
And, uh, you see restaurants open with magnificent talent and close and they didn't exist on the internet.
1017
01:00:47,715 --> 01:00:58,665
And you, you kind of have to, in my opinion, you kind of have to, it's not like it used to be, from what I hear before, our generation, it kind of used to be like, you just put that hot dish out and stay consistent and you're gonna be fine.
1018
01:00:58,695 --> 01:01:00,525
I don't think it really works that way anymore.
1019
01:01:00,945 --> 01:01:03,785
I think you really have to be kind of powerful on the internet.
1020
01:01:03,785 --> 01:01:05,375
You have to catch people's eyes.
1021
01:01:06,095 --> 01:01:06,995
So I just wanted to say that.
1022
01:01:07,295 --> 01:01:08,540
Yeah, I think that's something you learned about.
1023
01:01:08,540 --> 01:01:11,585
I mean, you made a pretty good career without, without doing that, to be honest.
1024
01:01:11,585 --> 01:01:13,655
So maybe I'm wrong, but Yeah.
1025
01:01:13,655 --> 01:01:14,585
But I don't know.
1026
01:01:14,585 --> 01:01:24,725
I haven't really, I mean, I guess there was a moment where I was kind of going towards like the culinary arts, aspect of it, but I think I've kind of segued into more of a corporate style role.
1027
01:01:24,725 --> 01:01:32,555
And, I think for me it's just been my resume, just having not, not only that experience, but it is just having things that I can point to.
1028
01:01:32,855 --> 01:01:39,665
Like I remember we, uh, the restaurant that we worked at, uh, won an award in 2019 that I could put on my resume.
1029
01:01:39,665 --> 01:01:40,445
You know, that Yeah.
1030
01:01:40,505 --> 01:02:08,155
That's really impressive that, you can give those type of things to potential employers and they already know before they even meet you that you have some kind of pedigree, but I, it, it is been a different aspect for you that I think it's been really cool to watch you kind of develop, because I don't think you really had a whole lot of social media knowledge until, you became a chef and then, uh, uh, I think it expanded a lot when you started, when you opened this place, and you.
1031
01:02:08,770 --> 01:02:17,320
Uh, I kind of watched you figure out how to make these reels and these shorts and you know, like it's survival, some of it, right? It's a, it's a lot, man.
1032
01:02:17,740 --> 01:02:29,710
I run a burger restaurant right now easily, I'll say 30, and a lot of times it's more, but easily 30% of my time goes to how do we look on the internet and it drives traffic.
1033
01:02:29,740 --> 01:02:34,180
And sometimes when you feel like it doesn't, you just wait a little bit, keep going.
1034
01:02:34,210 --> 01:02:43,180
And I'll have customers that'll tell me, oh, we're here because we or somebody will ask about you, put someone on your website that really only exists on your website, and you just kind of like leave it there and see if somebody mentions it.
1035
01:02:43,180 --> 01:02:45,490
And then eventually somebody will, and it's like, oh, okay.
1036
01:02:45,490 --> 01:02:47,290
That definitely brought that table in a hundred percent.
1037
01:02:47,290 --> 01:02:50,890
Our website brought that table in, right? And that reel brought this in.
1038
01:02:50,890 --> 01:02:53,830
And, and like when we opened, we had to do a soft open.
1039
01:02:53,830 --> 01:02:57,740
So we had to, fill this, fill these seats with 20 invites basically.
1040
01:02:57,920 --> 01:03:03,410
And that would've never happened if it, like, if I feel like if I just went to another town and nobody knew me.
1041
01:03:04,400 --> 01:03:22,820
Well, how do we even find soft open invites? You know? So, you know, you almost have to, do you do that? Do you, do you take a lot of photos and try to build like a personal brand and Yeah, so, um, I have my own Instagram that I haven't used in quite some time because there was like a separation between skill because like you say, you know, you release something five years ago, you think it's real nice.
1042
01:03:22,880 --> 01:03:22,940
Yeah.
1043
01:03:22,940 --> 01:03:24,020
Then you get more experience.
1044
01:03:24,020 --> 01:03:25,670
You look at it, you're like, eh, could've done better uhhuh.
1045
01:03:26,120 --> 01:03:30,590
So I've been taking a break from posting more stuff until I really feel like I'm refined more.
1046
01:03:31,100 --> 01:03:35,090
Um, but I have a whole portfolio of professional photos taken in college.
1047
01:03:35,120 --> 01:03:39,200
My wife runs the head of marketing, so she's always professionally photographing all of my stuff.
1048
01:03:39,290 --> 01:03:41,570
And so we have a really big presence on social media.
1049
01:03:41,870 --> 01:03:46,690
And I gotta say that If anything is gonna be beneficial, it's definitely that internet footprint.
1050
01:03:46,690 --> 01:03:49,000
'cause even if it doesn't get likes, people are still seeing it.
1051
01:03:49,000 --> 01:03:50,620
And if it looks good, they're gonna think about you.
1052
01:03:50,620 --> 01:03:53,360
And as long as they're thinking about you, you're probably gonna get some business.
1053
01:03:53,360 --> 01:03:55,280
So, and it's, it's probably the cheapest.
1054
01:03:55,280 --> 01:04:04,160
I've looked into a lot of different ways to advertise and there's traditional advertisements can cost so much that you're just like, I can't even fathom doing that and that it not working.
1055
01:04:04,160 --> 01:04:08,210
Could be the end of us, especially a small business.
1056
01:04:08,210 --> 01:04:09,590
Even from the corporate side of it.
1057
01:04:09,590 --> 01:04:28,660
I've noticed over the last five years that we've really gone away from traditional advertisement, you know, 'cause I mean, at this point it's, it's almost not even worth the money that it costs to put an ad on the radio or the, or TV or whatever, um, and it, but we've, we've pushed hard on one, uh, reviews.
1058
01:04:28,720 --> 01:04:32,350
Reviews are the, the cornerstone of advertisement at this point.
1059
01:04:32,650 --> 01:04:38,020
Because if you can keep your review score high, then when people are Googling I don't know, burgers in this area, yeah.
1060
01:04:38,020 --> 01:04:40,510
You know, then, then your name pops up instantly.
1061
01:04:40,870 --> 01:05:04,330
Um, and a lot of times people will go for that first thing that they see, especially if it looks good and, reviews and a lot, there's a lot of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, just, we've always had a dedicated person to run those kind of things and make sure that we're putting out posts like three or four times a week just to keep, keep our name out there, you know, keep nailing it, right? Yeah.
1062
01:05:04,330 --> 01:05:11,320
I think, yeah, if, if you're a cook or a bartender and just even separate from your business that you're working for, do that for yourself.
1063
01:05:11,350 --> 01:05:12,370
Treat yourself like a brand.
1064
01:05:12,370 --> 01:05:13,960
I think it'll, it'll do something good for you.
1065
01:05:14,590 --> 01:05:26,500
And, um, if you guys are listening or watching and you have some advice on, on how to build your personal brand or, or your actual business, we'd love to hear it because I'm, I lose sleep over it.
1066
01:05:26,890 --> 01:05:30,910
I mean, we could, there could always be more asses in the seats for sure.
1067
01:05:30,915 --> 01:05:34,780
We, we do have the email set up now, right? Or do we not? I don't, yes.
1068
01:05:34,780 --> 01:05:38,410
I don't remember it, but we are, we feed them pod.com.
1069
01:05:38,530 --> 01:05:40,630
Yeah, we feed them.com
1070
01:05:40,630 --> 01:05:41,440
is the website we feed.
1071
01:05:41,440 --> 01:05:41,740
Oh yeah.
1072
01:05:41,740 --> 01:05:42,550
And everything's on the website.
1073
01:05:42,550 --> 01:05:43,570
We feed them.com.
1074
01:05:43,870 --> 01:05:44,140
Yeah.
1075
01:05:44,200 --> 01:05:45,910
All of our socials, all of our contact.
1076
01:05:45,940 --> 01:05:46,840
So hit that shit.
1077
01:05:47,260 --> 01:05:48,580
Yeah, we feed them.com.
1078
01:05:49,000 --> 01:05:49,420
Yeah.
1079
01:05:49,870 --> 01:05:51,280
Alright, cool.
1080
01:05:51,370 --> 01:05:52,060
Thanks bro.
1081
01:05:52,300 --> 01:05:52,900
Thanks for having me.
1082
01:05:52,960 --> 01:05:54,610
Absolutely, Steve.
1083
01:05:54,610 --> 01:05:55,660
I'll see you next week.
1084
01:05:55,690 --> 01:05:56,285
Yeah, you sure will.
1085
01:05:56,570 --> 01:05:56,860
Alright.
1086
01:05:58,660 --> 01:06:00,040
Probably in a few days at this point.
1087
01:06:00,040 --> 01:06:00,370
Whew.
1088
01:06:00,400 --> 01:06:02,470
Yeah, it's gonna be, yeah, two days from now.
1089
01:06:04,180 --> 01:06:04,870
What time is it?
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:00,210.00000000001
All right.
2
00:00:00,870 --> 00:00:02,220
You juiced up on, it's too much caffeine.
3
00:00:02,220 --> 00:00:02,430
Yeah.
4
00:00:02,730 --> 00:00:03,000
Yeah.
5
00:00:03,000 --> 00:00:03,870
The caffeine's got me.
6
00:00:04,050 --> 00:00:05,720
All right, Hi, I'm Sean Collins.
7
00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:06,500
I'm Steven Berry.
8
00:00:06,530 --> 00:00:10,820
This is, we feed them a podcast about the people and the stories that shape the food industry.
9
00:00:11,060 --> 00:00:11,300
Yeah.
10
00:00:11,300 --> 00:00:13,520
And today we have a guest, good buddy of mine.
11
00:00:13,550 --> 00:00:18,180
We've, known each other for quite a while, and he is a hell of a cook.
12
00:00:18,300 --> 00:00:21,180
He is currently a chef, correct? Yep.
13
00:00:21,240 --> 00:00:24,000
And so his name is Justin Williamson.
14
00:00:24,630 --> 00:00:34,220
Um, why don't you tell us a little bit about what you got going on right now as far as professionally? Yeah, so right now, I kind of left the fine dining industry to find better work-life balance.
15
00:00:34,220 --> 00:00:35,720
And, now I'm working at a bakery.
16
00:00:35,810 --> 00:00:36,650
Early hours.
17
00:00:36,740 --> 00:00:37,910
Get in there early, leave early.
18
00:00:37,910 --> 00:00:38,660
It's been great.
19
00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:39,050
Yeah.
20
00:00:39,055 --> 00:00:39,275
Yeah.
21
00:00:39,275 --> 00:00:43,115
Just making all kinds of pastries and soups and paninis and stuff like that.
22
00:00:43,115 --> 00:00:44,835
It's been, really cool to change up.
23
00:00:44,955 --> 00:00:45,345
Yeah.
24
00:00:45,345 --> 00:00:48,395
And you don't work weekends, right? Sundays and Mondays off.
25
00:00:48,395 --> 00:00:51,485
I kept it the same as my fine dining schedule, just to keep my life pretty steady.
26
00:00:51,515 --> 00:00:52,265
But yeah.
27
00:00:52,355 --> 00:00:56,885
Are you a football fan, like an NFL football fan? NFL No, but like Premier League.
28
00:00:56,885 --> 00:00:57,155
Yeah.
29
00:00:57,335 --> 00:00:58,055
Ah, man.
30
00:00:58,175 --> 00:00:59,255
I feel Premier League.
31
00:00:59,315 --> 00:00:59,645
Yeah.
32
00:00:59,735 --> 00:01:00,335
Okay.
33
00:01:00,335 --> 00:01:00,935
Football.
34
00:01:01,145 --> 00:01:01,985
Yeah, I got you.
35
00:01:02,525 --> 00:01:04,355
Sunday, Monday's the best when you're an NFL fan.
36
00:01:04,355 --> 00:01:05,105
That's what I was asking.
37
00:01:05,165 --> 00:01:05,675
Oh, okay.
38
00:01:05,825 --> 00:01:06,035
Yeah.
39
00:01:06,065 --> 00:01:06,185
Yeah.
40
00:01:06,185 --> 00:01:08,345
I remember when I had Sunday Mondays off the first time.
41
00:01:08,405 --> 00:01:14,105
It was, 'cause I mean, I went about six years where I was just working Sundays every, every week.
42
00:01:14,105 --> 00:01:16,015
And I'm a huge Colts fan, and.
43
00:01:16,570 --> 00:01:20,540
Finally got to where I had Sundays off that first, weekend.
44
00:01:20,540 --> 00:01:23,180
It was like NFL opening week or whatever.
45
00:01:23,330 --> 00:01:25,820
I remember I had NFL Red Zone on my big tv.
46
00:01:25,820 --> 00:01:32,730
I had the Colts game going on a smaller tv, and I was just sitting in my house alone, baked one o'clock in the afternoon.
47
00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:33,690
I've witnessed the setup.
48
00:01:33,690 --> 00:01:34,290
He is not joking.
49
00:01:35,370 --> 00:01:35,550
No.
50
00:01:35,550 --> 00:01:36,495
The two TV thing.
51
00:01:36,495 --> 00:01:38,670
Yeah, I've definitely seen that set up in your house.
52
00:01:38,670 --> 00:01:38,970
Yeah.
53
00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:39,780
Yep.
54
00:01:39,960 --> 00:01:40,320
Yeah.
55
00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:46,900
But I, I mention it because I feel like just even having Sundays off in this industry is pretty rare.
56
00:01:46,980 --> 00:01:54,710
Right now I'm, I'm in a job where our busiest day is Sunday, so, I, I think that I'm just gonna work Sundays for the rest of my life at this point.
57
00:01:55,070 --> 00:01:59,390
It sounds like you've already kind of found a better work life balance than what you had.
58
00:01:59,690 --> 00:02:00,440
Yeah, yeah.
59
00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:05,840
I was starting to struggle there for a minute mentally, and I just knew I had to get out and, find something that I could, you know, be happy with myself at.
60
00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:09,650
So it's nice to have that change up and have free time and be with my family more.
61
00:02:10,055 --> 00:02:14,795
You know, now I can do like real adult things like, you know, be the man of the house, fix stuff, mow the lawn.
62
00:02:15,005 --> 00:02:15,515
Cool stuff.
63
00:02:15,565 --> 00:02:20,965
What was the, what was the mental struggle? Was it related to hours or the pressure of what you were doing? It was a little bit of both.
64
00:02:20,965 --> 00:02:26,315
So the hours were, 11 to 11 basically every day, which is pretty standard in the industry I know.
65
00:02:26,315 --> 00:02:27,425
So I'm not like complaining.
66
00:02:27,525 --> 00:02:28,665
That's what I signed up for.
67
00:02:28,755 --> 00:02:42,065
But just over the five year period I was doing it, I was just starting to realize what am I doing this for? That's such a bummer when you work 12 hours and then on top of that you get off of work and it's completely dark out and nothing's open, you know? Exactly.
68
00:02:42,215 --> 00:02:46,175
It was wild the first time I got off at three o'clock and I just went to lunch.
69
00:02:46,175 --> 00:02:48,215
I just went and got lunch and it was open.
70
00:02:48,245 --> 00:02:49,865
I was like, is other people awake? Yeah.
71
00:02:49,925 --> 00:02:50,975
Real life is pretty cool.
72
00:02:51,005 --> 00:02:51,395
Yeah.
73
00:02:51,905 --> 00:03:01,125
I, especially after COVID, because it used to be 24 hour Walmarts and late night convenience stores, and now I feel like everybody shuts down at 10 or 11.
74
00:03:01,155 --> 00:03:01,425
Mm.
75
00:03:02,130 --> 00:03:14,010
And I, I used to go to just Walmart or Meyer and just wander around for the hell of it, just I got nothing else to do, right? So I might as well just wander around, maybe spend 20 bucks, eat some snacks, and, and now you can't do that.
76
00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:23,640
Which I never understood why they, they closed, they, they shortened the hours during COVID for places like Walmart to reduce the risks, which never made sense to me.
77
00:03:24,210 --> 00:03:30,540
Maybe I misunderstood the situation because Yeah, I don't, it seems like the more hours, the more you can spread the traffic out, but I don't know.
78
00:03:30,630 --> 00:03:31,410
And they never went back.
79
00:03:31,410 --> 00:03:32,670
They're like, shit, we like this.
80
00:03:32,730 --> 00:03:38,640
It seemed almost like that's, they had a different agenda, you know, that they were already trying to, it was all a plan.
81
00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:38,910
Right.
82
00:03:38,910 --> 00:03:39,250
I knew it, dude.
83
00:03:40,980 --> 00:03:46,050
This was like just all a plan to funnel more people into fourth meal at Taco Bell Drive-throughs.
84
00:03:46,110 --> 00:03:46,290
Yeah.
85
00:03:46,290 --> 00:03:48,630
That's, that's all COVID was.
86
00:03:48,630 --> 00:03:48,930
Yeah.
87
00:03:48,935 --> 00:03:48,945
Yeah.
88
00:03:49,740 --> 00:03:51,720
I knew something was up dude, to plan from the big three.
89
00:03:51,775 --> 00:03:52,065
Yeah.
90
00:03:52,890 --> 00:03:53,070
Yeah.
91
00:03:53,070 --> 00:03:55,320
McDonald's, taco Bell and, and, uh, burger King.
92
00:03:56,910 --> 00:03:58,290
If those are the big three, I don't know.
93
00:03:58,950 --> 00:04:01,920
Maybe Wendy's is getting a little closer to taking Burger King out.
94
00:04:03,690 --> 00:04:06,000
Well, it's, it's kind of funny, uh, even mentioning COVID.
95
00:04:06,030 --> 00:04:08,700
'cause I feel like we met during COVID times.
96
00:04:08,700 --> 00:04:08,760
Yeah.
97
00:04:09,060 --> 00:04:13,740
And even to this day, when I picture you, I picture you with a COVID mask.
98
00:04:14,130 --> 00:04:14,430
Same.
99
00:04:14,430 --> 00:04:14,910
I got you.
100
00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:19,290
So you've, you've been in the workforce now for.
101
00:04:20,025 --> 00:04:22,305
I, I mean, as far as just pursuing your dreams and stuff.
102
00:04:22,305 --> 00:04:24,915
What has it been? Six, seven years now? Yeah, about six, seven.
103
00:04:24,975 --> 00:04:25,335
Yeah.
104
00:04:25,395 --> 00:04:27,105
Uh, and, and you went to, fuck, dude.
105
00:04:27,165 --> 00:04:28,005
Six, seven.
106
00:04:28,005 --> 00:04:28,025
Six seven.
107
00:04:28,025 --> 00:04:28,305
Here we go.
108
00:04:28,845 --> 00:04:30,195
I'm so mad at myself for that.
109
00:04:30,195 --> 00:04:30,465
I'm sorry.
110
00:04:30,645 --> 00:04:31,965
No, it's been seven in all reality though.
111
00:04:32,025 --> 00:04:33,165
Seven years professionally cooking.
112
00:04:33,675 --> 00:04:36,195
Um, and, and you went to culinary school, correct? Yep.
113
00:04:36,195 --> 00:04:37,515
I graduated from culinary school.
114
00:04:37,545 --> 00:04:38,960
They really just taught me pastries.
115
00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:40,130
There not a lot of cooking skills.
116
00:04:40,130 --> 00:04:40,910
So I really learned everything.
117
00:04:40,910 --> 00:04:42,350
I learned how to cook in restaurants.
118
00:04:42,500 --> 00:04:46,610
Well, it seems that you've, I mean, obviously it comes into play now, you know? Right.
119
00:04:46,670 --> 00:04:47,660
Working at a bakery.
120
00:04:48,140 --> 00:04:55,400
Did you grow up, or in your teenage years, were you adamant that you wanted to be a chef or is it something you had to decide on? No.
121
00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:57,770
So, um, just dive into it then.
122
00:04:57,770 --> 00:04:57,980
Yeah.
123
00:04:57,980 --> 00:05:03,440
So, uh, growing up, um, I had something to prove to myself I needed to be successful.
124
00:05:03,740 --> 00:05:07,580
So I thought I was gonna do whatever it took to be successful and be miserable.
125
00:05:08,060 --> 00:05:10,850
And so I, I went to engineering school to be a computer science major.
126
00:05:10,970 --> 00:05:14,600
Um, hoping that that would give me the riches and the life that I wanted.
127
00:05:14,780 --> 00:05:15,020
Right.
128
00:05:15,170 --> 00:05:23,840
And then,, halfway through engineering school, I realized that I don't like doing math like that, you know, quick math is fine, but when you're doing like two pages of math to get one problem out, it's not something I could do.
129
00:05:23,840 --> 00:05:26,420
So I actually ended up dropping out of engineering school.
130
00:05:26,470 --> 00:05:28,360
Just 'cause I, I just wasn't clicking with it.
131
00:05:28,360 --> 00:05:29,530
It was not something I liked to do.
132
00:05:29,980 --> 00:05:33,590
I kind of came home defeated, realized that life is kind of harder than I thought it would be.
133
00:05:33,590 --> 00:05:44,510
You know, when you're 18 you feel like you're invincible and then you go out in the world and you realize that people are working hard, right? So, uh, so yeah, then my family and everybody encouraged me to join cooking because I didn't really know what I wanted to do.
134
00:05:44,510 --> 00:05:46,190
I applied to a couple gas stations even.
135
00:05:46,250 --> 00:05:47,360
I was just really defeated.
136
00:05:47,750 --> 00:05:51,650
'Cause I've, I really enjoyed food my whole life, but it's not something I would recognize about myself.
137
00:05:51,710 --> 00:05:51,830
Hmm.
138
00:05:51,950 --> 00:05:55,820
So then when I joined the cooking industry, I did realize that the people that love me were right.
139
00:05:55,820 --> 00:05:58,160
It was my passion, you know, I, and, and.
140
00:05:58,730 --> 00:06:04,330
When I admitted the defeat from dropping out of engineering school, I had a couple other, trauma issues that I had incurred in college.
141
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Um, and so really I was running for myself.
142
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And so getting into a kitchen and being able to just bang it out for, you know, eight hours and just be in the fire, in the flames and just be in a pirate crew and all that stuff, allowed me to have my own head space and get away from those thoughts.
143
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And so in a way, the kitchen really healed me as a person.
144
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So I like it for a lot more than just pleasing people and everything like that too.
145
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I feel like I can relate to that.
146
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There's, I think that we've talked over the years a lot of times about how it's tough to put a finger on it for me, but there's just something that the restaurant did that sort of made me feel like I have a place, you know, I don't know, there's just something about like the ragtag ness of what's going on in the kitchen, especially for me that's, or I guess the whole hospitality where you just, you realize that other people are broken and trying to heal and for some reason it just feels like they're collecting in this one space and.
147
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But they're actually just trying to serve strangers and there's something about that that somehow heals us or breaks people too, I guess.
148
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But yeah, I, I feel like I can understand what you're saying about that, you know? Yeah.
149
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I know that he and I both had like tumultuous home lives, uh, growing up and, it kind of gives you a sense of belonging and, and a place to be.
150
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And, it's, it almost kind of feels like it's disconnected from the world.
151
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A kitchen, 'cause it, there's, there are no windows, you're just kind of, you're, you're back in this little secluded space with, uh, a couple people that you end up growing to know and love, and sometimes you are around these people more than you're around your actual family, and yeah, I mean, I, I think that I would say the restaurant industry has detracted from my life personally, but it's also, it is been an escape for me a lot as well, to kind of.
152
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Uh, just get away from the problems of my life and, and the world and, uh, to just hide in the kitchen and chop some onions, you know? Yeah.
153
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It almost feels like you're accepting some sort of punishment, you know? Like, I've been bad.
154
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Just put me in here with the flames.
155
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Like, I wanna be, it's gonna be 110 degrees on my station and no windows, like you said, and I won't see any humans when I get off of work.
156
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Like, there's just something I don't know.
157
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And, and it, I, I guess that's not actually what's happening.
158
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You're not actually trying to, you're not like a step closer to hell, but sometimes it feels like, yeah, this is where I'm supposed to be back here hidden.
159
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And then you start to find ways to kind of blossom from it.
160
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I think it's really cool.
161
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Like you said though, I think it takes a real certain mentality because I've, I've also seen him break people too.
162
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I remember one time there was a, a fry cook that just lost it and I was managing him and he just started ranting about, man, this is, I just can't do this and I don't wanna be in this kitchen, and I think, I don't think this is the right thing for me.
163
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And I was like.
164
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Alright, man.
165
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But how long in that popcorn shrimp, you know, because this is what you're doing right now.
166
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So I mean, at least let's talk about this by the dumpster with a cigarette.
167
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Did you go to the, the, the same school for culinary or was it a separate No, so I was going to a university for, uh, engineering school, and it was a whole thing to test, even test into engineering school.
168
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And then, um, when I dropped out, I went to just a community college and just got, you know, my two year degree in and out so really I was just trying to get a piece of paper and move on to be a cook.
169
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Can I, can I ask about the, the financial? Yeah.
170
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Okay.
171
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How, how is that, how is, I'm assuming you have loans from the initial engineering degree that you were going for and then more for, so for most people that would be a huge problem, but I have to just admit that I'm a very privileged person.
172
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My family took good care of me and.
173
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I don't have any debt, um, from university Oh.
174
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Because of that.
175
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And so I'm very grateful for that and I realize how rare of an opportunity that is.
176
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But yeah, so, um, no, I'm, I basically had a clean start.
177
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I was able to work for a couple years and buy my own house and, you know, start life fresh basically.
178
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So yeah, I have small community college loans, but for the most part, you know, it's, it's been great for me and it's a really lucky experience.
179
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Yeah.
180
00:09:53,200 --> 00:10:09,240
And my, my question was, the pressure for success, was that a more internal thing or was that something that, your parents were pushing you in that certain direction? Or was it just something that you kind of fell into? I think my parents always wanted me to be successful, but they didn't push on me like that.
181
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They want me to be happy.
182
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Right.
183
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Um, me, internally, I saw money as being happy, so I was like, you know, whatever it takes to do that, that's what I'm gonna do.
184
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So it was my own internal struggle of being like, I need to be somebody.
185
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If you ask me at 16 what I was gonna do, I say I'm gonna be a CEO of a big company.
186
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You know, I, I really believe that.
187
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And then you get out here and, you see everybody working hard and you're like.
188
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This world is, yeah, it's real big out here.
189
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I'm 34 and I'm, I'm still having moments where I go, all right, I don't, maybe I'm not gonna be on MTV cribs.
190
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Yeah.
191
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Literally.
192
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I mean, maybe, maybe, but I'm gonna have to bring it back myself also.
193
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But yeah, I, I had some of that same, which is good.
194
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There's nothing wrong with that, you know, of just having this super ambitions, 'cause I think it, like if you reach for the stars, you fall in the cloud.
195
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Exactly.
196
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You know, that's Kanye West.
197
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Yeah, that's Kanye West.
198
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I said, I already recognize that people might not like that, but there it is and I've also kind of realized that.
199
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I mean, there's a lot more to life and happiness than just money.
200
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And I, I feel like I had a lot of that mentality too, especially growing up poor was, you know, money would fix everything.
201
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And I, I'm, I'm at the point now where I'm content with my life and all I really need is what I need to get by, and just maybe a little bit extra to, kind of throw around here and there and kind of, buy the frivolous things that I don't really need, but I want.
202
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But, I don't really feel the pressure to be a millionaire anymore, you know, like, yeah, like I did when I was a teenager.
203
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But for me, I mean, I originally went to college for journalism.
204
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It's kind of what I wanted to do, but I also feel like I was pushed into it, by outside forces, you know, my, my parents and stuff, my stepdad, just kind of really.
205
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They, I, it felt like, I don't know, when, when you're a teenager, sometimes it feels like everybody is kind of pushing you and telling you the only way to do this is to go to college for four years and that's the only way you're gonna be anything.
206
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And if you're not doing that, then you're just gonna be working at seven 11 for the rest of your life.
207
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You know? And it almost feels that black and white.
208
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And until you get a little bit older and you start to get into the workforce and you realize, oh, there's a lot of different avenues towards, just defining success for yourself.
209
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You don't necessarily have to fit into somebody else's mold of success.
210
00:12:22,100 --> 00:12:25,640
So, so you are happily married now.
211
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I met your wife a few times, she's lovely person.
212
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And, how has your work life kind of affected positively and ne negatively that.
213
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Um, newfound relationship.
214
00:12:39,990 --> 00:12:45,780
Well, I guess it's not a newfound relationship, but you've been married for what, like four years now? I think we're going on four or five years and Yep.
215
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And then we've been together for, uh, 11 years in total, so Oh, we've been together forever.
216
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Yeah.
217
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High school sweethearts.
218
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Yeah.
219
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Pretty much your whole life.
220
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Mm-hmm.
221
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She's been with, I mean, she's seen all the whole Yep.
222
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The whole story.
223
00:12:55,050 --> 00:12:55,260
Yeah.
224
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All of it.
225
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Is she an industry person? Just recently she became the head of social media at our business.
226
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Okay.
227
00:13:00,430 --> 00:13:02,890
So, um, she is now as of about a year and a half.
228
00:13:03,010 --> 00:13:03,490
Oh, cool.
229
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Sick.
230
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But yeah.
231
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Anyway, um, how, how has the industry kind of positively and negatively impacted your relationship? Well, it's really, uh, caused a lot of struggle at first because, you know, like I said, working 11 to 11 and her schedule didn't align with that.
232
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She was working mornings and getting off around three o'clock, it was, um, a lot of time where we couldn't be together.
233
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And then when I get home, she needs to go to bed and that's understandable.
234
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So, obviously, not as much time together as we'd like when I'm in fine dining.
235
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Especially.
236
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And the stresses of the job were making me lash out in different areas.
237
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Not like aggressive, just you know, maybe I'm not listening as close as I should.
238
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Maybe I'm not being as supportive as I could be.
239
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Just because I'm wore out, I'm just mentally exhausted and I feel bad about myself because, the chef told me that I'm never gonna be great.
240
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You know what I mean? So, you know, there'd been struggles at first, but then, you know, you find your path and then you find your compromises and, she started eating dinner with me like in like midnight, which is crazy.
241
00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:06,120
Um, so yeah, that's cereal usually fast food, you know, we ain't cooking when we get home.
242
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Yeah.
243
00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:15,090
It's kind of funny 'cause Yeah, that's another thing is everybody assumes that when you're a chef or this is what you do for your life, they're, they're like, oh man, I bet you're throwing down at home.
244
00:14:15,090 --> 00:14:16,200
It's like, no frozen pizza.
245
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Pretty much.
246
00:14:16,710 --> 00:14:16,950
Yep.
247
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You know, hot Pockets.
248
00:14:18,870 --> 00:14:18,990
Yeah.
249
00:14:19,090 --> 00:14:19,840
That's pretty cool.
250
00:14:19,870 --> 00:14:36,640
That's cool that she, I mean, like, I feel like that was her showing you that, or maybe she was asking you to, to find a way to meet her halfway too, because if she was gonna stay up late and wait for you and have dinner for you with you at midnight, you know, like you said, you, you felt like you were missing the, missing the Mark A.
251
00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:38,970
Little bit because of the hours and the stress, so Yeah.
252
00:14:39,030 --> 00:14:49,880
Was that like a wake up call moment? No, we didn't have any moments that were like that, you know, we've had a really strong relationship and credit to her for being really understanding, she understands that this is my passion and how far I want to go in the industry and all of that.
253
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So she's always been very understanding.
254
00:14:51,260 --> 00:14:57,650
We didn't have any moment where it was like, hey, it was actually more of me being burnt out and just feeling down about myself and being.
255
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What makes me happy is being with my family.
256
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I don't wanna miss my kids'.
257
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Softball games, baseball games when, you know, when we have a kid.
258
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Yeah.
259
00:15:04,490 --> 00:15:11,060
I, maybe I want to coach the team, you know, and, and if I, if I don't change something about my life, I'm never gonna be that person for my kid.
260
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And that's really what woke me up to that.
261
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I was just thinking what's the long game here? You know? Like I'm getting older.
262
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It's crunch time to do the things that I want to do in life that will fulfill me.
263
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You know, career is one path.
264
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Uh, family's another.
265
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So had to find a balance there.
266
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And so that's why I'm working where I work now, uh, working mornings and it's been great balance.
267
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Now we have the same schedule.
268
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We even worked together, so.
269
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Yeah.
270
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Yeah.
271
00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,135
We, um, you and I both worked for the same chef for a while.
272
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Mm-hmm.
273
00:15:33,540 --> 00:15:36,020
And, it was kind of hard for me to see.
274
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Uh, just the things that he was going through as a parent, and one of his kids lived a couple hours away even.
275
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And, um, knowing that he was working just as much as we were, these 12 hour shifts every day and just kind of like looking at him and bewilderment.
276
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'cause he seemed like a great dad, I'm sure he is.
277
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Um, and a great father, or I'm sorry, a great husband as well.
278
00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:05,970
Um, but it, it was just kind of like how I was just, I was always perplexed at how he found the time to, to balance his, his work life.
279
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And especially, I know his wife is not in the industry and, it, it seems in my experience that women kind of don't really understand when they, when they haven't really had a taste of the industry.
280
00:16:18,415 --> 00:16:29,535
Sometimes they don't understand why you've been at work for so long or why you might be in a bad mood when you get home, That's something that I've kind of struggled with as well, even to the point where I've had.
281
00:16:30,015 --> 00:16:35,085
Girls just kind of thinking that I'm doing something you like, they're like, you're not really working that much.
282
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It's like, no, I, I'm open to clothes today.
283
00:16:37,605 --> 00:16:38,475
You know? Yeah.
284
00:16:39,135 --> 00:16:39,285
Yeah.
285
00:16:39,285 --> 00:16:51,405
There's moments where I almost feel like I'm overexplaining why I've been so gone, or even now I've been with my fiance for six years, I think it's been six years, and I'll, I'll say, Hey, I, you know, I was late because of this.
286
00:16:51,405 --> 00:16:52,935
And then she's just like, okay, yeah, I know.
287
00:16:52,935 --> 00:16:53,325
I get it.
288
00:16:53,325 --> 00:16:59,175
And I go, okay, but you know, just seriously, like, you know, the dishwasher was flooding the kitchen.
289
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And she's like, yeah, I know.
290
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I believe it.
291
00:17:00,465 --> 00:17:00,825
I get it.
292
00:17:00,855 --> 00:17:01,545
I go, okay, cool.
293
00:17:01,755 --> 00:17:04,665
'cause nobody else can like, you know, I, okay.
294
00:17:04,665 --> 00:17:05,025
You get it.
295
00:17:05,025 --> 00:17:05,385
Yeah.
296
00:17:05,385 --> 00:17:05,395
Yeah.
297
00:17:05,505 --> 00:17:07,575
It's almost like you feel more guilty than you should have to.
298
00:17:07,575 --> 00:17:08,055
Yeah, I know.
299
00:17:08,055 --> 00:17:09,045
There's nothing I'm not doing.
300
00:17:09,045 --> 00:17:10,275
It's, you're not doing anything wrong.
301
00:17:10,275 --> 00:17:16,655
You just, I don't know, there's so many unexpected turns and you can't just punch out and, and dip out.
302
00:17:16,955 --> 00:17:24,875
I mean, it depends on, I guess, what role you're playing in a restaurant, but I feel like the people that exceed in this industry are usually the people that are willing to.
303
00:17:25,385 --> 00:17:36,275
Do all of that extra crap or kind of like, not necessarily break their backs, but, you know, just show that they're willing to sometimes do things without any extra compensation too.
304
00:17:36,725 --> 00:17:44,885
And I mean, it does pay off or it doesn't pay off in that moment, you know, it might not, it might not actually get handed a $20 bill because you did something off the clock or whatever, but, right.
305
00:17:45,035 --> 00:17:45,395
Yeah.
306
00:17:46,025 --> 00:17:46,325
Yeah.
307
00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:57,415
And I mean, I mean, I think that all three of us, I think I can speak for you guys as well, have enough passion and drive that, we don't really accept mediocrity.
308
00:17:57,745 --> 00:18:05,515
I feel like I don't, there, there are certain points where you, you just have to say, this is good enough because you can't be perfect every day.
309
00:18:05,575 --> 00:18:07,915
But every day I aim for perfect.
310
00:18:08,275 --> 00:18:13,955
And I think that that kind of, causes me to give a little bit more to my job.
311
00:18:13,985 --> 00:18:25,935
And I mean, time, effort, even physically, And sometimes that detracts away from things that are also important in life, or sometimes more important in life, you know? Yeah.
312
00:18:26,865 --> 00:18:31,455
Um, what was the first day at culinary school? Like? I've never gone, so I'm just curious.
313
00:18:31,505 --> 00:18:35,495
I want to know, well, what were you feeling? And for me, I was already working at a brewery at this point.
314
00:18:35,525 --> 00:18:35,885
Okay.
315
00:18:35,885 --> 00:18:37,235
For a couple weeks, maybe a month.
316
00:18:37,655 --> 00:18:46,235
And, um, well, let me, I was working there for about three months as a dishwasher, and then they put me on the line about a month before I joined culinary school.
317
00:18:46,325 --> 00:18:46,955
And I was green.
318
00:18:46,955 --> 00:18:48,065
I didn't even know how to use a knife.
319
00:18:48,215 --> 00:18:48,515
Yeah.
320
00:18:48,515 --> 00:18:51,835
And, so I kind of got some quick skills right before I went to culinary school.
321
00:18:51,835 --> 00:18:52,855
So I walked in confident.
322
00:18:52,885 --> 00:18:56,435
'cause all these kids were just there 'cause their parents told 'em to go to college, like they didn't even wanna cook.
323
00:18:56,495 --> 00:18:56,615
Yeah.
324
00:18:56,615 --> 00:18:58,685
You know, they had no passion for it, and I really did.
325
00:18:58,805 --> 00:19:01,925
So on the first day, the chef was asking everybody you know, welcome to the class.
326
00:19:01,925 --> 00:19:05,285
Like, what are you here for? And I was like, Hey man, I want you to push me as hard as you can.
327
00:19:05,285 --> 00:19:06,575
Make me the best you can make me.
328
00:19:06,625 --> 00:19:07,495
I want be the best.
329
00:19:07,495 --> 00:19:08,155
I don't wanna be good.
330
00:19:08,155 --> 00:19:09,325
I wanna be the best.
331
00:19:09,565 --> 00:19:13,025
And so for me, I walked in with full confidence and became, um.
332
00:19:13,085 --> 00:19:15,185
Yeah, pretty much like the star student of the class.
333
00:19:15,185 --> 00:19:22,565
I got a scholarship for the, some scholarship I don't remember, and got put up for an Italian magazine for my Bon Bonds and didn't get it sadly enough.
334
00:19:22,625 --> 00:19:25,235
What kind of magazine for your Bon Bonds? Italian.
335
00:19:27,215 --> 00:19:27,755
That's cool.
336
00:19:28,775 --> 00:19:34,965
Was there moments there, was there moments during that time that it was, there was just humbled where you go, shit, I don't know.
337
00:19:34,965 --> 00:19:43,455
There was just something that maybe the instructor schooled you on or something that you felt, yeah, so my instructor was not afraid to kind of jerk you around a little bit.
338
00:19:43,455 --> 00:19:46,995
You know, like, you're cutting something a little bit wrong, he's gonna grab your elbow and move to left.
339
00:19:46,995 --> 00:19:48,045
Like, that's not what we're doing here.
340
00:19:48,045 --> 00:19:50,455
And it's like, whoa, you know? I'm a co I'm a college student.
341
00:19:50,455 --> 00:19:56,245
Like I've never cooked before, you know? Um, so luckily for me, I didn't experience nearly as much of that as the kids I was going school with.
342
00:19:56,275 --> 00:20:01,465
'cause I was learning quick skills in the brewery and I was really trying to succeed and I took pretty naturally to it.
343
00:20:01,465 --> 00:20:04,195
I feel like I was lucky, but I had a ton of struggles at the brewery.
344
00:20:04,195 --> 00:20:06,225
I remember one day, the chef walked.
345
00:20:06,705 --> 00:20:17,955
And I, I had washed my whole cooler for the night and I was about to leave and he was doing the final cooler check and he walked in and he opened the cooler and he wiped his finger across the bottom and there was like a speck of dust on his finger.
346
00:20:17,955 --> 00:20:21,435
And he goes, what is this? And I go, what? And he goes, you didn't clean that good enough.
347
00:20:21,435 --> 00:20:23,505
I said, what do you mean? He said, it's not perfect.
348
00:20:23,505 --> 00:20:24,555
I wouldn't eat off of that.
349
00:20:24,585 --> 00:20:25,365
Do it all over again.
350
00:20:25,365 --> 00:20:28,755
And he took all my prep outta the cooler and just dang.
351
00:20:28,755 --> 00:20:30,975
And so I had to stay for another, like two hours just to do that.
352
00:20:30,975 --> 00:20:33,765
So those were the experiences that humbled me and shaped me in college.
353
00:20:33,765 --> 00:20:37,905
I was pretty much above the grade of the people I was going to school with.
354
00:20:37,935 --> 00:20:47,145
Was that brewery chef, was that what he was always like, or was he trying to give you a little extra struggle? Um, I think that, actually, I'm not sure.
355
00:20:47,145 --> 00:20:47,775
I didn't really know him.
356
00:20:47,775 --> 00:20:54,105
I only worked with that chef for like two weeks and then he walked out with the whole kitchen staff and they all went to a different restaurant altogether, so.
357
00:20:54,105 --> 00:20:54,195
Oh, whoa.
358
00:20:54,255 --> 00:20:54,585
Yeah.
359
00:20:54,590 --> 00:20:54,830
So, uh.
360
00:20:55,515 --> 00:20:58,635
Pretty much, we had a whole new crew by the time that I felt comfortable on the line.
361
00:20:58,635 --> 00:21:00,435
So I don't really know his personality.
362
00:21:00,435 --> 00:21:01,755
I've heard some wild stories about him.
363
00:21:01,785 --> 00:21:04,275
So was this like in the middle of service, everybody just kind of mm-hmm.
364
00:21:04,515 --> 00:21:07,485
Dropped what they were doing? It was towards the end of the night, so it wasn't catastrophic.
365
00:21:07,485 --> 00:21:07,665
Yeah.
366
00:21:07,665 --> 00:21:20,385
But the chef was just like, Hey, everyone we're walking out and the whole calf, the whole staff, minus three people, just all walked out and they all got hired at the same, did with the same place? No, because like, including me or? No, because I wasn't on the line every day at that point.
367
00:21:20,385 --> 00:21:24,255
So I was doing dishes and they said, Hey, you, you've cooked up here a couple times, right? I say, yes, sir.
368
00:21:24,345 --> 00:21:25,035
They said, get up here.
369
00:21:25,035 --> 00:21:25,875
I said, yes.
370
00:21:25,875 --> 00:21:28,815
They were like, congratulations for the new chef, dude.
371
00:21:29,295 --> 00:21:32,685
So I was like, it was a good thing for me, you know? Yeah, dude.
372
00:21:32,685 --> 00:21:38,495
Could you imagine though? You, you go alright chef, we're walking out and you guys are marching on the alley or whatever, and he's like, Hey, I appreciate you.
373
00:21:39,995 --> 00:21:40,340
Oh, we didn't.
374
00:21:41,120 --> 00:21:41,510
Shit.
375
00:21:41,780 --> 00:21:44,150
You didn't, you didn't, you weren't supposed to come with us.
376
00:21:44,990 --> 00:21:48,125
What do you mean you're still like drying a fucking plate, like ugly duck right in the back.
377
00:21:48,125 --> 00:21:48,845
Sh Come on man.
378
00:21:50,065 --> 00:21:52,370
He goes, ah, alright, we'll find you a spot.
379
00:21:52,370 --> 00:21:52,700
I guess.
380
00:21:52,700 --> 00:21:53,150
Come on.
381
00:21:54,590 --> 00:21:54,860
That's nuts.
382
00:21:54,860 --> 00:21:56,120
Make sure that cooler's clean though.
383
00:21:56,150 --> 00:21:56,840
Yeah.
384
00:21:56,840 --> 00:21:56,850
Yeah.
385
00:21:57,290 --> 00:22:07,240
That's the, that's the biggest way that people get thrusted into quicker, um, promotions almost in, in, in their career with this stuff is, I feel like I had something similar.
386
00:22:07,240 --> 00:22:24,700
It was pretty much the whole kitchen rotated out in a small period of time and, and they just kept, you know, I didn't get promoted to like the chef or anything, but they just, I went from dish to fry guy on Friday before I was prepared to flat top on Mexican night, which was a pretty busy night in that restaurant.
387
00:22:24,705 --> 00:22:25,780
The, the, the next week.
388
00:22:26,110 --> 00:22:33,340
And then I'm working 40 hours as a cook, and then I was working 60 hours a cook and, I still, I didn't know how to hold a knife quite properly, you know? And yeah.
389
00:22:33,430 --> 00:22:33,610
Yeah.
390
00:22:33,610 --> 00:22:36,940
The um, the first time that I stepped up to assistant management, it was because.
391
00:22:37,345 --> 00:22:44,175
Somebody had walked out and he was like, our, at the time we had a, a night prep person, and I was working the line.
392
00:22:44,295 --> 00:22:47,955
And after he walked out, I just kind of started doing his job too.
393
00:22:48,235 --> 00:22:53,275
I was doing both of our jobs 'cause, and it wasn't really, I didn't really have anything in mind other than, oh shit, we need rice.
394
00:22:53,455 --> 00:22:55,255
And I went back there and started doing rice.
395
00:22:55,260 --> 00:22:55,290
Mm-hmm.
396
00:22:55,590 --> 00:23:10,345
You know, and then the next day my boss pulled me in the office and was like, Hey, you, you showed a lot, and kind of proved that you, uh, have the ambition and drive to do something with this, so would you like to be a key holder? So, yeah.
397
00:23:10,345 --> 00:23:17,105
I, I think that those, those are the moments that kind of make or break people that end up excelling in this line of work, yeah.
398
00:23:17,585 --> 00:23:17,885
Yeah.
399
00:23:17,885 --> 00:23:20,195
Cheap manager, that's what he was thinking.
400
00:23:20,855 --> 00:23:20,915
Yeah.
401
00:23:20,915 --> 00:23:21,365
Pretty, pretty much.
402
00:23:21,365 --> 00:23:21,665
Yeah.
403
00:23:21,935 --> 00:23:25,445
He was like, man, do you remember your first key? I like that when you said key holder.
404
00:23:25,445 --> 00:23:28,385
I remember the first time I was handed a key and it was kind of a big moment for me.
405
00:23:28,445 --> 00:23:32,135
Do you remember the first time you were handed a key to a, a restaurant? Yeah, it's actually a.
406
00:23:32,495 --> 00:23:36,875
Place we used to work at together, um, was You ended up being the sous After I left, right? Yeah.
407
00:23:36,875 --> 00:23:45,365
So right after you left I had me, um, me and a coworker assumed double sous position because I was green and the chef knew that and honestly it was wisdom.
408
00:23:45,365 --> 00:23:47,615
I was offended at the moment, but it was a good choice.
409
00:23:47,615 --> 00:23:49,835
And and then shortly after, he actually left too.
410
00:23:50,045 --> 00:23:54,785
And then there was no chef there, so who was gonna take over, you know, so us, the sous chefs.
411
00:23:54,785 --> 00:24:02,195
So I actually got to run that place for a couple months, six, seven months before we, uh, actually got into the new chef that we hired after us.
412
00:24:02,195 --> 00:24:06,375
So, um, that's when I was given a key, when I became the chef and I was totally undeserving.
413
00:24:06,465 --> 00:24:09,675
But we made it work and we had actually some of the craziest nights.
414
00:24:09,675 --> 00:24:12,585
I remember one night I was maybe in charge for a month.
415
00:24:13,005 --> 00:24:15,315
The crew was pretty small, but they're reliable, really good crew.
416
00:24:15,495 --> 00:24:19,645
Um, we had over 120 cups booked 'cause it was a really busy holiday event.
417
00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:22,810
And then we also had a party of a hundred people in the next room doing a wedding.
418
00:24:22,810 --> 00:24:25,600
So we had to make all the party food and prep for 120 people.
419
00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,240
And you know, in that restaurant, that's like as busy as it can get.
420
00:24:28,270 --> 00:24:28,480
Yeah.
421
00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:29,290
That's full capacity.
422
00:24:29,290 --> 00:24:30,670
And we didn't miss a single ticket.
423
00:24:30,730 --> 00:24:31,720
Everything went out great.
424
00:24:31,780 --> 00:24:36,010
And that was one of the proudest moments is like a full on leader that had, I was proving it to myself we did this.
425
00:24:36,010 --> 00:24:37,950
And I made sure to tell everybody that was killer.
426
00:24:37,950 --> 00:24:39,300
Like let's do that every day.
427
00:24:39,305 --> 00:24:39,475
Yeah.
428
00:24:39,630 --> 00:24:43,500
And um, I remember telling 'em before shift 'cause I, I didn't know if we were gonna sink or swim.
429
00:24:43,770 --> 00:24:51,520
We had everything prepped, but then it all comes down to executing, you know? And I remember telling 'em, I said, Hey, um, what you believe to be your limits are not your limits.
430
00:24:51,520 --> 00:24:52,450
That's your comfort zone.
431
00:24:52,510 --> 00:24:54,790
And as soon as you break your comfort zone, you're gonna fly.
432
00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:55,930
And they did.
433
00:24:55,930 --> 00:24:57,850
And it was so rewarding to watch.
434
00:24:57,850 --> 00:24:57,910
Yeah.
435
00:24:57,915 --> 00:24:59,380
That's like, put that shit on a t-shirt.
436
00:24:59,380 --> 00:25:01,390
Yeah, I was gonna say, that's like halftime speech in a movie.
437
00:25:01,390 --> 00:25:04,000
You know, I was going for, I was trying to be on my Bill Belichick.
438
00:25:04,090 --> 00:25:07,180
Dude, you came in your first day and they hand you a key and you were like, I'm ready.
439
00:25:07,180 --> 00:25:09,375
You came in with a whistle the next day, let's go.
440
00:25:09,875 --> 00:25:11,740
That's, that's awesome though.
441
00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:12,070
That's fine.
442
00:25:12,070 --> 00:25:17,350
Preparation is, I mean, I don't even know what you would say if it's 50% or more, but it's, if you.
443
00:25:17,710 --> 00:25:25,510
If you just take all the time and make sure that you have, especially when you know you're gonna be busy, you don't have to worry about how much, but just everything that you need.
444
00:25:25,510 --> 00:25:28,900
And then backups and backups and backups just stock like an army's coming.
445
00:25:29,350 --> 00:25:34,060
And then, like you said, the next thing is execution, which is a whole problem, but if or not a problem.
446
00:25:34,060 --> 00:25:42,130
But if you're in the middle of trying to execute and you go to reach for something or there's something missing, and when you're behind in prep, everything starts to unravel.
447
00:25:42,610 --> 00:25:54,040
And so just being prepared is, dude, if there's any, if there's any young bartenders or cooks listening and don't understand the importance of stocking and prepping for success, this is your notice.
448
00:25:54,045 --> 00:25:59,620
Like you have got to be ready because you will just look so much better if you just have everything in place.
449
00:25:59,650 --> 00:25:59,800
Yeah.
450
00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:07,110
Think of reason plus think of, think of how much time and energy you're wasting, running off the line to go to the cooler for every little thing, just because you didn't take that.
451
00:26:07,830 --> 00:26:12,215
What, what, 20 minutes or whatever beforehand to actually make sure that it's all there, yeah, I know.
452
00:26:12,215 --> 00:26:13,355
Uh, especially on days.
453
00:26:13,355 --> 00:26:14,525
I know that it's gonna be busy.
454
00:26:14,525 --> 00:26:18,130
Like mother's days and stuff, I'll over overstock and over prep, you know yeah.
455
00:26:18,130 --> 00:26:18,410
It's crazy.
456
00:26:18,560 --> 00:26:18,850
Yeah.
457
00:26:18,855 --> 00:26:23,615
You just, uh, you say like, well, I mean, I don't think that we could have enough of this, you know, so.
458
00:26:23,615 --> 00:26:23,625
Right.
459
00:26:24,005 --> 00:26:25,175
You just do a bunch of it.
460
00:26:25,175 --> 00:26:50,575
But you also touched on something too that I, I think is a pretty interesting note in that, in a leadership role, and I think this is something that you kind of taught me as well 'cause he's, he's always been like a step ahead of me in our career, so like, when he was a chef, I was a sous chef, and when he was a sous chef, I was, I was just learning grill, so it was kind of it cool to like walk behind him and, uh, he, he would learn a little things here and there and just kind of hit me out to it.
461
00:26:50,845 --> 00:26:56,675
And one of the things that he kind of, taught me early on in my career was in a leadership position, you have to.
462
00:26:57,040 --> 00:27:02,020
Be that stoic, you know, stone face leader and like, never show sweat.
463
00:27:02,230 --> 00:27:05,170
Even if in your head you're like, oh shit, I don't know if we're gonna do this.
464
00:27:05,770 --> 00:27:15,340
You know? Uh, like when the, when the walls are coming down, you gotta kind of run in there with the, with the sword out, and just, just so everybody else can kind of see that and rally behind it.
465
00:27:15,340 --> 00:27:21,260
'cause if you, if you don't do that and you falter, then uh, play that little seed of doubt in everybody else's mind, agreed.
466
00:27:21,260 --> 00:27:24,530
And I think that that's why like the word team is so strong in a restaurant.
467
00:27:24,530 --> 00:27:31,850
Because if you're a team and everyone has everyone's back and everyone you know, knows that we're not gonna point fingers if something goes wrong, we're just gonna fix it.
468
00:27:32,180 --> 00:27:37,010
Um, and there's a leader that, you know, enforces that we're gonna be like, that's the unit we're gonna run.
469
00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:38,960
And only inputs positive energy.
470
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:44,990
I feel like just the belief in that alone is so powerful because if everyone believes, then we're gonna do it.
471
00:27:45,110 --> 00:27:47,690
And, doubt is not a great thing to creep into the mind.
472
00:27:47,690 --> 00:27:51,040
So, yeah, I think everyone believing in the same thing is key.
473
00:27:52,215 --> 00:28:02,020
I had some moments where I'm, I might be overseeing a project where I'd start to, I think I start to show that there's doubt or I, maybe the overwhelmingness sets in.
474
00:28:02,020 --> 00:28:08,470
I'm really sensitive to caffeine, so I might have amped up a little too hard trying to get ready for something, and then I start to get the shakes and feel it a little bit.
475
00:28:08,470 --> 00:28:10,690
And, um, I don't know.
476
00:28:10,720 --> 00:28:13,000
I'm, there's been a lot of those moments.
477
00:28:13,660 --> 00:28:16,430
I guess they're they're probably, I guess, sort of few and far between.
478
00:28:16,430 --> 00:28:20,580
But I, but in my head, like they really seared into my mind and I don't know.
479
00:28:20,580 --> 00:28:28,350
In those moments I was really proud because the couple that I'm thinking of right now, there was, my staff was always understanding and they stepped up and just sort of covered me.
480
00:28:28,590 --> 00:28:30,420
I remember one of 'em, we did a concert here.
481
00:28:30,420 --> 00:28:34,530
You were here, and I was feeling we'd never had done anything like that.
482
00:28:34,530 --> 00:28:37,470
We went from full, we had a, we had a full capacity.
483
00:28:37,470 --> 00:28:38,430
Every seat was full.
484
00:28:39,030 --> 00:28:46,620
And then at seven o'clock we had to empty the dining room, remove all the tables and chairs, and get a band set up with.
485
00:28:47,025 --> 00:28:49,665
Full audio lights, soundboard, like everything.
486
00:28:50,085 --> 00:28:53,325
And then people started coming in and there was a cover charge for the band.
487
00:28:53,385 --> 00:28:56,535
And, uh, it, it was, I've never tried to do this before.
488
00:28:56,685 --> 00:29:02,505
And we had families out here eating and we basically had to like, kick them off their tables and pick the tables up and, Hey, get the hint.
489
00:29:02,505 --> 00:29:04,965
We're trying to get you outta here, which sucked.
490
00:29:04,995 --> 00:29:17,025
But anyways, during that moment, I, all of that stress, we were filling the kitchen with tables and the bar stools, and I just, that was probably the last time that I was just like, I don't know, I, uh, I need to go find a cigarette and I don't smoke anymore.
491
00:29:17,145 --> 00:29:18,375
But I, I think I found you.
492
00:29:18,375 --> 00:29:22,365
And I was like, can I have a cigarette? We went outside and I just, okay.
493
00:29:22,725 --> 00:29:25,785
Nicotine is not gonna help in a stressful situation.
494
00:29:25,785 --> 00:29:26,895
So I don't know what I was thinking.
495
00:29:26,895 --> 00:29:27,945
It was just an old habit, yeah.
496
00:29:28,215 --> 00:29:40,005
But I still felt that, and I came in and, some of the project that I was working on had progressed and the staff had stepped up and, and which they, it's not like they were lacking in the first place, it's just that, they saw where I was going with it and I was losing it.
497
00:29:40,485 --> 00:29:42,945
And then they, they finished the job and I thought that was really cool.
498
00:29:42,945 --> 00:29:44,955
But I, I was a little embarrassed, but still proud.
499
00:29:44,955 --> 00:29:51,455
It's interesting to hear your perspective on that now because, just being a bystander in that and watching it, it seemed very seamless, thanks.
500
00:29:52,085 --> 00:30:02,065
It kind kind of seemed like it all happened as planned, but now just kind of reflecting on that, what you must have been thinking oh man, it was, that was intense for me.
501
00:30:02,365 --> 00:30:03,265
Yeah, that was intense.
502
00:30:03,325 --> 00:30:10,345
But like, we have a, on the security camera, I gave it to one of the bands to do for, um, uh, like promo material.
503
00:30:10,615 --> 00:30:14,125
We, we sped it up of us trying to go, okay.
504
00:30:14,125 --> 00:30:19,555
It was a full dining room full of people, and then we finally got one table up and then like three of us come out to bus.
505
00:30:19,555 --> 00:30:23,605
But instead of just busting the table, we're also picking up chairs and tables and, and taking 'em out.
506
00:30:23,605 --> 00:30:26,425
And then, so we, we have the speed up, um.
507
00:30:26,980 --> 00:30:27,760
Clips of that.
508
00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:33,130
And I, I think they used it in like a reel to say, you know, Hey, we we're trying to find unique places to play.
509
00:30:33,130 --> 00:30:37,960
And imagine being the person sitting at the other table, they see you come out the bus and then next thing you know, you're moving the table.
510
00:30:38,155 --> 00:30:41,290
What the fuck is going on here? Oh, they're really into this bus in there.
511
00:30:42,160 --> 00:30:43,150
They don't leave anything.
512
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:44,140
No stone unturned.
513
00:30:44,140 --> 00:30:44,770
Holy shit.
514
00:30:45,580 --> 00:30:46,765
Gotta sweep underneath the table.
515
00:30:46,985 --> 00:30:50,140
It like every spot underneath the table? No, the chairs go through the dish tank.
516
00:30:50,140 --> 00:30:51,850
We don't, we don't play around.
517
00:30:51,850 --> 00:30:56,890
Dude, man, See, I'd actually like to touch on, uh, ego.
518
00:30:56,890 --> 00:30:58,840
I got myself into a little bit of trouble with ego lately.
519
00:30:58,950 --> 00:31:00,090
I guess I'll just start from the beginning.
520
00:31:00,120 --> 00:31:03,990
When I started cooking, my whole mission was just to serve, like basically my community.
521
00:31:04,050 --> 00:31:09,190
I wanted just to serve burgers, just common foods that everyone could enjoy, my friends could come eat, that kind of stuff.
522
00:31:09,460 --> 00:31:16,690
And then I realized that, if I wanna be really special, maybe I should go to find dining so I could learn some cool techniques and I can learn like how to cook meat perfectly and how.
523
00:31:17,815 --> 00:31:23,635
They're really cool aspects of cooking work, so that way I can implement those factors in an everyday cuisine for people at the same price that we would give them.
524
00:31:23,695 --> 00:31:23,965
Yeah.
525
00:31:24,025 --> 00:31:26,005
You know, regular everyday stuff.
526
00:31:26,155 --> 00:31:28,105
And so I thought okay, let's go to fine dining.
527
00:31:28,465 --> 00:31:34,565
Um, and when I got to fine dining, I kind of let my ego explode, you know? I felt like we were doing the coolest thing ever.
528
00:31:34,565 --> 00:31:37,735
I felt like we were the best and you know, we, we were, we were kind of the best.
529
00:31:37,735 --> 00:31:38,610
But yeah.
530
00:31:38,665 --> 00:31:39,565
You guys are doing some pretty cool stuff.
531
00:31:39,565 --> 00:31:40,225
Yeah, we were pretty cool.
532
00:31:40,225 --> 00:31:41,815
But, um, none of that really mattered.
533
00:31:41,815 --> 00:31:43,585
And I, at the time, it's all I could think about.
534
00:31:43,585 --> 00:31:51,735
I felt really proud of myself and, and I let myself get a really big ego and, I fell in love with fine dining, but did I really, or did I fall in love with my ego? Right.
535
00:31:51,735 --> 00:31:55,380
So, just every day, the guests, oh, I just came back from Italy.
536
00:31:55,410 --> 00:31:57,390
This pasta was the best pasta I've ever had.
537
00:31:57,430 --> 00:32:00,640
You're better than the next place, next door, you know, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
538
00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:03,910
Like all this ego, you just absorb it all day, every day from everybody.
539
00:32:03,940 --> 00:32:04,030
Mm-hmm.
540
00:32:04,270 --> 00:32:06,240
And it's like, okay, I'm the man.
541
00:32:06,340 --> 00:32:08,230
And then, um, I realized that.
542
00:32:08,730 --> 00:32:20,365
It, it, it like started to affect my personality and my relationship because I would go home and, you know, my wife would just treat me like a real person because she knows me as a real person, not like some chef that's, you know, getting smoke blown door just swings open.
543
00:32:20,365 --> 00:32:22,570
You're like, here, I'm bitch, it's me.
544
00:32:23,755 --> 00:32:23,995
Right.
545
00:32:24,055 --> 00:32:27,655
Just like, uh, you know, I just expected to get more praise, just praise.
546
00:32:27,655 --> 00:32:33,265
I just, my ego was so big, I was just expecting every praise from everybody all the time and it was so unhealthy.
547
00:32:33,535 --> 00:32:36,415
And it just led to a lot of mental, just oddities I would say.
548
00:32:36,415 --> 00:32:39,465
It's not a struggle even, it's just the way I was thinking wasn't healthy for anybody.
549
00:32:39,525 --> 00:32:39,855
Yeah.
550
00:32:39,905 --> 00:32:50,495
So finding out that I was acting that way and it took me a while to realize that that's why I was feeling the way as I was feeling was the biggest wake up call for me to go back to the doing community-based things.
551
00:32:50,495 --> 00:32:52,265
You know, I've done my time in fine dining.
552
00:32:52,265 --> 00:32:53,585
I still love fine dining, but.
553
00:32:53,960 --> 00:33:00,230
What I love more is just serving everybody, you know, not just the elite people that are gonna kiss your feet because it makes them look cool at the table.
554
00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:00,590
Yeah.
555
00:33:00,590 --> 00:33:02,900
You know, and they're not really your friends, but they're gonna say you are.
556
00:33:02,900 --> 00:33:06,350
And everything they tell you, they're going next door and saying the same thing to them about you.
557
00:33:06,650 --> 00:33:07,670
So none of it's really real.
558
00:33:07,670 --> 00:33:09,470
You know, you don't have real friends, but it feels like you do.
559
00:33:09,830 --> 00:33:15,130
So I think that that made me feel like I had a community behind me, but did I really? I still don't know.
560
00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:18,420
But I did know that I was expecting it from everybody all the time.
561
00:33:18,420 --> 00:33:24,480
And for me that was the biggest wake up call to be Hey, remember what you started for, return home to your original idea and remember who you are.
562
00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:31,980
So this year for me has been soul searching, relearning who I am, through the seven years of me, getting all this ego and redefining me as a person.
563
00:33:33,240 --> 00:33:35,640
I realized that work was defining me as a person and it wasn't healthy.
564
00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:38,520
So it'd been really soul search on this year, getting back into regular hobbies.
565
00:33:38,520 --> 00:33:40,360
Like we've been disc golfing a couple times, you know, oh yeah.
566
00:33:40,360 --> 00:33:42,190
Getting a dog, you know, it's been great.
567
00:33:42,250 --> 00:33:43,300
So I love disc golfing.
568
00:33:43,540 --> 00:33:50,700
I hurt my elbow, which I, yeah, they call it tennis elbow, and I feel like it's fucking, it's like a rich bitch thing, so I don't, I hate saying it, but yeah.
569
00:33:50,700 --> 00:33:53,520
I hurt my elbow and I cannot, I don't think I'll ever be able to disc golf again.
570
00:33:53,550 --> 00:33:58,160
It sucks that we can't go anymore because you're, you're the one who actually turned me on to dis disc golfing, yeah.
571
00:33:58,165 --> 00:34:02,685
And, um, yeah, I always loved going out there with you and I, it's so fun.
572
00:34:02,895 --> 00:34:03,285
Yeah.
573
00:34:03,345 --> 00:34:08,685
I might just go and drink and smoke with you guys sometime if you're going that basically the only reason I go, I'll putt not very good.
574
00:34:08,865 --> 00:34:09,105
Yeah.
575
00:34:09,255 --> 00:34:11,595
I wasn't either, but now, yeah, I can't drive.
576
00:34:11,595 --> 00:34:20,115
I mean it, dude, we started cut cutting fries from scratch here, and that's what really, it was like something was tingling and we started cutting fries from scratch and it just exploded.
577
00:34:20,125 --> 00:34:26,095
And now I can't even use this arm to cut and then shaking a bottle, uh, like formula for my daughter when she was born.
578
00:34:26,695 --> 00:34:29,635
But I think a lot of people deal with that ego thing.
579
00:34:29,635 --> 00:34:29,645
Uh.
580
00:34:30,265 --> 00:34:38,395
Maybe it's like, it might even be a masculine thing that exceed goes outside of this industry, but I know for me, I've dealt with it.
581
00:34:38,875 --> 00:34:49,225
Um, I'm told all the time that I have an ego problem and, and I feel like at 34 I've been conscious of it and have made a lot of conscious efforts to try to bury it.
582
00:34:49,765 --> 00:34:54,295
But there's still moments when I'm told by my fiance that it exists.
583
00:34:54,355 --> 00:34:59,575
And it's embarrassing because, you know, like, no, I feel so humble in this part of my life.
584
00:34:59,575 --> 00:35:01,255
You know? I really feel like I'm there and I,.
585
00:35:02,665 --> 00:35:04,915
But I, yeah, I don't know.
586
00:35:04,915 --> 00:35:06,565
Being aware of it's probably the first step.
587
00:35:06,685 --> 00:35:07,280
Yeah, I think so.
588
00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:11,785
I wish I knew what to say because I'm, I'm, I'm still dealing with it, apparently, and I don't, and I can't put my finger on it still.
589
00:35:11,870 --> 00:35:53,555
I think it's taken a lot of, obviously mature reflection on your part to get to the point where you're at, and a lot of people, so to speak, just kind of get high on their own farts, and especially, especially when you're, I heard that when you're stuck, or I, I don't wanna say stuck, but when you spent a lot of time in the same spot, the same restaurant, and you're consistently putting out good work you, you might not have those humbling experiences that would otherwise make you feel like, you know, I mean, I guess from my perspective, I spent almost six years, in my first like, real kitchen, to the point where I started as a solid cook and I ended up as the, kitchen manager by the.
590
00:35:54,465 --> 00:35:57,675
And I was, I really felt like I was a badass.
591
00:35:57,675 --> 00:35:58,845
I felt like I was the shit.
592
00:35:59,265 --> 00:36:09,375
And then I went to the job that we worked at together, and I got out of my element, and I, I quickly realized oh man, I'm not really as good as I thought I was.
593
00:36:09,425 --> 00:36:22,325
I was, uh, I was a big fish in a small pond and then once I got out into the ocean, I kind of realized how, how vast it was and how much, how I, I guess, how, how high of a climb that mountain really is.
594
00:36:22,385 --> 00:36:24,005
I don't know if you're remembering that correctly, Steve.
595
00:36:24,335 --> 00:36:26,615
What's that? Uh, you busted me outta that so many times.
596
00:36:26,615 --> 00:36:29,375
I remember struggling and you busted me out of everything.
597
00:36:29,375 --> 00:36:30,755
I don't feel like you were behind at all.
598
00:36:30,785 --> 00:36:32,445
I feel like you were guy who got it done.
599
00:36:32,445 --> 00:36:34,295
You know what I'm saying? I feel like you're being hard on yourself, man.
600
00:36:34,345 --> 00:36:40,915
I can't remember how many times I was drowning on saute and you had 20 filets going, 10 ribeyes, you know, all the green beans.
601
00:36:40,915 --> 00:36:41,635
They're all ready to go.
602
00:36:41,635 --> 00:36:43,015
And I'm like, wait, I still have my duck.
603
00:36:43,015 --> 00:36:44,365
And you're like, bro, get it going.
604
00:36:44,365 --> 00:36:46,815
You come over, you put the stuff on for me You saved me a lot, man.
605
00:36:46,815 --> 00:36:48,460
I, I don't, yeah, you're being hard on yourself.
606
00:36:48,460 --> 00:36:49,360
Well, I appreciate that.
607
00:36:49,360 --> 00:37:07,570
I mean, I don't specifically remember Insta instances, but, I, I do everything that I can to, to help out the team and, uh, man, I, I hate anytime I've worked in a kitchen where people just, they're like, I'm the grill guy and this is my job, my job is just to work this and you can like drown on your station and I'm just gonna sit over here on my phone if I don't have anything to do.
608
00:37:07,620 --> 00:37:10,530
I feel like that kind of mentality is cancerous to Yes.
609
00:37:10,740 --> 00:37:12,780
Our, our industry all around.
610
00:37:12,780 --> 00:37:14,970
I mean, not even back of house, but front of house as well.
611
00:37:14,970 --> 00:37:18,360
The people that are just like, I'm only gonna run my food and, you know, fuck that bitch.
612
00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:19,440
I'm not running her shit.
613
00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:19,720
And mm-hmm.
614
00:37:19,740 --> 00:37:26,650
You know, it just kind of like deteriorates everything from the ground up and, uh, well, I mean, I appreciate you for saying that.
615
00:37:26,710 --> 00:37:35,770
Uh, obviously at that point, my ego had humbled and I'd, I'd already been working there for a year, so like, I'd kind of figured it out a little bit, you know, at that point.
616
00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:38,680
Um, honestly, as far as ego goes.
617
00:37:39,490 --> 00:37:47,500
Uh, I'm not advocating this to anybody out there, but something that has really helped me out with my ego over the years is, well, two things, really.
618
00:37:47,725 --> 00:38:07,570
The, the thing that I'm not advocating is psychedelics because, uh, I feel as if, specifically LSD has, the few times I've taken it has caused ego death and kind of made me realize that, my ego's bullshit and, what really exists and what really matters is, the universe and the whole, and that I'm a, I'm a part of this.
619
00:38:07,570 --> 00:38:08,960
I'm not, above anything.
620
00:38:09,620 --> 00:38:16,170
Um, the other thing is, I've gotten, I've told you about this, we've gotten really into Eastern philosophy in my life, Taoism and stuff.
621
00:38:16,590 --> 00:38:24,540
And I think that a lot of that is preaches just kind of not viewing yourself, uh, highly or above others.
622
00:38:24,780 --> 00:38:31,260
And I think just religion in general kind of has that, that hallmark of kind of steering people towards.
623
00:38:31,625 --> 00:38:33,485
Collectivism and not individualism.
624
00:38:33,965 --> 00:38:46,535
So, uh, I, I've always struggled with that, in that, in that ego conversation you were saying how you felt, but there, there's something, there's a difference in what's happening at home and what's happening at work.
625
00:38:46,595 --> 00:38:51,185
And this is a profession that really does, it almost requires a little bit of ego to be honest.
626
00:38:51,185 --> 00:39:01,035
You know, you, 'cause if you have a cook who's kind of beating themselves up and they don't believe in themselves, you almost need them to go like turbo mode and be like, don't just believe in yourself.
627
00:39:01,035 --> 00:39:03,345
Believe that you can do it better than everybody, and then we'll get you there.
628
00:39:03,375 --> 00:39:03,465
Mm-hmm.
629
00:39:04,065 --> 00:39:06,255
And so I think that it does help, honestly.
630
00:39:07,035 --> 00:39:13,125
So, but you, but leaving and then you kill your ego at the door and go home and treat your family like you're not better than them.
631
00:39:13,515 --> 00:39:16,965
And maybe that's where, where I'm trying to figure out where my issue is.
632
00:39:17,205 --> 00:39:23,505
And like I said, I really think I'm getting better at it at this age, but it's like a lifetime where you have to check yourself.
633
00:39:24,405 --> 00:39:26,715
But it's, it's so.
634
00:39:27,345 --> 00:39:30,375
It's such a weird thing to have to separate these two lives.
635
00:39:30,405 --> 00:39:32,115
It, it almost feels like you're living a double life.
636
00:39:32,115 --> 00:39:41,285
I mean, you, you are the same character and you have the same, um, you carry your dignity through home and work and you're, you have, you have integrity everywhere.
637
00:39:41,285 --> 00:39:42,365
Like there's a lot of things of the same.
638
00:39:42,365 --> 00:39:43,505
You're wearing the same t-shirt here.
639
00:39:43,535 --> 00:39:51,065
Well, sometimes you change your clothes between the two, but you're probably wearing non slips when you're taking your dog for a walk once in a while, you know, like that type of stuff.
640
00:39:51,065 --> 00:39:57,725
But, but there's still something that, there's just a part of you that you have to kill when you walk away from the restaurant that goes into, into the home.
641
00:39:57,785 --> 00:40:00,365
And I don't know what that is, but I've experienced that too.
642
00:40:00,725 --> 00:40:08,975
You, you know, like you'll make fucking eggs in the morning and you're kind of waiting on every, you're eating and you're kind of waiting on someone to be like, damn, these eggs are the best eggs I've ever had.
643
00:40:08,975 --> 00:40:11,195
You're like, stop it.
644
00:40:11,245 --> 00:40:12,805
But then they don't do that and you're just like.
645
00:40:13,705 --> 00:40:15,355
Anybody think these are the best eggs they ever had? Yeah.
646
00:40:15,355 --> 00:40:17,245
You're like, what, what's wrong with them? They're fine.
647
00:40:17,245 --> 00:40:17,755
They're fine.
648
00:40:17,815 --> 00:40:18,205
Oh, okay.
649
00:40:18,205 --> 00:40:26,745
No, they're just, I'm just wondering because usually I go medium heat and crumble the sausage, but this time I actually crumbled it in my hands and then added it to a hot pan.
650
00:40:26,775 --> 00:40:27,825
Nobody sends a difference.
651
00:40:27,855 --> 00:40:28,395
That's fine.
652
00:40:28,995 --> 00:40:29,655
That's fine.
653
00:40:29,685 --> 00:40:30,885
No, they're just normal eggs.
654
00:40:30,885 --> 00:40:32,205
I, I'm gonna go to work now.
655
00:40:32,475 --> 00:40:34,755
You know, my frozen pizzas are caramelized perfectly.
656
00:40:34,755 --> 00:40:35,025
Yeah.
657
00:40:35,030 --> 00:40:35,180
Yeah.
658
00:40:35,535 --> 00:40:38,385
You didn't notice I sprinkled some, uh, garlic salt on there.
659
00:40:38,925 --> 00:40:47,955
I think it's kind of funny that you mentioned though, like the dichotomy of, who you are at work versus who you are outside of work too, is, and I've been thinking about it a lot and you've known people that I've worked with.
660
00:40:48,315 --> 00:40:52,755
Uh, you, I mean, you're not withstanding because I, I feel like you saw a different side of me.
661
00:40:52,995 --> 00:40:55,065
I wasn't really necessarily the boss there I was.
662
00:40:55,660 --> 00:41:07,030
More so I, I, I saw myself more as a worker than a boss, even though I guess I was a little elevated, but regardless, there was like five of us there, you know? So, uh, I felt, and I was there all the time, so I felt like I could open up a lot more.
663
00:41:07,030 --> 00:41:15,190
But, uh, now it's, it's funny because he meets people that I've worked with since where I've been in more of a managerial role and.
664
00:41:15,595 --> 00:41:18,535
I'm not really who I am outside of work at work so much.
665
00:41:18,895 --> 00:41:20,455
You know, I corporate Steven Yeah.
666
00:41:21,055 --> 00:41:24,745
Called me what was a stiff collar Stevie, something like that.
667
00:41:25,095 --> 00:41:26,835
But yeah, I'm, yeah.
668
00:41:27,105 --> 00:41:29,265
When I'm at work now, I'm just very, yeah.
669
00:41:29,295 --> 00:41:36,295
Stoic and just, by the book on things and, I, I rules matter a lot to me, and just making sure that people are doing the right thing.
670
00:41:36,295 --> 00:41:45,195
And, uh, I think people see me as a stiff, you know, they, they, they don't really see the, the personality side of me or, my, how I am outside of work.
671
00:41:45,435 --> 00:41:51,840
And it kind of trips me out to think that, people might actually see this podcast and they'll be like, who the fuck is that? The people that I work with, you know? Yeah.
672
00:41:51,900 --> 00:41:53,580
Um, I think that that's gonna happen.
673
00:41:53,940 --> 00:42:04,020
Yeah, probably, I think probably for both of us, I, I'm a little more open in my position because it's a small local restaurant, but there's still some things that I won't talk about with customers that they might see me talk about here.
674
00:42:04,890 --> 00:42:06,150
And, uh, so we'll see.
675
00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:07,590
I mean, you might experience it too.
676
00:42:07,590 --> 00:42:08,040
I don't know.
677
00:42:08,040 --> 00:42:17,160
I don't know how you, this is the first time that we've had a conversation, so I don't know how you show up outside of, I mean, that's why I had to remove myself from the situation entirely and just do something that was more humble in general.
678
00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:17,220
Yeah.
679
00:42:17,250 --> 00:42:19,650
Because it, I was, I wasn't separating that.
680
00:42:19,710 --> 00:42:21,690
I had no separation between work home.
681
00:42:21,780 --> 00:42:24,840
I, I was mentally in one spot and I was too tired to fix it for myself.
682
00:42:24,900 --> 00:42:30,900
Is it melting now? Is it starting to like, oh, it's gone? Yeah, like, um, I've really found who I am again, like this year and it's been great.
683
00:42:30,930 --> 00:42:43,840
Um, that was actually the breaking point of the fine dining restaurant for me was when I realized that I can't even be the chef that I can be because I'm so bogged down mentally that how am I gonna get this team lifted up with me when I'm so far down in the hole that I don't even want to exist, bro.
684
00:42:43,840 --> 00:42:44,440
Like, yeah.
685
00:42:44,500 --> 00:42:50,710
You know? So it was really good to separate myself entirely from that because I, there was, I could not separate it.
686
00:42:51,220 --> 00:42:51,640
Yeah.
687
00:42:52,300 --> 00:42:54,040
You can't be afraid to walk away from shit sometimes.
688
00:42:54,070 --> 00:42:54,160
Mm-hmm.
689
00:42:54,850 --> 00:42:57,520
So, and I was so proud of what we were doing that it was really hard to walk away.
690
00:42:57,850 --> 00:43:04,470
But when you walk away from something and go to something that's perceived as something more humble, more community based, you realize that Being happy is like subjective.
691
00:43:04,520 --> 00:43:10,610
It's doesn't, pride isn't one thing, it's still great, still serving people every day, serving more people every day, actually people in my community.
692
00:43:10,610 --> 00:43:11,840
So it's, yeah, it's been cool.
693
00:43:12,110 --> 00:43:13,130
And sorry.
694
00:43:13,490 --> 00:43:17,120
No, I just wanted to mention, you said you work with your brother now, right? Yeah, it's uh, my brother-in-law.
695
00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:17,330
Yep.
696
00:43:17,420 --> 00:43:18,225
He Oh, your brother-in-law.
697
00:43:18,225 --> 00:43:18,465
Mm-hmm.
698
00:43:18,545 --> 00:43:18,665
Yeah.
699
00:43:18,770 --> 00:43:20,930
So, I mean, and you get along with 'em, I'm assuming.
700
00:43:20,960 --> 00:43:21,050
Yep.
701
00:43:21,050 --> 00:43:41,140
So, I mean, I think that's a, that's a pretty cool thing too, that kind of helps, like mend those fences I guess, or I guess blurs the line between, work and outside of work is when you actually work with people that you love and care about, outside of work in general, I think it elevates you, mentally a little bit, it seems to, but anyway, what were you gonna say? Well, I don't remember.
702
00:43:41,230 --> 00:43:41,500
Oh.
703
00:43:42,010 --> 00:43:42,610
So fuck it.
704
00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:49,900
But I'm glad you bring up that topic 'cause I, yeah, I just think that it, we could probably do a whole episode about ego.
705
00:43:50,570 --> 00:43:55,060
I do you naturally feel that you're an opener or a closer? I'm definitely an opener.
706
00:43:55,090 --> 00:43:56,770
It's a conflict of interest on schedule here.
707
00:43:56,860 --> 00:43:58,840
I don't want to get off at 11 and midnight anymore.
708
00:43:58,840 --> 00:43:59,440
So yeah.
709
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:00,220
I like to open.
710
00:44:00,310 --> 00:44:01,810
Plus closing is like a drag.
711
00:44:01,810 --> 00:44:04,360
You gotta clean everything and make it real spotless, set 'em up for success.
712
00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:05,860
When you open, you just come in and cook stuff.
713
00:44:05,860 --> 00:44:07,180
That's what I'm here for, you know? Right.
714
00:44:07,240 --> 00:44:07,480
Yeah.
715
00:44:07,780 --> 00:44:08,230
That's crazy.
716
00:44:08,230 --> 00:44:09,010
I feel the opposite.
717
00:44:09,010 --> 00:44:12,430
I feel like an opener comes in and sets up the night for success.
718
00:44:12,430 --> 00:44:14,800
A lot of times they should be, and their closer has like.
719
00:44:15,325 --> 00:44:23,825
You got the cleaning to do, but, most of the restaurants I've been involved in the closer has, um, the higher volume of tickets.
720
00:44:24,635 --> 00:44:33,505
And you still need to do, you still need to restock for the morning guy, but a lot of times if it's not there, you're writing a note for the open, uh, you're gonna wanna make this.
721
00:44:33,510 --> 00:44:34,765
I, I tried to restock it.
722
00:44:35,095 --> 00:44:47,335
When I'm a closer, I'll try to do a couple things, but if I, sometimes I get too into it, I'm like, what am I gonna be here for the next two hours after close to try to prep? Sometimes I'll do that just to be a friend to the opener or whatever.
723
00:44:47,335 --> 00:44:51,295
But it's funny that you mention that though because uh, I feel like everywhere that I've worked that's been.
724
00:44:51,775 --> 00:44:53,515
Open for morning and nights.
725
00:44:53,515 --> 00:44:55,735
There's always been that war of Oh yeah.
726
00:44:55,735 --> 00:45:01,135
You know, the, the opening people are just like, oh, these night people are not fucking stocking or doing their cleaning.
727
00:45:01,135 --> 00:45:07,505
And then,, maybe it gets busy in the morning and the morning people can't do it, and then night night people come in, they're like, oh, this is fucking bullshit.
728
00:45:07,505 --> 00:45:08,885
You know, nobody cut limes last night.
729
00:45:08,885 --> 00:45:10,205
It happens in the front too, oh, no.
730
00:45:10,205 --> 00:45:11,075
Silverware rolled.
731
00:45:11,075 --> 00:45:11,885
Oh my gosh.
732
00:45:11,885 --> 00:45:12,965
Rolling silverware.
733
00:45:13,115 --> 00:45:23,555
But it, it almost goes back to the ego thing that you were talking about, because I feel like a lot of times people can't step outside of themselves and be like, oh, maybe Joe was having a really hard day.
734
00:45:23,555 --> 00:45:29,325
And, like just, I, we, we all get to that point sometimes that we're not doing what we're supposed to be doing, mm-hmm.
735
00:45:29,480 --> 00:45:44,595
But I think that a lot of times people are so focused on what their selves and what they need, uh, I hate to say that, but it's just true, that they, they look at what everybody else is doing and it's easy to point the finger at them, but they can't point the finger at themselves, you know? Yeah.
736
00:45:44,835 --> 00:45:44,895
Yeah.
737
00:45:45,435 --> 00:45:50,505
What do you feel like is next for you right now? Are you focusing on now or do you have plans for Yeah, so there's actually big plans.
738
00:45:50,505 --> 00:45:52,395
So really, really recent big plans.
739
00:45:52,515 --> 00:45:55,515
Um, right now I'm baking in the morning, pastries and all that stuff.
740
00:45:55,515 --> 00:45:59,565
And then we're actually gonna expand and open up a full on breakfast restaurant, so I'll be in charge of that.
741
00:45:59,595 --> 00:46:00,105
Oh yeah.
742
00:46:00,165 --> 00:46:01,275
And so that'll be a lot more fun.
743
00:46:01,275 --> 00:46:02,235
I can't wait for service.
744
00:46:02,235 --> 00:46:06,045
I, I didn't think I would miss the ebb and flow and the stress of service, but I miss it, man.
745
00:46:06,075 --> 00:46:07,845
I miss the fire, so I'm excited to get back in.
746
00:46:07,845 --> 00:46:12,285
As soon as you start to feel like this is it, and then you're gonna rush yourself right back into some shit.
747
00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:12,760
Yeah.
748
00:46:12,975 --> 00:46:13,545
Yeah.
749
00:46:13,575 --> 00:46:18,855
But I think it's healthy because I'm starting to miss it and it is stuff I, you know, I, I don't think I'm ever gonna leave the industry.
750
00:46:18,855 --> 00:46:22,185
It's what I'm good at, right? I've been in it for so long and I love serving people and making people happy.
751
00:46:22,185 --> 00:46:30,315
So, you know, it might be more hours, but I feel like if we do it right, it won't be as stressful as some of the other places I've been at.
752
00:46:30,405 --> 00:46:33,255
And it's just, it'll be my own mentality, honestly.
753
00:46:33,345 --> 00:46:33,585
Yeah.
754
00:46:33,585 --> 00:46:38,175
You got a moment to reset now and a different perspective it sounds like.
755
00:46:38,175 --> 00:46:42,075
So I think, yeah, you can go in it with a more confidence and.
756
00:46:42,495 --> 00:46:44,025
And it should, I would, I would hope.
757
00:46:44,025 --> 00:46:46,425
I mean, I I, it sounds like it's gonna smooth things out.
758
00:46:46,785 --> 00:46:47,415
Yeah, I think it will.
759
00:46:47,595 --> 00:46:58,715
And I also think that that area is really starved for, just breakfast spots or just good restaurants in general, and it's really gonna, I mean, 'cause it's back where you're from, right? Um, no, it's actually in the neighboring town.
760
00:46:58,785 --> 00:46:59,345
Whoville.
761
00:46:59,690 --> 00:47:00,350
Yeah, Whoville.
762
00:47:00,870 --> 00:47:05,970
But yeah, every time I go up there, it's just kind of, it feels like it's, right now it's all dispensaries.
763
00:47:06,915 --> 00:47:15,645
There's, there's like literally nothing else, so I think that there's a lot of people around there that are looking for something, so you guys are gonna be filling a wood munchies dude, for sure.
764
00:47:17,025 --> 00:47:17,715
That's actually crazy.
765
00:47:17,715 --> 00:47:19,845
The dispensaries bought like, a lot of restaurants out.
766
00:47:19,845 --> 00:47:20,535
A lot of buildings.
767
00:47:20,535 --> 00:47:23,805
Just on the pretense that we were gonna vote for more dispensaries in our town.
768
00:47:23,835 --> 00:47:23,955
Yeah.
769
00:47:23,955 --> 00:47:24,555
And we didn't.
770
00:47:24,735 --> 00:47:36,115
And so now all these buildings are sold and all these, other businesses are closing down, like all of our Our bowling alley's closing down our, mini golf places is closing down for dispensaries.
771
00:47:36,115 --> 00:47:36,295
Right.
772
00:47:36,295 --> 00:47:42,145
But it's like, even if we did build more dispensaries, people come and then what do they do? Just go to more dispensaries.
773
00:47:42,145 --> 00:47:43,255
Like, we need activities too.
774
00:47:43,285 --> 00:47:45,265
How many fucking dispensaries do you need? Yeah.
775
00:47:45,445 --> 00:47:45,835
Right.
776
00:47:46,165 --> 00:47:46,825
Yeah.
777
00:47:47,305 --> 00:47:51,595
How do you see, uh, do you ever think about retirement? Not often.
778
00:47:51,985 --> 00:47:55,165
I think I'm just gonna, yeah.
779
00:47:55,165 --> 00:47:56,395
I, I don't have a plan.
780
00:47:56,755 --> 00:48:04,585
I, I kind of feel like I'm just gonna be like the 75-year-old dude that's still coming in, mopping the floors and just bullshitting with people, you know? I'm be like, Wolfgang Poke 90 on the line.
781
00:48:05,125 --> 00:48:05,725
Yeah.
782
00:48:05,785 --> 00:48:09,505
Jamie was saying that he wants to, he was, I think this will be episode.
783
00:48:09,505 --> 00:48:09,745
Yeah.
784
00:48:09,750 --> 00:48:12,745
It, it would be the last episode before this one, no, two episodes ago.
785
00:48:12,925 --> 00:48:12,985
Yeah.
786
00:48:13,375 --> 00:48:21,085
And he was saying that he thinks retirement might be in a, maybe he'll wanna be a dishwasher and just wait for the, the one moment, a year in where he'll be like.
787
00:48:21,850 --> 00:48:26,170
I can cover that guy that called off sick, like, you're a fucking dishwasher.
788
00:48:26,230 --> 00:48:27,670
He's like, ah, I still got it.
789
00:48:29,020 --> 00:48:30,220
Pull like a feature out of his ass.
790
00:48:30,220 --> 00:48:35,130
He's been like eyeballing the inventory, trying to write the perfect dish to just you know, it's just exotic fruit flambe.
791
00:48:35,455 --> 00:48:35,535
Yeah.
792
00:48:36,115 --> 00:48:42,900
You know, like, what the heck? He's like, what's that? Goodwill hunting or whatever where the janitor is? Um, I haven't seen it.
793
00:48:42,960 --> 00:48:45,630
Oh, is that that movie? I am not a movie guy.
794
00:48:45,660 --> 00:48:46,110
Okay.
795
00:48:46,680 --> 00:48:49,290
There's a movie where the janitor is like, some kind of savant.
796
00:48:50,190 --> 00:48:50,520
Oh, okay.
797
00:48:50,520 --> 00:48:55,470
He's like the janitor of a college and, but it turns out that he's actually smarter than a professor or whatever.
798
00:48:55,475 --> 00:48:55,655
Yeah.
799
00:48:55,680 --> 00:48:56,220
Yeah.
800
00:48:56,220 --> 00:48:58,080
I, I think it's goodwill hunting, but I'm not sure.
801
00:48:58,740 --> 00:49:00,270
I think about retirement a lot.
802
00:49:00,855 --> 00:49:04,695
Um, 'cause I wanna retire really young, but I don't think it's gonna look traditional.
803
00:49:04,815 --> 00:49:07,395
I don't think that you just go, all right, I'm cashing in my 401k.
804
00:49:07,395 --> 00:49:12,015
Well, obviously you, you won't because if you're retiring young, you're probably not gonna pull your 401k.
805
00:49:12,675 --> 00:49:15,885
Also, I don't have one, so I did for a minute.
806
00:49:15,915 --> 00:49:19,305
Um, I had a corporate job and I was, but it's, there's really nothing there.
807
00:49:19,305 --> 00:49:20,385
That's, that's helpful.
808
00:49:21,225 --> 00:49:27,075
So I, I always think that retirement's gonna look like I'm trying to set myself up in a way to have passive income.
809
00:49:27,495 --> 00:49:33,195
And there's, I might still need to be active, but I'm hopefully not tying on an apron.
810
00:49:33,195 --> 00:49:36,705
And I don't wanna be stuck in a, in an area, I don't wanna be stuck here.
811
00:49:36,705 --> 00:49:45,405
I wanna be able to, we really hope that we can get an RV and just go do our shit, which then comes with like, well, maybe we should have a food operation tied to this rv.
812
00:49:45,405 --> 00:49:53,055
And, if we're gonna go to the Smokies, then we're gonna be there for four days and maybe two of them we need to try to sell fucking paninis or something.
813
00:49:53,055 --> 00:49:55,355
I mean, whatever, And is that sustainable? I don't know.
814
00:49:55,355 --> 00:50:02,105
It's fun to brainstorm because it's, I feel like life is moving a lot faster these days for me, and it's gonna be here before I know it.
815
00:50:02,765 --> 00:50:08,795
And at this pace, I'm just gonna be literally cooking until I stroke on the line.
816
00:50:08,795 --> 00:50:15,895
I've opened a restaurant, but I still work, I still work in this and it's, and I, it's kind of necessary, so that's why I bring it up.
817
00:50:15,895 --> 00:50:28,565
I don't know if you have any thoughts at all or any plans on how it's gonna look? I mean, long term I'd like to, maybe open a restaurant, maybe have some sauces, go viral and set, put 'em on Walmart shelf.
818
00:50:28,805 --> 00:50:33,845
That would be ideally the end goal, you know what I mean? Just having a manufacturing deal and collecting 5% on the beach somewhere that would be awesome.
819
00:50:34,055 --> 00:50:34,355
Yeah.
820
00:50:34,415 --> 00:50:38,845
Uh, but that being said, I do love service, so stepping outta the kitchen might not even be rewarding.
821
00:50:38,845 --> 00:50:41,095
I might still wanna be part of it even then, but it's true.
822
00:50:41,245 --> 00:50:41,665
Yeah.
823
00:50:42,475 --> 00:50:57,295
I'm, I'm hoping that, someday if I can just stay on the, the corporate path, eventually I'll, I'll be at a point where, I'm overseeing restaurants that a, a family of restaurants and I can just kind of come in and tell people what they need to do.
824
00:50:57,295 --> 00:50:59,905
And you bridges keep going one inch higher every year.
825
00:50:59,965 --> 00:51:00,535
Yeah, yeah.
826
00:51:00,540 --> 00:51:01,795
Start to wear the suspenders.
827
00:51:01,795 --> 00:51:02,125
Yeah.
828
00:51:02,545 --> 00:51:08,695
Um, uh, that's kind of the path that I'm on and I think that's what will eventually end up happening as long as I do well.
829
00:51:09,145 --> 00:51:18,475
Um, but it kind of, man, what was it like last week? One of the other managers that I work with, she's in her sixties and she's just been doing this forever.
830
00:51:18,475 --> 00:51:22,855
And she told me, she was like, I don't know, I think she was just frustrated.
831
00:51:22,855 --> 00:51:26,365
She gets agitated sometimes and she just says she flies off the handle of stuff.
832
00:51:26,365 --> 00:51:27,055
And she was like.
833
00:51:27,775 --> 00:51:31,765
You're just gonna be doing this like me, and you're, you're just gonna be exactly where I'm at and stuff.
834
00:51:31,825 --> 00:51:34,425
And it was kinda like fucking punching down on me, dude.
835
00:51:34,575 --> 00:51:35,715
I just wanna be like, fuck you.
836
00:51:35,715 --> 00:51:37,935
But no, that's what I was trying to do.
837
00:51:37,935 --> 00:51:38,745
Is that not Right?.
838
00:51:40,225 --> 00:51:47,600
I mean, obviously I have great ambitions and I mean, I'm hoping that this podcast goes somewhere, and Yeah, that'd be sick.
839
00:51:47,600 --> 00:51:55,000
You know, that would I, it's not something that I'm planning on, but if I could, just talk about cooking, that'd be awesome.
840
00:51:55,030 --> 00:51:55,330
You know? Yeah.
841
00:51:55,330 --> 00:52:00,040
I hope that, I hope that this podcast at least takes us somewhere that adds value to our life.
842
00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:07,190
Whether it's like, I mean, financially it would be awesome if we could lean on it some for some monetary value, that'd be really cool.
843
00:52:07,190 --> 00:52:13,140
But I, I do expect that it will take us some places where we just have new experiences.
844
00:52:13,140 --> 00:52:14,850
I mean, this is a new experience, you know? Yeah.
845
00:52:14,850 --> 00:52:17,310
I don't know if you and I were ever gonna sit down and chat.
846
00:52:17,790 --> 00:52:19,110
So I'm glad that we did same.
847
00:52:19,215 --> 00:52:20,850
It's, it's already adding value in my life.
848
00:52:20,850 --> 00:52:22,710
'cause I mean, I'm seeing old friends.
849
00:52:22,710 --> 00:52:22,830
Yeah.
850
00:52:22,830 --> 00:52:27,630
And I get to see you every week, you know, which is, aw, well, uh, guys, let's hug.
851
00:52:28,680 --> 00:52:31,170
I mean, it, it just, it gets difficult.
852
00:52:31,200 --> 00:52:45,690
Even we've lived in the same area for, I mean, within driving distance of one another, but our lives have just gotten so hectic with work and family lives and stuff that it's hard to carve out time to, for your friends sometimes, yeah.
853
00:52:45,690 --> 00:52:57,330
So, I mean, that, that's the one big positive for this podcast to me so far, is that I actually get to, hang out with my buddies, you know? But yeah, it was sort of carved out a way to, to make it work or like make it.
854
00:52:58,305 --> 00:52:59,265
A job in a sense.
855
00:52:59,265 --> 00:53:00,345
I mean, it feels like a job.
856
00:53:00,345 --> 00:53:04,215
It's not paying, but it's still, it has those moments where you go, we put all this work in.
857
00:53:04,605 --> 00:53:07,845
But yeah, we're getting to reconnect with people or make new connections and stuff.
858
00:53:07,905 --> 00:53:08,145
Yeah.
859
00:53:08,145 --> 00:53:13,005
Regular viewers might notice that the sun has come up and that's, I mean, this is our first time shooting in the morning.
860
00:53:13,035 --> 00:53:13,245
Yeah.
861
00:53:13,245 --> 00:53:14,115
We've never shot in the morning.
862
00:53:14,115 --> 00:53:16,155
We've always shot after dinner service.
863
00:53:16,155 --> 00:53:16,215
Yeah.
864
00:53:16,245 --> 00:53:16,905
Late at night.
865
00:53:16,935 --> 00:53:18,795
And so we're drinking coffee.
866
00:53:18,825 --> 00:53:19,515
I'm all amped up.
867
00:53:19,515 --> 00:53:20,355
Well, this is vodka.
868
00:53:20,385 --> 00:53:21,465
Steve's going kind of hard.
869
00:53:21,555 --> 00:53:21,915
Yeah.
870
00:53:21,915 --> 00:53:21,925
Yeah.
871
00:53:21,925 --> 00:53:24,555
And I've gotta work later, so, you know, I gotta tie one on.
872
00:53:24,945 --> 00:53:26,625
Well, my bedtime's at 7:30 PM Sharp.
873
00:53:26,625 --> 00:53:27,735
So, good thing it's in the morning.
874
00:53:27,735 --> 00:53:28,665
Dang.
875
00:53:28,695 --> 00:53:30,225
What time do you go in? Nah, I'm just kidding.
876
00:53:30,315 --> 00:53:31,365
I go to bed around nine though.
877
00:53:31,545 --> 00:53:32,055
Oh, okay.
878
00:53:32,145 --> 00:53:32,985
That's still pretty early.
879
00:53:32,985 --> 00:53:33,915
I wake up at like five.
880
00:53:34,095 --> 00:53:35,115
I struggle to go in.
881
00:53:35,115 --> 00:53:36,765
I struggled to go to bed before midnight.
882
00:53:36,900 --> 00:53:40,185
I, I went to bed at one last night knowing I had to wake up at six today.
883
00:53:40,185 --> 00:53:43,540
And I was, I couldn't, I just tried, I couldn't sleep nowadays by, by nine o'clock.
884
00:53:43,665 --> 00:53:45,375
I mean, 'cause I work morning job as well.
885
00:53:45,380 --> 00:53:45,500
Mm-hmm.
886
00:53:45,580 --> 00:53:46,425
You know, for the most part.
887
00:53:46,755 --> 00:53:53,075
And by nine o'clock I'm, my eyes are so heavy I might as well go to bed 'cause I'm not gonna enjoy or put.
888
00:53:53,555 --> 00:54:02,485
A lot of energy into anything that I'm doing while I'm awake now, so what else we got? Any other wild stories you got up your ass? Hopefully not.
889
00:54:02,485 --> 00:54:02,935
Alright.
890
00:54:02,935 --> 00:54:10,375
One time I was at the brewery and the dishwasher in the back was screaming and punching boxes, like really loud.
891
00:54:10,375 --> 00:54:13,075
And then he runs up to the line and I'm on the pizza station.
892
00:54:13,075 --> 00:54:15,715
So I'm like the first person he talks to and I'm not the boss by any means.
893
00:54:15,985 --> 00:54:22,075
He goes, Hey, my mom, my baby mom just called her ex is there and she's getting her ass beat right now.
894
00:54:22,105 --> 00:54:26,935
Can can I go? And I'm like, what? Why are you asking me? I said, run, run out the door.
895
00:54:26,935 --> 00:54:28,585
And he, he said, okay, thanks.
896
00:54:28,585 --> 00:54:31,465
And he sprinted out the door and he came back like three hours later.
897
00:54:31,515 --> 00:54:32,745
You know, mangled and sweaty.,
898
00:54:32,815 --> 00:54:34,375
How'd it go? He is like, oh, I, oh, I won.
899
00:54:34,495 --> 00:54:40,145
And I was like, what? And I asked him, I said, why did you ask me to leave? Isn't that more important than work? And he is like, well, I just wanted, you know, not to get fired.
900
00:54:40,145 --> 00:54:41,985
I wanted someone to know what I was going to.
901
00:54:41,985 --> 00:54:45,345
I was like, bro, dang, that reminds me, man.
902
00:54:45,345 --> 00:54:46,245
I mean, that's wild.
903
00:54:46,245 --> 00:54:51,945
But, um, there was one job that I, so it was right when I'd stepped into full service.
904
00:54:51,945 --> 00:54:57,135
I was coming from fast food and I pulled in this guy from fast food, and he was a little, he was a little off.
905
00:54:57,135 --> 00:55:04,635
I mean, he's a good guy, but he was in the Iraq war and he had seen people die, killed people.
906
00:55:04,635 --> 00:55:16,775
And, uh, I think it kind of fucked him up a little bit mentally, and I remember one day as I was training him, he, he, I think he was working a double shift or something, and he showed up later than he was supposed to.
907
00:55:17,255 --> 00:55:21,125
And his hands were all fucked up and he was like, sorry, I'm late, man.
908
00:55:21,155 --> 00:55:21,605
Uh.
909
00:55:21,965 --> 00:55:24,725
I caught these guys trying to break into my garage and I beat the shit out of them.
910
00:55:26,075 --> 00:55:29,795
Was like, whoa, what? We're gonna tell him that all this food looks great today.
911
00:55:29,855 --> 00:55:30,245
Yeah, for sure.
912
00:55:31,210 --> 00:55:32,375
And he's like, he's heated.
913
00:55:32,555 --> 00:55:32,975
Yeah.
914
00:55:33,425 --> 00:55:34,295
That's wild dude.
915
00:55:36,305 --> 00:55:36,995
Well, awesome man.
916
00:55:36,995 --> 00:55:38,105
Thank you for joining us.
917
00:55:38,135 --> 00:55:38,750
Thanks for having, I appreciate it.
918
00:55:39,155 --> 00:55:43,895
I feel like we could talk for a long time, but we gotta put a cap on it at some point, so, um, yeah.
919
00:55:43,955 --> 00:55:46,865
I'm glad you, I'm glad you stopped in and we had this conversation.
920
00:55:47,495 --> 00:55:47,915
Cool.
921
00:55:48,215 --> 00:55:48,935
Yeah, thanks for having me.
922
00:55:48,935 --> 00:55:49,505
It's been great.
923
00:55:49,685 --> 00:55:50,285
For sure.
924
00:55:50,615 --> 00:55:51,935
Alright, well thank you.
925
00:55:51,995 --> 00:55:56,615
Oh, we're supposed to be saying that you need to fucking follow and like, and comment on our shit.
926
00:55:56,645 --> 00:55:56,675
Okay.
927
00:55:56,975 --> 00:55:57,605
Yeah, please.
928
00:55:57,605 --> 00:56:00,365
Yeah, let's, let's start a discussion in the comments about, yeah.
929
00:56:00,575 --> 00:56:02,585
Are we gonna send an old boy to kick your ass? Yeah.
930
00:56:02,615 --> 00:56:03,455
Yeah, my buddy.
931
00:56:03,515 --> 00:56:03,695
Yeah.
932
00:56:03,695 --> 00:56:07,835
I still got his number and he's, he's still as crazy as ever, so he's taller than me.
933
00:56:08,135 --> 00:56:10,085
Yeah, he's taller than everybody actually.
934
00:56:10,085 --> 00:56:12,395
Dang, this man's, uh, Shaquille and Neil size.
935
00:56:12,485 --> 00:56:14,915
So we've had no, we've had some good support.
936
00:56:14,915 --> 00:56:16,685
So if you're watching this, obviously you're supporting us.
937
00:56:16,685 --> 00:56:18,185
Yeah, I did actually wanna mention that.
938
00:56:18,265 --> 00:56:24,175
Uh, this podcast has had a lot of people reach out to me that I haven't spoke to in a long time.
939
00:56:24,235 --> 00:56:35,075
And I mean, Sean knows these guys know that, um, I, I'm pretty reclusive in my personal life and I don't really mean to lose contact with people, yeah.
940
00:56:35,105 --> 00:56:36,545
But it kind of just happens.
941
00:56:36,545 --> 00:56:47,415
'cause, I mean, I'm just kind of floating around, focusing on whatever is in front of me, so I wanna thank everybody that's reached out and with support and people I haven't talked to in a while.
942
00:56:47,415 --> 00:56:48,165
I love you guys.
943
00:56:48,245 --> 00:56:58,405
And, you know, I just, I don't mean to be that way, but just trust that, uh, I, I'm not intentionally trying to, steer away from anybody.
944
00:56:58,405 --> 00:56:59,335
I'm just kind of like.
945
00:56:59,965 --> 00:57:03,835
Probably just sitting at home high by myself doing a painting or something, you know, like this.
946
00:57:03,835 --> 00:57:05,365
Well, the mean comments are getting to you.
947
00:57:07,525 --> 00:57:08,635
There's a lot of 'em so far.
948
00:57:08,635 --> 00:57:08,935
Yeah.
949
00:57:09,535 --> 00:57:10,610
I try, I try to stay away from the comments.
950
00:57:10,770 --> 00:57:21,265
I think the worst comments I've seen so far was we had one Instagram reel, get a lot of views, and they were, it was a mixed bag, but the worst ones were just calling me a liar basically.
951
00:57:21,265 --> 00:57:24,955
And I was like, oh, whatever this is, this is all good content.
952
00:57:24,955 --> 00:57:31,645
Pretty much it was because I, I had said that I'd worked an overnight shift and they were like, bullshit, you've never worked an overnight shift.
953
00:57:31,645 --> 00:57:33,685
And I was like, why would you lie about that? Yeah.
954
00:57:33,685 --> 00:57:36,175
Multiple times, you know, like, that's part of this game sometimes.
955
00:57:36,205 --> 00:57:38,995
And if you're not, then, um, that's awesome.
956
00:57:38,995 --> 00:57:40,705
I mean, I'm not doing 'em anymore, that's for sure.
957
00:57:40,735 --> 00:57:54,125
I've, I've done, maybe last year we opened another concept in, a neighboring town and there was maybe one time that I was like, I got home at like 6:00 AM but I left at 6:00 AM the day before type shit.
958
00:57:54,125 --> 00:57:58,055
And so, but I, but you know, I still came home and crashed out and went to sleep for a while.
959
00:57:58,910 --> 00:57:59,450
Getting older.
960
00:57:59,450 --> 00:58:00,530
I can't do that crap anymore.
961
00:58:00,560 --> 00:58:10,380
It is kind of funny though, because I've never really been a con, well, obviously never been a content creator until now, and just seeing the different comments from the different sources and what they kind of lean towards.
962
00:58:10,380 --> 00:58:12,330
And I've noticed that Instagram is pretty vile.
963
00:58:13,560 --> 00:58:15,090
There's a lot of shitheads on Instagram.
964
00:58:15,090 --> 00:58:15,870
No, that's good though.
965
00:58:15,870 --> 00:58:16,350
Sorry.
966
00:58:16,350 --> 00:58:16,710
Sorry.
967
00:58:16,770 --> 00:58:18,415
Uh, I mean, there's a lot of good people on Instagram too.
968
00:58:18,420 --> 00:58:19,590
No, I think the shitheads are good.
969
00:58:19,860 --> 00:58:20,190
Shit.
970
00:58:20,190 --> 00:58:21,930
Some of these people, it's like the same.
971
00:58:21,930 --> 00:58:23,040
They're arguing with themselves.
972
00:58:23,160 --> 00:58:25,920
They're just logging into their other one, or it's a fucking bot maybe.
973
00:58:25,920 --> 00:58:26,400
I don't know.
974
00:58:27,000 --> 00:58:29,400
They all seem, maybe they're, I don't know how to identify a bot.
975
00:58:29,400 --> 00:58:31,530
I don't really care what anybody says about me, honestly.
976
00:58:31,530 --> 00:58:33,030
Like, I, I think it's all great.
977
00:58:33,030 --> 00:58:37,360
Kind of positive, negative, leave whatever, whatever you're feeling in your mind, I want to hear it.
978
00:58:37,740 --> 00:58:45,230
But it's, yeah, it is just kind of funny to see, I know Facebook has kind of been a, a little bit more like what I was talking about, somebody I haven't seen in 20 years.
979
00:58:45,235 --> 00:58:45,385
Mm-hmm.
980
00:58:45,465 --> 00:58:46,940
They're like, oh, hey, there's Steve.
981
00:58:47,870 --> 00:58:47,930
You know? Yeah.
982
00:58:47,930 --> 00:58:50,120
Steve's not even on social media pretty much at all.
983
00:58:50,180 --> 00:58:50,450
Yeah.
984
00:58:50,455 --> 00:58:51,065
Personally, that's, yeah.
985
00:58:51,140 --> 00:58:58,235
That's why I wanted to take the time out to say that because Yeah, I'm, I, I know that I take one picture every five years, you know? So.
986
00:58:58,235 --> 00:58:58,435
Yeah.
987
00:58:58,750 --> 00:59:01,630
Uh, and it's in my phone 'cause I'm like, Hey, we're camping.
988
00:59:01,630 --> 00:59:02,170
Come on bro.
989
00:59:02,170 --> 00:59:02,770
Take a photo.
990
00:59:02,860 --> 00:59:04,660
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
991
00:59:04,660 --> 00:59:05,890
Sometimes you'll send me pictures.
992
00:59:05,890 --> 00:59:08,980
I'll be like, when did I even fucking, oh, you know what? I, just real quick.
993
00:59:08,980 --> 00:59:17,440
I think that we should add that if, if you are, I think bartending or cooking and you're trying to make a name for yourself, you gotta take pictures.
994
00:59:17,830 --> 00:59:24,280
Like, I think that you really should, personally, I think that you should start to build a social media base for your projects.
995
00:59:24,280 --> 00:59:32,940
You should, and like running by some people because you, sometimes I'll look back at something I did when I was 23 that I thought was really nice and really the, the plate composition wasn't quite there.
996
00:59:33,660 --> 00:59:36,270
And I know that's gonna happen when I'm 50 looking back and stuff I'm doing when I'm 30.
997
00:59:36,330 --> 00:59:38,880
But for real, take, learn how to take some good pictures.
998
00:59:38,940 --> 00:59:41,400
Don't be afraid to get a little bit, maybe just a little light.
999
00:59:42,000 --> 00:59:44,040
And really try to build a base.
1000
00:59:44,100 --> 00:59:46,890
And I can't really explain how it helps, but it does like it.
1001
00:59:46,890 --> 00:59:49,290
I mean, it just helps build a little bit of a personal brand.
1002
00:59:49,710 --> 00:59:54,390
It makes you more hireable, more li more than likely in a lot of restaurants.
1003
00:59:54,750 --> 01:00:03,690
And, uh, if you ever, if your main goal is to someday run your own concept, building an a base takes years.
1004
01:00:03,900 --> 01:00:12,000
And so if you start taking photos now, you know, it might, 10 years from now, you might have some people that have been following your journey that are excited about your project.
1005
01:00:12,000 --> 01:00:15,420
So I think that that's, yeah, it's like a, it's really big.
1006
01:00:15,420 --> 01:00:15,630
You really are.
1007
01:00:15,630 --> 01:00:17,700
It's like a modern day portfolio, you know? Yeah.
1008
01:00:18,120 --> 01:00:18,360
Yeah.
1009
01:00:18,360 --> 01:00:19,770
I think put it out there, for real.
1010
01:00:19,770 --> 01:00:21,690
Just keep and try to make those connections.
1011
01:00:21,690 --> 01:00:23,220
If this is what you really want to do, then.
1012
01:00:24,375 --> 01:00:25,815
I think that that's super important.
1013
01:00:25,815 --> 01:00:31,035
I remember the first kitchen I worked in where the guys were all taking photos and I was like, I thought that they had, they were all ego tripping.
1014
01:00:31,065 --> 01:00:31,155
Mm-hmm.
1015
01:00:31,695 --> 01:00:38,175
And then, but over time I realized that they were all really humble guys, but they knew that they were trying to build their careers in a certain direction.
1016
01:00:38,775 --> 01:00:47,655
And, uh, you see restaurants open with magnificent talent and close and they didn't exist on the internet.
1017
01:00:47,715 --> 01:00:58,665
And you, you kind of have to, in my opinion, you kind of have to, it's not like it used to be, from what I hear before, our generation, it kind of used to be like, you just put that hot dish out and stay consistent and you're gonna be fine.
1018
01:00:58,695 --> 01:01:00,525
I don't think it really works that way anymore.
1019
01:01:00,945 --> 01:01:03,785
I think you really have to be kind of powerful on the internet.
1020
01:01:03,785 --> 01:01:05,375
You have to catch people's eyes.
1021
01:01:06,095 --> 01:01:06,995
So I just wanted to say that.
1022
01:01:07,295 --> 01:01:08,540
Yeah, I think that's something you learned about.
1023
01:01:08,540 --> 01:01:11,585
I mean, you made a pretty good career without, without doing that, to be honest.
1024
01:01:11,585 --> 01:01:13,655
So maybe I'm wrong, but Yeah.
1025
01:01:13,655 --> 01:01:14,585
But I don't know.
1026
01:01:14,585 --> 01:01:24,725
I haven't really, I mean, I guess there was a moment where I was kind of going towards like the culinary arts, aspect of it, but I think I've kind of segued into more of a corporate style role.
1027
01:01:24,725 --> 01:01:32,555
And, I think for me it's just been my resume, just having not, not only that experience, but it is just having things that I can point to.
1028
01:01:32,855 --> 01:01:39,665
Like I remember we, uh, the restaurant that we worked at, uh, won an award in 2019 that I could put on my resume.
1029
01:01:39,665 --> 01:01:40,445
You know, that Yeah.
1030
01:01:40,505 --> 01:02:08,155
That's really impressive that, you can give those type of things to potential employers and they already know before they even meet you that you have some kind of pedigree, but I, it, it is been a different aspect for you that I think it's been really cool to watch you kind of develop, because I don't think you really had a whole lot of social media knowledge until, you became a chef and then, uh, uh, I think it expanded a lot when you started, when you opened this place, and you.
1031
01:02:08,770 --> 01:02:17,320
Uh, I kind of watched you figure out how to make these reels and these shorts and you know, like it's survival, some of it, right? It's a, it's a lot, man.
1032
01:02:17,740 --> 01:02:29,710
I run a burger restaurant right now easily, I'll say 30, and a lot of times it's more, but easily 30% of my time goes to how do we look on the internet and it drives traffic.
1033
01:02:29,740 --> 01:02:34,180
And sometimes when you feel like it doesn't, you just wait a little bit, keep going.
1034
01:02:34,210 --> 01:02:43,180
And I'll have customers that'll tell me, oh, we're here because we or somebody will ask about you, put someone on your website that really only exists on your website, and you just kind of like leave it there and see if somebody mentions it.
1035
01:02:43,180 --> 01:02:45,490
And then eventually somebody will, and it's like, oh, okay.
1036
01:02:45,490 --> 01:02:47,290
That definitely brought that table in a hundred percent.
1037
01:02:47,290 --> 01:02:50,890
Our website brought that table in, right? And that reel brought this in.
1038
01:02:50,890 --> 01:02:53,830
And, and like when we opened, we had to do a soft open.
1039
01:02:53,830 --> 01:02:57,740
So we had to, fill this, fill these seats with 20 invites basically.
1040
01:02:57,920 --> 01:03:03,410
And that would've never happened if it, like, if I feel like if I just went to another town and nobody knew me.
1041
01:03:04,400 --> 01:03:22,820
Well, how do we even find soft open invites? You know? So, you know, you almost have to, do you do that? Do you, do you take a lot of photos and try to build like a personal brand and Yeah, so, um, I have my own Instagram that I haven't used in quite some time because there was like a separation between skill because like you say, you know, you release something five years ago, you think it's real nice.
1042
01:03:22,880 --> 01:03:22,940
Yeah.
1043
01:03:22,940 --> 01:03:24,020
Then you get more experience.
1044
01:03:24,020 --> 01:03:25,670
You look at it, you're like, eh, could've done better uhhuh.
1045
01:03:26,120 --> 01:03:30,590
So I've been taking a break from posting more stuff until I really feel like I'm refined more.
1046
01:03:31,100 --> 01:03:35,090
Um, but I have a whole portfolio of professional photos taken in college.
1047
01:03:35,120 --> 01:03:39,200
My wife runs the head of marketing, so she's always professionally photographing all of my stuff.
1048
01:03:39,290 --> 01:03:41,570
And so we have a really big presence on social media.
1049
01:03:41,870 --> 01:03:46,690
And I gotta say that If anything is gonna be beneficial, it's definitely that internet footprint.
1050
01:03:46,690 --> 01:03:49,000
'cause even if it doesn't get likes, people are still seeing it.
1051
01:03:49,000 --> 01:03:50,620
And if it looks good, they're gonna think about you.
1052
01:03:50,620 --> 01:03:53,360
And as long as they're thinking about you, you're probably gonna get some business.
1053
01:03:53,360 --> 01:03:55,280
So, and it's, it's probably the cheapest.
1054
01:03:55,280 --> 01:04:04,160
I've looked into a lot of different ways to advertise and there's traditional advertisements can cost so much that you're just like, I can't even fathom doing that and that it not working.
1055
01:04:04,160 --> 01:04:08,210
Could be the end of us, especially a small business.
1056
01:04:08,210 --> 01:04:09,590
Even from the corporate side of it.
1057
01:04:09,590 --> 01:04:28,660
I've noticed over the last five years that we've really gone away from traditional advertisement, you know, 'cause I mean, at this point it's, it's almost not even worth the money that it costs to put an ad on the radio or the, or TV or whatever, um, and it, but we've, we've pushed hard on one, uh, reviews.
1058
01:04:28,720 --> 01:04:32,350
Reviews are the, the cornerstone of advertisement at this point.
1059
01:04:32,650 --> 01:04:38,020
Because if you can keep your review score high, then when people are Googling I don't know, burgers in this area, yeah.
1060
01:04:38,020 --> 01:04:40,510
You know, then, then your name pops up instantly.
1061
01:04:40,870 --> 01:05:04,330
Um, and a lot of times people will go for that first thing that they see, especially if it looks good and, reviews and a lot, there's a lot of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, just, we've always had a dedicated person to run those kind of things and make sure that we're putting out posts like three or four times a week just to keep, keep our name out there, you know, keep nailing it, right? Yeah.
1062
01:05:04,330 --> 01:05:11,320
I think, yeah, if, if you're a cook or a bartender and just even separate from your business that you're working for, do that for yourself.
1063
01:05:11,350 --> 01:05:12,370
Treat yourself like a brand.
1064
01:05:12,370 --> 01:05:13,960
I think it'll, it'll do something good for you.
1065
01:05:14,590 --> 01:05:26,500
And, um, if you guys are listening or watching and you have some advice on, on how to build your personal brand or, or your actual business, we'd love to hear it because I'm, I lose sleep over it.
1066
01:05:26,890 --> 01:05:30,910
I mean, we could, there could always be more asses in the seats for sure.
1067
01:05:30,915 --> 01:05:34,780
We, we do have the email set up now, right? Or do we not? I don't, yes.
1068
01:05:34,780 --> 01:05:38,410
I don't remember it, but we are, we feed them pod.com.
1069
01:05:38,530 --> 01:05:40,630
Yeah, we feed them.com
1070
01:05:40,630 --> 01:05:41,440
is the website we feed.
1071
01:05:41,440 --> 01:05:41,740
Oh yeah.
1072
01:05:41,740 --> 01:05:42,550
And everything's on the website.
1073
01:05:42,550 --> 01:05:43,570
We feed them.com.
1074
01:05:43,870 --> 01:05:44,140
Yeah.
1075
01:05:44,200 --> 01:05:45,910
All of our socials, all of our contact.
1076
01:05:45,940 --> 01:05:46,840
So hit that shit.
1077
01:05:47,260 --> 01:05:48,580
Yeah, we feed them.com.
1078
01:05:49,000 --> 01:05:49,420
Yeah.
1079
01:05:49,870 --> 01:05:51,280
Alright, cool.
1080
01:05:51,370 --> 01:05:52,060
Thanks bro.
1081
01:05:52,300 --> 01:05:52,900
Thanks for having me.
1082
01:05:52,960 --> 01:05:54,610
Absolutely, Steve.
1083
01:05:54,610 --> 01:05:55,660
I'll see you next week.
1084
01:05:55,690 --> 01:05:56,285
Yeah, you sure will.
1085
01:05:56,570 --> 01:05:56,860
Alright.
1086
01:05:58,660 --> 01:06:00,040
Probably in a few days at this point.
1087
01:06:00,040 --> 01:06:00,370
Whew.
1088
01:06:00,400 --> 01:06:02,470
Yeah, it's gonna be, yeah, two days from now.
1089
01:06:04,180 --> 01:06:04,870
What time is it?
