Once again, posting trumps paperwork. That is one of the problems with having hi-speed internet access in the office, a swivel in the chair away. It is a new "problem", one I never dreamt I'd have thirty five years ago when I first waded into the Restaurant Business.
Yup, you got it right. This summer marks my thirty-fifth year in the Hospitality Industry, 35 continuous years. It all began during my 18th summer, after high school graduation, at the Sassafras House in Georgetown. I started as a busgirl, and slowly, during a few more summers and school holidays, I began waitressing. This was followed locally by a gig at Great Oak, the year it went from being a private club to becoming a public entity. That summer I worked with several others who are still in the area, among them - Joan Browne, who is a regular here at Saturday brunch, and Andy Goddard, the owner of Andy's, which is now of course an Institution in Kent County. Once college was over, and summers were no longer spent at home, I got jobs in the Baltimore area, including stints at the Johns Hopkins Club, on the campus of Johns Hopkins University, The Valley Inn on Falls Road, north of B'mo, and eventually the fateful Country Fare Inn in Owings Mills where I met Kevin and the rest, as they say, is history.
Waitressing supported me for all of those years. Even when I thought I'd want to become a teacher and got my certificate in San Francisco, I was still living the restaurant life. I had the worst boss ever at a job there - I learned a lot from her - and used to drive home crying practically every night. When we moved back east, I did some substitute teaching but still did the waitress thing for the real income. And with a boyfriend as a cook, what else could there be?
So, all of this gets me to thinking about what changes have there been in the dining room scene? I can only come up with a couple of major ones. First of all, the wine situation. Used to be, all there was on wine lists were the top three - Mateus, Lancer's, and Blue Nun. Maybe a Chateau-neuf du Pape or an Almaden chardonnay, but not a whole lot more in the restaurants where I worked. That has certainly changed! The other main thing is smoking - we always set the tables with ash trays, even at the Ironstone, and everyone knew how to properly "cap" a used one. At the Country Fare Inn I remember that even the cooks in the kitchen smoked, while they were working! Yikes, that would be so crazy to even imagine today.
I know there are many, many other changes - the computerization, the sophistication of the customers, the availability of a huge variety of products, the prices, the globalization of menus - and there will certainly be more as time marches on. The thing that hasn't changed however, is why we are in the business, after thirty five years. The restaurant business is still about hospitality, about cooking your best food and serving it to an appreciative clientele. There is something very satisfying about doing a job that is actually an intimate part of people's lives; you become a part of celebrations and anniversaries, as well as sorrows and memorials while serving the lunch or dinner. Many guests have commented to me how sad it is for them to see the KVI empty, a place where they have so many fond memories of meals shared with people they love, some of whom are no longer with them. That, to me, is what makes restaurant work so rewarding, the act of creating memorable occasions for people to savor as life goes on.
That, and all the "free" wine!! ;-)
All this warm and fuzzy stuff being said, don't look to me to be here for another 35 years! I'm no Morris Martick! Now that's a career.
Yup, you got it right. This summer marks my thirty-fifth year in the Hospitality Industry, 35 continuous years. It all began during my 18th summer, after high school graduation, at the Sassafras House in Georgetown. I started as a busgirl, and slowly, during a few more summers and school holidays, I began waitressing. This was followed locally by a gig at Great Oak, the year it went from being a private club to becoming a public entity. That summer I worked with several others who are still in the area, among them - Joan Browne, who is a regular here at Saturday brunch, and Andy Goddard, the owner of Andy's, which is now of course an Institution in Kent County. Once college was over, and summers were no longer spent at home, I got jobs in the Baltimore area, including stints at the Johns Hopkins Club, on the campus of Johns Hopkins University, The Valley Inn on Falls Road, north of B'mo, and eventually the fateful Country Fare Inn in Owings Mills where I met Kevin and the rest, as they say, is history.
Waitressing supported me for all of those years. Even when I thought I'd want to become a teacher and got my certificate in San Francisco, I was still living the restaurant life. I had the worst boss ever at a job there - I learned a lot from her - and used to drive home crying practically every night. When we moved back east, I did some substitute teaching but still did the waitress thing for the real income. And with a boyfriend as a cook, what else could there be?
So, all of this gets me to thinking about what changes have there been in the dining room scene? I can only come up with a couple of major ones. First of all, the wine situation. Used to be, all there was on wine lists were the top three - Mateus, Lancer's, and Blue Nun. Maybe a Chateau-neuf du Pape or an Almaden chardonnay, but not a whole lot more in the restaurants where I worked. That has certainly changed! The other main thing is smoking - we always set the tables with ash trays, even at the Ironstone, and everyone knew how to properly "cap" a used one. At the Country Fare Inn I remember that even the cooks in the kitchen smoked, while they were working! Yikes, that would be so crazy to even imagine today.
I know there are many, many other changes - the computerization, the sophistication of the customers, the availability of a huge variety of products, the prices, the globalization of menus - and there will certainly be more as time marches on. The thing that hasn't changed however, is why we are in the business, after thirty five years. The restaurant business is still about hospitality, about cooking your best food and serving it to an appreciative clientele. There is something very satisfying about doing a job that is actually an intimate part of people's lives; you become a part of celebrations and anniversaries, as well as sorrows and memorials while serving the lunch or dinner. Many guests have commented to me how sad it is for them to see the KVI empty, a place where they have so many fond memories of meals shared with people they love, some of whom are no longer with them. That, to me, is what makes restaurant work so rewarding, the act of creating memorable occasions for people to savor as life goes on.
That, and all the "free" wine!! ;-)
All this warm and fuzzy stuff being said, don't look to me to be here for another 35 years! I'm no Morris Martick! Now that's a career.
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