We've got a real changing of the guard happening in our kitchen this week - three lunch cooks gone or going. That leaves....let's see....Kevin and Angie, with LaVonte to pitch in. It harkens back to that dark summer at the Kennedyville Inn, when we promoted a pot washer to line cook, over night., and that was all we had to work the line with Kevin. Oh boy. Hopefully, things won't be that bad.
The first to go, Anshuman, had his last day on Saturday last week. He moved back to Chapel Hill, from whence he came. His time in our kitchen was extremely short - he'd only been here since early June - but very intense, with his Indian background, great sense of humor and fun, and his real interest in cooking "American food".
Then, on Tuesday this week, lunch line cook Chris gives his two week notice. He has been at BT since last June. He is moving to the other side with his girlfriend, hoping to get a job in a bank over there.
Finally, on Wednesday, the other lunch line cook, Erika, gave her two week notice! She has been working at the Rock Hall Yacht Club part time for a few months and over the weekend they made her an offer she could not refuse. Erika has been cooking here since last July, when Andy's closed. This sounds like a great opportunity for her and we wish her much success.
But...that does leave us in a bit of a pickle, no? Of course our Chef has already proven he can do the work of four, right? Still, we are hiring. We put out the first job opening on Craig's List as soon as Anshuman gave us his news. Then another when the next two told us they were moving on. We've had a couple of calls and hired one fellow, unless we scared him too much during the interview on Wednesday... We don't mince words when we talk to potential employees. I always say that Kevin is a demanding boss, and Kevin always says that he doesn't tolerate idle chit-chat or a messy work station among (many) other things. In other words, we tell the truth. Not everyone can work for us. We are very demanding. But we wouldn't ask of our staff anything we wouldn't do ourselves, and I think we are fair in our "demandingness". We have had our share of disgruntled ex-staffers, who leave with the opinion that I am a female dog and Kevin is a rear end, but usually that is because we were. To them that is. We have had a lot more ex-employees who still keep in touch, who stop in just to say hey and give us an update on what they are doing. We have even become real friends with a few, starting with one of our original waiters from the Ironstone Days. You have to take the good with the bad, or as David Bromberg likes to say "you've got to suffer to sing the blues".
We'll shuffle some staff around - we've already brought in dinner line cook Rodrigo to train on the lunch line - while Kevin and Angie will pick up a lot of the slack. With any amount of luck, that elusive energetic and ambitious young cook will see the offer on Craig's List and be the "one" we've been waiting for, the cook who really wants to cook, who wants to work hard and climb up the kitchen ladder. We don't see too many of those in Kent County - which I believe is partly due to the lack of superior eating places in which cooks can find challenging work - but every now and then one comes along.
Or maybe we could just clone Angie...
The first to go, Anshuman, had his last day on Saturday last week. He moved back to Chapel Hill, from whence he came. His time in our kitchen was extremely short - he'd only been here since early June - but very intense, with his Indian background, great sense of humor and fun, and his real interest in cooking "American food".
Then, on Tuesday this week, lunch line cook Chris gives his two week notice. He has been at BT since last June. He is moving to the other side with his girlfriend, hoping to get a job in a bank over there.
Finally, on Wednesday, the other lunch line cook, Erika, gave her two week notice! She has been working at the Rock Hall Yacht Club part time for a few months and over the weekend they made her an offer she could not refuse. Erika has been cooking here since last July, when Andy's closed. This sounds like a great opportunity for her and we wish her much success.
But...that does leave us in a bit of a pickle, no? Of course our Chef has already proven he can do the work of four, right? Still, we are hiring. We put out the first job opening on Craig's List as soon as Anshuman gave us his news. Then another when the next two told us they were moving on. We've had a couple of calls and hired one fellow, unless we scared him too much during the interview on Wednesday... We don't mince words when we talk to potential employees. I always say that Kevin is a demanding boss, and Kevin always says that he doesn't tolerate idle chit-chat or a messy work station among (many) other things. In other words, we tell the truth. Not everyone can work for us. We are very demanding. But we wouldn't ask of our staff anything we wouldn't do ourselves, and I think we are fair in our "demandingness". We have had our share of disgruntled ex-staffers, who leave with the opinion that I am a female dog and Kevin is a rear end, but usually that is because we were. To them that is. We have had a lot more ex-employees who still keep in touch, who stop in just to say hey and give us an update on what they are doing. We have even become real friends with a few, starting with one of our original waiters from the Ironstone Days. You have to take the good with the bad, or as David Bromberg likes to say "you've got to suffer to sing the blues".
We'll shuffle some staff around - we've already brought in dinner line cook Rodrigo to train on the lunch line - while Kevin and Angie will pick up a lot of the slack. With any amount of luck, that elusive energetic and ambitious young cook will see the offer on Craig's List and be the "one" we've been waiting for, the cook who really wants to cook, who wants to work hard and climb up the kitchen ladder. We don't see too many of those in Kent County - which I believe is partly due to the lack of superior eating places in which cooks can find challenging work - but every now and then one comes along.
Or maybe we could just clone Angie...
Barbara, of course what you call "demanding," we, your hungry friends, call "intelligent and great restaurant management." You know there is no other eatery in Kent County with a service staff as amazing as yours, and certainly no other chef and kitchen as terrific as Kevin's. It's tough for you guys to keep up your standards at low points like this week's exodus, but I'd guess that we'll all survive and understand, (if, indeed, it will even be noticeable to the hungry horde.)
ReplyDeleteYou are very kind and generous with your comment. And truly, the fact is, we hope no one does notice our shortage of labor in the kitchen! Thanks for posting. Barbara
ReplyDeleteyou come off as people that can't take constructive criticism. Why do you even feel the need to defend yourself if there is zero problems with your management style?
ReplyDeleteConstructive criticism is always welcome, believe me. No one has ever said we have "zero problems", whether with our management skills or anything else. We make our share of mistakes - daily if not hourly! - just like everyone else. Perhaps my post came across as defensive to you, but it was meant simply as an attempt to share with my readers a little of what goes on behind the scenes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting.
Barbara