Free at Last!

Long, audible sigh. Shriek of delight. Three fingers of scotch.

When I finished my Menu Planning final exam yesterday, thus concluded my formal (note I said "formal") culinary education -- with, I'm damn proud to say, 23 A's and 1 B, a 3.95 GPA. All that's left is to get my very expensive piece of paper and blue ribbon, and to get back to work.

I'll tell you though, for all my enthusiasm and thirst for learning, the end couldn't come fast enough. The last semester of me going to school full time, my wife going to school as well, both of us working full time, me working part time at the restaurant, and us trying to raise our kids somewhere in there really wore me down for some reason.

By the way, I just got a gig cooking at the cook-to-order saute station on the Club Level of the new Soldier Field, where the people who paid $300,000 for their Bears luxury boxes are going to eat. It ought to be fun.

- Steve

By Chefmanny (Chefmanny) on Friday, August 29, 2003 - 06:57 am: Edit

Congratulations Steve, now you have to pay for that education so get to work!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe you can land a private Chef job with one of those big bucks families!!!
Good Luck Steve, you are a good example in the business!!!
Manny

By Snuffaluff (Snuffaluff) on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 10:14 am: Edit

congrats!! I hope everything goes well for you and your family from here on out.

"By the way, I just got a gig cooking at the cook-to-order saute station on the Club Level of the new Soldier Field, where the people who paid $300,000 for their Bears luxury boxes are going to eat. It ought to be fun."
That sounds like a fun job there. Do let us know how that turns out. And if you get to watch any of the games. ;)

By Chefrev (Chefrev) on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 05:04 pm: Edit

YEAH! Good on ya! Congrats on the grades and the job! Hope all works out well! Have fun!

By Flattop (Flattop) on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 06:10 pm: Edit

Good going Steve!!

Outta curiosity will you only be working on game days or is it a fulltime gig? They're hiring over at Taxpayers Stadium for the denver donkeys. I thought about it but I have no idea how many days a week I'd get.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 08:12 pm: Edit

Good God Almight....Free At Last !!!!!!!!
Congrats student, hope your future in this biz is all you want from it.
spike

By Steve9389 (Steve9389) on Saturday, August 30, 2003 - 11:00 pm: Edit

Thanks, all. I've spent the last week or so spending time with my family, remembering what they look like. It's been nice, but I'm ready to get back to it.

As for the Bears gig, Flattop, for games it's a day of prep and then game day. The first home game on 9/29 is a Monday night game (against my beloved Green Bay Packers; my share of Packers stock is #G8013561), and we have to work Sunday and Monday. We also have the option to work special events on non-game days -- they've got lots of weddings, bar mitzvahs and private parties booked -- but we're only required to do the two-day game shifts.

- Steve