Nice Axe Tom.
I'm embarassed to post my 28 yr old strat.
Man, I know that one.
Years ago I put professional live playing behind me because I'd gotten into restaurant management. I've played jazz in bars for years, I've played rock in bars for years and I've played the blues in bars for years. Many overlapping
I'd still try to stay sharp with my chops and would sit in at a blues jam maybe once every two months when I could convince an hourly supervisor and my boss for a night off. So anyway. I'm a night kitchen manager/sous chef at a fairly large, slightly upscale is bar/tavern on a lake. Which in Michigan means busy from May through Sept slow as hell in the middle of winter. I had a kitchen staff of about ten people mostly between the ages of 16~24 working under me and many of them were guitarists. During down time I'd keep an old acoustic in the office and a lot of the young guys would bring in their guitars. We'd have a little jam time before the shift and a little jam time after work on the back dock which was basically about the size of a three car garage where the trash compactor, empty beer bottles and chemicals were stored. It also was our "smoke break" area.
I'd sit and jam with these guys and a waitress would come back, listen for a while "Wow you're really good. Ever think about joining a band" me back "Been there, done that" They'd ask then not believe a single word. So, I get extremely irritated when others have a credibility issue with my past life. While at the same time, I'm trying to leave it behind for a job with a future and benefits.
Time moves on and I have a good rapport with staff and the rest of management, aside from a bartender and a waitress who still aren't buying into it or are just being arses and always talking crap about everyone anyway. A buddy of mine that I've known since the 70's has a blues band that plays out locally. I get a set list from him, review / refresh the material and ask if I can sit in when he's playing in the area. Fine, got the songs down, Got the night off, got some of the staff interested (and the owners as well) in coming out and seeing me live. Sunday night comes around. Get a pretty good turn out from the staff. Great Show. My boss has a sit down with my buddy and they discuss bookings. The crowd has kind of a jaw dropping experience because they'd never seen me in my blues/performer element. Two people who had the night off and were my naysayers didn't show up. I even offered to buy them their first drink if they would.
Back to the grind. The two naysayers start talking bs again and the rest of the staff puts them in their place. So that's a plus. But it had a minus.
Two years go by, The chef leaves and I'm made "Acting" Chef while not allowed to fill the position of sous chef/ night kitchen manager so I have to take on both responsibilities. I handle it with grace, reduce food costs, reduces labor costs, increase guest check averages. Boom in 6 months I have a better track record then my three predecessors. Working 6 and 7 days a week 12~14 hours a day to make things happen. It's may. We open the deck on the lake business is good and getting better everyday. The numbers are looking good.
After nine months without an "Official Chef" as I'm only the "Acting Chef"
The owner sits down with me, thanks me for all of my hard work and announces that he has found a replacement chef (it's not me). That I'll have a decrease in hours but an increase in salary. I have to ask why some other guy and not me. "This guy is a certified chef" "So am "I" This guy is servsafe certified" "I'm not only certified I'm certified as a trainer" (one who can teach classes for serv safe certification) Basically it went down to "old boy network" And to cap things he reminded me of the blues gig. "Well I remember you playing that night and I remember how good you are on guitar and I don't think you can put it away and focus on this career" "You mean all the dedication that I've offered you in the past prior to that night and the two years that followed isn't enough?"
So I bit my lip and took the demotion. New guy shows up all friendly. We hit it off and I proceed to train him in specifics of day to day operations. Inventory pars, forecasting, budgeting, ordering, prep lists and pars scheduling on and on so he gets a lay of the land. The last chef was an arse would only be seen in the kitchen two hours a day and did a minimum of work. The new guy is talking me up about what a good system I have and wondering why they hired out when they had me.... He starts cutting all my staffs hours and brings in a crew of his own Because they recognize me more as an authority then him. He even brings in a night supervisor and has me demoted. To which I have a long chat about promises with the owner who replies "Well he's the chef now it's his kitchen" So I quit, last day was June 1.
Two weeks later the owner is calling me begging me to come back. "You know those vacations I never got to go on because I couldn't take time away from work. Well I'm having mine now."
July comes around and the owner calls me back. "Listen if it's about the money, I'm sure we can come to an agreement" me back. That's nice, but it really isn't your call. It's Chef Bob's Kitchen, it's Chef Bob's staff. I'm not Chef Bob, you made that abundantly clear to me the day you hired him and the day you agreed to my demotion.
August roles around and yet one last plea. "Come on Mike. I really need you to come in a fix this kitchen I'm losing my ass in sales and rep"
My Reply:
I can't really do that, .... I've got a job now, It pays pretty good and I'm really enjoying my free time. Do you still have that arse wipe bartender who always talked stuff about me behind my back. You know best friend of Chef Bob who baited you into hiring that guy? Well, why don't you three come to Frigates. My buddy has a blues jam on Weds. You know the guy you promised to book but never did. I can do a set with him. You can prove your right about me not having what it takes to be a Chef because I haven't given up on playing guitar. The bartender can try to call bullsh!t, while I get a standing ovation and trust me I will. Chef Bob can talk crap about how he could put together a better band. I won't be joining you at the table I've got better things to do.
So yeah Rob, I get that stuff too. Someone trying to call bs on me and me getting mad back and them getting upset when they are proven wrong. I too am sometimes leary about revealing my past because there's always that one person who doesn't want to believe you.
