That’s why I would drive twenty miles into town and twenty miles back out while my whole rib roast was in the oven for Campari when a guest requested it . It’s why I would make “ham” (proscuitto) or grilled black diamond cheddar mellowed with brie and apple sandwiches for the members’ kids’ when they didn’t want to eat smoked duck soup with root vegetables and wild rice for lunch. It’s why I kept tiny little New Zealand lamb racks in my freezer. I could thaw a pair of them under running water in 20 to 30 minutes and if someone didn’t like the entree that night, they could always have a whole rack of lamb “lollypops,”– two if they were really hungry! I kept lovely Ahi steaks in the freezer so I could treat my favorite member with a private pre-cocktail hour seared Ahi, crudo or sashimi ap. I even had a special “kitchen only” snack during the cocktail hour so that those members and guests who wanted to hang in the kitchen had a special treat. And all of that attention to detail is why I had the dream all chefs have: cooking without a budget. I know, right? Giving up my job there was, without a doubt, the absolute stupidest thing I ever did. Ever. I truly loved some of them, and I really believed some of them loved me, too. Nothing feels as good as the quiet that settles over a rowdy room when good food has just been served.

But all those millionaires paid me crap for all I did, I can guarantee you their nannies made WAY more than me, and then kinda screwed my wallet on my way out. Instead of dividing my monthly salary by the 20 days I would have actually worked in that month, they divided my salary by 30 days, in February, and not a leap year. Apparently when one is in a salaried position one is not supposed to ask for the two or three days one works into the last month. One is meant to donate that time… or something. The managing partner looked at me like I’d just asked him to gut his ten year-old son on the deck outside the club’s dining room when I asked for the pay that was due to me. But, I guess the rich don’t get, and stay, rich by giving it away, now do they?

I was just thinking that a desert would be lovely in an egg cup too! A beautiful custard maybe. Or some dessert ninja jujitsu take on the Cadbury creme egg.

Good cooks think alike 🙂