The Best Job

I have the best job. Isn’t it funny how one day you realize that almost everything you had done in the past had prepared you for what you are doing now? 

I began my career in Food and Beverage waiting tables while I was an undergrad at The University of Georgia.  I loved it! I was an extrovert and I loved people.  I was (and still am) fascinated with people, their differences, their quirks, and what makes them tick.  I’ve often felt as if I am a researcher, and my work is not only to feed people, but also a study in human behavior.

Upon graduation, I figured out that I wasn’t going to do much with my Speech Communications degree.  I quickly realized that I loved restaurants and cooking more than anything else, and in the year 2000, I entered culinary school to train to be a chef.  In 2001 I fell in love with another aspiring chef and in 2003 we were married. 

Fast forward a few years and two babies later, I realized that it was going to be hard for both of us to work as chefs and raise the two babies.  The idea of switching careers was not an option.  I knew I was born to cook, so I decided to reinvent myself.  I started working as a personal chef.  

My career as a personal chef has resulted in a plethora of different types of jobs.  I have cooked many dinner parties, bachelor/bachelorette dinners, and intimate dinners for two.  I have cooked in people’s kitchens, helping them navigate a special diet, or just helping them eat healthy while trying to manage a career and a family. I have delivered hundreds of prepared meals, dropped off appetizer trays, and I have catered multi-day retreats. Believe me when I tell you that I have some stories to tell. Trying to narrow them down into a few for this post has been difficult. 

I once showed up for a bachelor celebration dinner (a lot of good stories come from this category), and all the guys were standing on the porch with huge smiles on their faces.  Several of them raced out to my car to help me carry stuff in.  I figured that they had been doing some day drinking.  After refusing many offers for beers and hits from a joint, one guy pulled me aside and informed me that they had all eaten mushrooms before their hike earlier, and they were all “still tripping balls.”

Ever the professional, I quickly put the hors d’oeuvres out and set the table.  I plated the food family style in large bowls and platters.  I told them it was time to eat, and they all sat down except for one guy who was cowering downstairs.  Another guy yelled at him, “Just come sit down, have a bite of meat, and a bite of the sides, and then you can go back downstairs!” He did as he was told, and surprisingly, they all ate heartily.  Turns out, they all really needed to eat, and my dinner was a godsend. 

Of course there are many other drunken stories to tell, including one bachelorette party where I was racing around, trying to clean up and leave before the male stripper arrived. Another dinner was midway through the Coronavirus Pandemic.  People were just starting to feel comfortable gathering again.  

I was to serve dinner to five couples from Chicago who were all celebrating their 50th birthdays. Upon arrival, I realized that they had just returned from a day of wine tasting and were all quite drunk. My husband, Kirk, was helping me with the dinner, and we quickly jumped into action realizing that the group needed to eat sooner rather than later.  

They were good at following directions and sat down and ate quickly.  Following the meal, we worked quickly to finish and clean up due to the shenanigans happening around us.  Two women were on top of the dining table dancing, and one gentleman kept coming into the kitchen to talk with us.  The problem was that he was speaking absolute gibberish. He seemed quite interested in us and what we were doing, but I’m sure he does not remember trying to talk with us. 

Perhaps the most awkward scenario happened with a group of middle-aged women who were attending a retreat to help them express themselves through their emotions.  There was a theme for each day.  On “anger” day, they were screaming and moaning very loudly.  This “yelling and screaming” has happened at several retreats I have catered.  Apparently, it’s a good way to let go of pent-up emotions.  

“Sensuality Day” was quite the scene.  The ladies showed up wearing lingerie and fed each other chocolate dipped strawberries while they danced around the room in a circle.  It was awkward enough just to be in the same room as this encounter, but the facilitator of the retreat asked if I would film a video for her. I propped my phone up on some dishes and tried to keep my head down and focus on cooking. 

I wouldn’t trade my job for the world. I have always said that entertainment points rank highly in my book. Not only do I get to travel to gorgeous places and houses getting paid to do what I love to do, but I also get to meet all kinds of interesting people who keep me entertained.