I am a Chef

"I am a Chef" I say...

"Oh what's your specialty?" they always ask.

"My specialty...?" I say...

My specialty is maintaining peace among a staff of professionals, immigrants, part-timers waiting to be real job-ers, burnouts, disgruntles and people genuinely motivated by the hospitality.

My specialty is knowing how to do everyone's job, so they respect me, but also, at the blink of an eye, I could be pulling their functions as they are pulling that crumpled suit out of the closet for the next job interview.

My specialty is delivering high quality food in a timely manner within the constraint of archaic equipment, new fads, ancient techniques, all while abiding the unfair, unrealistic, ever-changing demands of health department, management and guests alike.

My specialty is sleeping very little, waking when a lot of people are going to bed, never seeing the sunlight during the holidays, working countless days in a row, being the first in and the last to leave.

My specialty is actually having fun in a such high demanding and stressful job, taking pride in a job well done, seeing doubts in the people's eyes sometimes and, somehow, pulling it off.

"I am a Chef" I say... "That's my specialty"