All About Me

How did I get into the business?
This is one of those questions that has a shot and a long answer. Short first - I've always been in the hospitality business. At 14 I got a job at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Calgary and have worked as one position or another in the business ever since.

The long answer is just that longer. I went to SAIT almost right out of high school taking the professional cooking program then apprenticed at a private golf club where I met Himself, wrote my red seal exam and whala I'm a journeyman cook. A little later after working my way up to the management potion: Chef ( yes that’s right the title of Chef means you run the kitchen and has little to do with actual cooking) I landed a job as an Instructor at Sait and found with my newly reduced hours ( instructors work 6-8 hrs a day where cooks work 8-12) I had time to head back to school taking hotel and restaurant management diploma and then a Business Administration degree ( which I found to be truly dry so what did I minor in : history perhaps a little ironic). With all this newly acquired education Himself and I headed out on our own by buying a small hotel south of Calgary. It consisted of 25 guest rooms, 70 seat dining room and 110 seat bar in a 1914 building. After 5 year, severe burn out and lots of lessons learned we sold and moved to the Pass. Himself then went about doing anything but cooking ( he's actually a journeyman cook as well although he was fist known here as a contractor) and I took a job at Popiel's where I stayed for a number of years. We renovated our building into a great space to house our B&B and I went into catering.

Why I like the business or what keeps me here is easy. In my opinion is about the best job on the planet. I get to cook almost every day but get the occasional day off. I don't have to go to work if I don't have a function and I don't have to work every night or every week end. I get some holidays off and I get to meet great people. Pretty much perfect