Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - September/October 2022 - 29

WHEN TO
walk away
BY JOHN CRAMUTOLA, CDM, CFPP
It just wasn't busy...ever. This was
perfect to hone my line chops. I was
good at what I did. The executive chef,
the GM, and the staff all liked me. My
ego was growing by leaps and bounds
and I often thought I'm good. At this
point I figured that I am top talent
wherever I go, and wherever that was,
would be fortunate. Something to
remember is that this place was always
slow. The rush was, comparatively
speaking, not much of a rush at all,
and while my ego was quite large, the
crowds we served were much less so.
With all of this bravado and drive to be
the best, I managed to make my first
very large mistake in this career. I left.
WALKING AWAY FOR THE
WRONG REASONS
No, I didn't leave this restaurant for
another, I left the career altogether.
Money got in the way and the desire
for more of it. Being a cook just wasn't
cutting it so I put my tail between
my legs and went back to something
I genuinely loathed: the automotive
industry. After falling into this career
at a very young age, the potential
money kept me there for longer than I
care to admit. Well, here I was, back in
something that I hated, after deciding
that a culinary career just wasn't
practical. This, of course, did not last.
After about eight months, a love of
the culinary world drew me back in,
and there was this deal of my rather
large ego to tend with. I just knew I was
meant to cook. After reaching out to a
friend, I was back in.
BACK TO DOING WHAT
I LOVE
Once again, I was cooking, in health
care, part time and making a third of
my previous salary. It was okay, as I
was doing what I loved. I flourished
at this position and was promoted
to a sous chef position within a year
and a half. My sureness grew by leaps
and bounds, and not long after the
promotion, I looked for bigger and
better. This would be my first " real "
restaurant gig since culinary school,
and as an executive chef no less. Then
came a taste of the real world.
Hired as a second executive chef, I
would oversee the ordering, special
functions, and labor-all the while
working the line. I passed my stage, a
sort of audition for chefs, with flying
colors, though I managed to chop a
bit of my left index finger clean off
while chopping a jalapeno. Perhaps
I should've heeded this warning, as
the dark days of my career were just
around the corner.
I had a very large ego at this point.
Still less than three years into my
career, and I had worked my way up
to an executive chef. It was everything
I could ever want in this career; the
pinnacle of achievements, so to speak.
I was flying high in my final two weeks
at my healthcare job and felt like a very
big deal. I was moving on up and was
only going to continue this success. On
the first day, it took about four hours
for my world to come tumbling down
and realize that I was in over my head!
I managed a few weeks at this location,
floundering all the while until,
mercifully, something of a miracle
happened. It's odd that I should call it
a miracle, since it was a severe medical
condition, but it saved me from a
desperate situation. I contracted a
particularly serious eye condition
that would not allow me to be in a
smoky, hot environment, ergo no busy
kitchens. I clung to the job for another
month or so, until the owner had to
let me go. Now, while my ego was
bruised badly, I was bailed out before
it could be destroyed altogether. Cue
the second lesson of my burgeoning
culinary career.
About three months later, I could see
properly again and was looking for
work. I landed an assistant kitchen
manager position at a restaurant
slated to open in the coming months.
The harsh reality of opening a
restaurant didn't take long to rear its
ugly head. The kitchen manager was
unable to perform his duties and his
NUTRITION & F OOD SER VICE EDGE | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022 29
Nutrition & Foodservice Edge Magazine - September/October 2022

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