Executive Asshole Sous Chef

In my new kitchen job there is a sous chef who runs the line for each shift. "The line" is just the line of cooks who are pumping out what the diners have ordered so the sous chef is yelling out orders and assuring that everything goes out in a timely manner. We are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner so there are many sous chefs and this creates a hierarchy in the kitchen which has allows most of them to act like douche bags; aggressive, vulgar, demeaning, and all around unpleasant with no penalty. Maybe this is how a "Corporate" NYC kitchen works, maybe I'm in over my head and had no idea what I got myself into by being enlisted to cook in the kitchen for a members only club. Regardless, I feel that I've got a solid opportunity to focus on what I want with my future now that I'm not worried about finding work. One door closes and another one opens, a saying that can relate both to positive and negative scenarios.

Sous chef A (Ass hole) was on me from day one. Screaming orders, swearing, and sliding the knife in and twisting with his words when I wasn't fast enough or doing something properly (sometimes even when done properly). I understand that he's under high pressure to make sure everyone's pulling their weight in the kitchen but he gave me no room for error while I was learning. One night a server asked him for focaccia and he yelled for me as I was exiting the kitchen. I didn't hear him so he threw a piece of bread at my head. As I turned to see what he was bitching about that time, the bread was about to hit me in the face so I turned and it hit the back of my head. I walked up to him shaking my head and he said "what, you don't know me! Everyone in this kitchen knows me, I'm crazy!" I just laughed and told him that anyone can talk but what mattered was the action. He said some shit about going into the freezer to act and I just brushed him off.

Each one of them have their unique asshole characteristics and I'm disheartened that they have no interest in being friendly beyond the rare occasion that they ask nicely for what they want. I've had so many jobs that I've probably forgotten some of the best random ones but I've always observed my superiors; their personal behavior, behavior towards colleagues, and whatever random wisdom I could attain from them. I believe it all breaks down to a simple message, treat others as you wish to be treated. The few times I've lead a team for whatever job, I remembered the bosses I'd worked with in the past who treated me in a decent and fair manner so that we could work in an honest teamwork mentality and have my staff want to do the job for me. 

I'm not sure why I'm accepting this new high pressure work but at the end of the day I do enjoy the challenge of the job itself. The restraint I must exercise to not lash back at my asshole sous chef also entertains me. I remember 5 years ago when I read "The Art of Happiness", the Dalai Lama makes note to resist the temptation to get angry from those who anger you and practice patience and discipline. Thank those who push you to the edge because they are the only ones who can put you in situations to truly test your ability to control yourself and remain calm despite the logical justice that would be putting your fist through their face. Sous chef A could quote me saying "You know, you really are a great test of my patience." and it utterly frustrates me that this man chooses to be an asshole to the members of the team he runs (for certain shifts). I loathe people who misuse their management positions to make them feel better about themselves...he wouldn't speak to me on the street the way he does in the kitchen so he's a pussy who needs to fuel his ego through his temporary position of kitchen rule. 

End of another chapter

The real estate work has ceased. It is my opinion that my boss just needed me to assist with a few of his new properties before he pursued other personal endeavors on his own. Real estate management seems like a promising career to pursue however without the deep knowledge of the ins and outs you really can only either assist someone with that wisdom or become a student.  I hope to be able to continue to work with him or others in real estate in the future. The images are a tease for you to fathom the random tasks I had to complete while briefly dabbling in the real estate game throughout Harlem.

OUT OF HIBERNATION

Alas, I've committed some time to that life. The winter was long and strenuous, we lost a few cattle from the flock and our fields are in need of reseeding but the farmhouse stands strong. With the last post being ages ago I don't know where to begin. "Is this thing on?"

Lets fast forward past my entry into an international pastry competition, modeling for Rick Owens, and the car wreck with my sister where I broke my neck. I now work as an assistant to a real estate manager in Harlem and fit my side jobs in when they pop up. The best way to describe my job is to imagine my boss as a macbook pro with loads of real estate information and "to do's". I'm his external hard drive.

I imagine some people in NY can't stop themselves from rolling their eyes when they hear "I'm an actor/model". When I hear people tell me that they're taking real estate classes, that's the feeling I get. Not another one. I guess I never gave it a chance and dismissed it like my other previous notions of wall street trading, back up dancing for gaga, and my U.S. Presidency.

It's nearing the time to either renew my lease or find a new place. With my new employer's success nourished by finding real estate, I'm hoping that an opportunity will arise for me to relocate smoothly. The buildings that we pimp out are stunning old school Harlem townhouses between 110th Street and 180th Street, East and West. The properties all boast extra large everything; Ceiling heights, marvelous windows, and original character. My work requires lots of data entry, transcribing my boss's audible thoughts,  and communicating with various clients+contacts throughout the day via email/cell. I'm learning a lot it's just worrisome because I found this job through Craigslist (THANK YOU AGAIN CRAIGSLIST GODS) where it was noted that the position would be temporary:"5-10 days".

One day at a time.

Peligro

Waking up bruised and sore without any recollection of its cause is nothing new. I woke up and felt like I'd been hit by a train: both ankles in pain, swollen elbow, cut up knee, and a sore and dirty hip bone. At first awakening when I was still drunk I had no idea what had happened the night prior but as sobriety caught up with my consciousness so did fuzzy segments of my memory. I remember an extended fall, some yelling, and me climbing up the lip of the train platform then waking up late for work. The moral of this excerpt is not to stay in control of your substance intake but rather to not take the trains home at night, you may fall into the tracks and get hurt. Be safe out there kids.

Beyond a lunch stipend

In an effort to test the waters and dip my fingers in multiple "pussys waiting to be fucked" as my good friend Tony Montana puts it, the work I do at my internship for the showroom is a bit of a gamble. I work 3-8 hour shifts a week in exchange for lunch on the days I work and while I've acquired a perspective of how showrooms work and grasped further the significance of the role they play in the fashion world, I question what tangible benefit I will receive upon completion of my term as an intern.

The biggest reason I enjoy working in fashion is that sometimes I am able to spend time with the independent designers who work passionately for their brands. Designers are portals to diverse creativity and I love when I'm able to pick their minds, question inspirations, and listen to their histories and future ambitions. Marc Stone is one of the designers I've most recently met and is one of the menswear lines we house at the showroom.

Hailing from Zurich, this artist has been operating his line for a few years now with a tight team assisting him along the way. Unique cuts and materials add to this designers ingenious collections which are suitable for those who want to blend in or stand out from the crowd. His upcoming Spring/Summer line was inspired by images of an almost alien landscape after volcanic eruptions corrupted the calm landscapes which caress the northern lying country which is Iceland. Between the fine Italian fabrics and unique inspirations for prints, the clothes Mark Stone puts out are surely to be on the fashion radars of menswear enthusiasts for years beyond now. I'm so thankful to have had the few days to chat it up with him and be exposed to a great new foreign perspective.

INTERNSHIP

In a pursuit for work that is more rewarding than the thankless bitch work that is catering I've opted to take a side step in the fashion world and have acquired an internship at a fashion showroom. Naturally an internship consists of excessive bitch work but I feel that unlike catering, at least I'm being a slave in an industry I enjoy and wish to continue to thrive in. Most of what I've been doing is hanging clothes, making inventory/shipping lists, and acting as per diem showroom model. The people I am working with are cool and I'm glad that I randomly joined their team.

Moving to Harlem

"Hello, my name is Randall and I am a Manhattan based..." Is what email recipients of my solicitation for work will read from now on. I have switched back from being a "Brooklynite" to being able to say that I live on one of the greatest islands in the world. When I first moved to NY I was living in the lower east side of Manhattan in a classy shit hole of a space that I absolutely adored, "The Chelsea East Hostel". Unfortunately the city did not approve of the arrangement the hostel had with the building and all of the residents and temporary boarders were cast out to the street. Since then I've been residing, causing mayhem, and exploring in many regions of the city. If I hadn't moved to NY I question where/who I would be now. I was many things in Springfield, Massachusetts; hand cuff repair man, avid gym goer, traveler, entrepreneur, gay bar doorman, cyclist, loner. Now in NY I may still be lost but despite what some say about locations being temporary geographical fixes, I feel that merely residing in New York City for near 3 years is a feat which trumps all that I've accomplished in Western Massachusetts. I had myself some stellar times and connected with truly unforgettable people while living in my ghetto palace in Massachusetts, I would never give that up but change is inevitable in life and I think being in Manhattan adds an energy that everyone should encounter at least once in their lives.