At Your Service

When I made the decision to pursue a career in hospitality, it quickly became clear that a lot of people can't seem to grasp the concept that a job in hospitality is a career. At my high school graduation party, a well meaning attendant pulled aside a good friend of mine and told him he really should talk to me about attending culinary school. He said I was an extremely intelligent young women and I didn't need to give up so young.

As a server I get asked countless time a night, "So are you in school? What's your real job?" When you respond that this is your real job, they stare at you like you've got three heads. At this point I'm used to it. It really doesn't bother me and I smile and ask if they'd like anything else. I get it, because they aren't totally wrong. For a lot of people restaurant work is a stepping stone, but for others it's their life blood.

I am extremely lucky in that the people in my life not only support my career choice, but they actually get it. They aren't all hospitality workers, but they are all hospitality people. The next great meal is what they plan for, and they revel in the experience of it.

There was an article on CNN.com this morning about people who work in the upper echelon of the New York city restaurant world, and how competitive it is to get there. Having just gone through a series of interviews I found it extremely humbling, but it also got me really excited about the prospect of working in an establishment like this one day. A place full of people with the same passions I have. Where maybe I won't be asked, "So what's your real job?"