My Unintended Edible Journey - Part 5
Going From Zero To Hero In 30 Days!!
In February of 1989, I completed to the Coast Guard’s three month training program and received orders to report to US Coast Guard Station in Rockland, Maine. There I was assigned to be the station’s cook.
As I wrote in a previous post “Just Enough Culinary Training To Make Me Dangerous”, the Coast Guard’s culinary school was only three months. While I was excited about about my new assignment of being a cook, I was also quite nervous about the stations cook as well. There was so much about cooking that I still had to learn. i only had a beginners idea of what I was doing as a cook.
Reporting to the kitchen on my first morning, I met Wally Kay, the kitchen manager, and my superior petty officer. In managing the kitchen operations, he was the supervisor, primarily in charge of the administrative duties, and I as the junior petty officer, would be the primary person preparing the meals. We also were also assigned an E-2 or E-3 work as a kitchen helper, wash dishes and assist with prep work. Between the three people assigned to the kitchen, we were responsible for serving 30 people for lunch and about 15-20 people for dinner. All in all, that was not a such a huge number of people to cook for, but I was still nervous for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I was to be their primary cook.
After breakfast, and our morning muster, there was an announcement on the station’s intercom.
The voice announced, “Petty Officer Reed, please report to the station’s office.
Excusing myself from the kitchen, I walked down the hallway to the station’s office. Where Chief Rackliffe, the station’s executive officer was sitting behind his desk waiting for me.
Chief Rackliffe was a native Mainer, had well over 20 years in the Coast Guard and was a native Mainer. The thing about Chief Rackliffe was that he was a no nonsense person who was a straight shooter. He didn’t beat around the bush, he just told you like it was. I had only met him briefly earlier that morning, but I could definitely tell that he was not a person who you beat around the bush with.
“Good morning Petty Officer Reed, I just wanted to make sure that you are properly checked in with everybody.”
“Sure thing chief!, I answered. “Everyone at the station has been very helpful in getting me settled in.”
Chief leaned back in his chair and asked me, ‘Well chum (Chief called everyone chum), ”I was just curious. How much cooking experience do you really have?”
I responded, Well, not really all that much Chief. I did a little cooking at a hotel where I worked before I entered the Coast Guard, a little bit of cooking while I was onboard The Rambler, and everything that I learned in Petaluma. That is about it”.
Then Chief Rackliffe leaned forward in his chair looked me directly in the eyes and said, “Well let me tell you something. In 30 days, you are either going to be the most loved or the most hated person at this station.” I don’t know why but that’s how things go with cooks. Good luck!
In 30 days you are either going to be the most loved or most hated person at this station. Good luck!
Wanting to reassure Chief I answered, “Chief, I assure you that I will give 100% every day and strive to do the best job that I possibly can in that kitchen. If you don’t need me for anything else, I will get back to the kitchen and start working”.
He dismissed me and while I was walking back to the station’s I remembered my the my cooking instructors talking about how a cook’s performance was a big part of a units morale, but when Chief shared his attitude of cooks being the most loved or hated people was like throwing a bucket of ice cold water over me and then hitting me with a 2 x 4. In regards to cooking, I still was on square one. I had to prove myself not only to Chief Rackliffe, but to the rest of the crew, and to myself that I could cook as well as anyone else. And I had 30 days to do it.
Walking into the kitchen, I was tying on my apron still thinking what Chief Rackliffe’s prediction. If my fate was to be the most loved or hated person at the station, then I had to do whatever it takes to be the most loved. I promised to myself that no matter how hard I had to work, I was going to do whatever it took to be the best cook that I possibly be. I promised myself that it didn’t matter how many potatoes that I had to peel, how many onions I had to chop, how many pots that I had to stir, how many people that I had to serve, I was going to do whatever it took to be the best cook that I possibly be. I had no guarantee whether any of my efforts would bring me any success, but I owed it to myself and to everyone at the station to give my best culinary effort possible.
So what happened? Well I don’t have any confirmation if my efforts resulted in me becoming the station’s most popular person, but I can honestly say that I felt like the most loved person at the station. I had worked exceptionally hard, paid very close attention to everything that Wally taught me, and made sure that I had each meal prepared and ready to serve on time every day. When everyone came in for mealtime, they were usually always overjoyed to be eating whatever I was making. They especially were happy when I went outside to grill the cheeseburgers on a day when the temperature was ten below zero. Up until that point in my life I had never had so many people show so much positive enthusiasm about anything that I had ever done. And the more positive comments and enthusiasm that I received, the more I was inspired to double down and work harder in my culinary efforts. The more foods that I learned how to prepare, the more enthusiasm everyone would give me. I really did feel truly loved by everyone.
The more positive comments and enthusiasm that I received, the more I was inspired I was inspired to double down and work harder in my culinary efforts.
Growing up I wasn’t a loser, nerd, or a troublemaker, but on the other hand I was never the most popular, smartest, coolest, or the greatest at sports . I would have been a great candidate for the Joe average poster boy. So after 30 days of cooking, for the first time that I could ever remember, I was really popular, and my ego loved every moment of it (in a good way). I had found that cooking had given me a whole new identity. The identity of a cook who is loved.
Now please understand, this in to way a confessions of arrogance. Being the most loved comes with a price. The price is to consistently serve everyone the best food that I can possibly prepare. I have said previously that while cooking isn’t necessarily hard, but good cooking (especially for a large amount of people) requires thorough menu planning, precise kitchen skills, constant multitasking, very exact timing, and a whole lot of physical stamina. Every day. while I was stationed in Rockland, my workday started two hours before anyone else was required to start, and ended two hours after most everyone had quit for the day. For the first time in my life, I was responsible more than just myself. My obligation for keeping everyone at the station fed instilled in me a work ethic that I never had before. So when I say that I was the most loved, it came with a price tag that involved a huge amount of sweat equity.
In September of 1991, my Coast Guard enlistment ended, and I moved back to Iowa enrolling as a culinary arts student at Kirkwood Community College. No matter where I have worked as a chef, I have adopted Chief Rackliffe’s most loved or most hated attitude as my own mantra. The realization that I am going to either be the most loved or hated, then I must accept the challenge to work as hard as I can and prepare the best food possible.
I can honestly say, that I know of no other way to cook.
