The "English"man

Back to the Ole workplace for this blog. When I started working for my company ten years ago, my now manager was the "day" cook. Lunches went so smoothly, special requests always granted. I'll be honest, I hated to lose him to management...he was SO good at what he did, and NEVER cracked under the pressure, but seemed to thrive on the challenge. He has a voice that reminds me of the way gravel feels on your bare feet the first Spring day that you go barefoot. He is a single father now... many moons down the road of life. I always thought he was so cute, with his brash voice and totally arrogant attitude. In the ten years he has been with our company, he has risen through the ranks (which ain't easy in OUR world) gone on to other stores, and once again come home to the best restaurant in the world. His voice can seem like nails clawing down a chalkboard, but his heart is as big as the Pacific Ocean. He started out in management as a kitchen manager... one that watches the dimes and nickels of the operation. You would think that he was SCROOGE, the way he watched and controlled the food costs... that is probably the first thing the company loved him for. After being kitchen manager for a few years, and perfecting his Spanish speaking skills, he came on out front to join us. Always business, always rallying the troops instead of beating them down... if he was there, he was in charge and knew what needed to be done, and saw that it was. He left our store for a brief period, but is back... minus a wife, but with his little "mini me" of a daughter. She is adorable, just as she adores her Dad (smart girl). She is a carbon copy of him... down to the frames of her glasses. When my daughter had to get glasses, she wanted the ones that his daughter, and he had. We are glad ole "VELVET" throat is back in our midst, and back where he belongs...with people that love and respect him, and are lucky enough to be able to call him their friend. He has come a long way in the ten years that I have known him, been through some tough times, but has survived, and is luckily back with his family of us eclectic freaks that we call our LHORN family. HEY! Nobody's family is perfect...but after thirty years in this industry, I have never met a finer bunch of folks (with a few oddballs thrown in just to keep it fun). Till next time COTTON