In a
perfect instance of how The Cookbook Store became a huge part of my life and
career, and continues to do so; a month after I had been hired, I found myself
in face-to-face conversation with Anthony Bourdain. To be a part of the bricks
and mortar building at the south-west corner of Yonge and Bloor is to be
presented with unbelievable experiences and personalities. Whether I was
walking Gordon Ramsay down Jarvis St. to St. Lawrence Market, sharing a Fernet
Branca with Fergus Henderson, or running over from Splendido mid-mise-en-place
on a Friday to beg Andoni Aduriz of Mugaritz for a stagiaire position (He said
yes, and I am writing this piece from the stagiaire residence in Spain right
now!), every day held the potential for something new, exciting and usually,
delicious.
When I took a job in the
kitchen at Splendido, I maintained employment at The Cookbook Store by working
Sundays; my only day off. It goes to say a lot about the kind of environment I
was lucky enough to call a workplace for my two year tenure under the big red
awning that after working 80+ hours in 6 days, I would happily step behind the
cash register and help eager amateur cooks and experienced professionals find
what they needed. It goes without saying that working in kitchens sacrifices
the majority of opportunities you have to meet people outside your own
restaurant.
Working at The Cookbook Store provided me countless acquaintances
and friendships, whether it was Alison introducing me to some of the biggest
chefs in the city (to which many, I am now on a first name basis), or meeting
cooks whom I watched grow from working electric stoves to running entire
kitchens in my time at the store. Some of the people I met while shelving books
and unpacking orders have gone on to become some of my best friends. This is
not to say that the only great people at the store were on the clients’ side of
the counter; it has been an utmost pleasure to have worked beside so many
bright, friendly and like-minded people.
It takes a special kind of folk to
convince me to cheat the transit system to bring back a workplace porchetta
sandwich lunch from Dundas West, or brave sleet and snow to retrieve a bounty
of griddle-smashed Americana from this super-popular burger place with a secret
menu on Queen Street East.
To Alison, Josh, Jennifer, Young Jen, John, Amit, Kim,
Jessica E., Jessica B, Justine, Adrian and Lisa (and all the other wonderful
people I met along the way; there are too many to list!) it truly was a memorable
and special 2 years.
Thank You.
Kevin Jeung -
Cookbook Store employee 2010-2012
Currently a stagiaire at Mugaritz (3rd on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list)
PS (I was there when a 50lb cookbook was published, listed at
$599.99 and sold out instantly. Books are not dead, people!)
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