It was my first restaurant job, and it hit me hard. Literally.
I was scraping together money before heading off to college, and I wanted to do something different than my high school job, which entailed pumping gas and washing windows at my father’s full-service automotive station. I ended up busing and serving tables in an upscale resort restaurant. It was frantic and demanding and enjoyable.
And dangerous.
For the most part, I dared not enter the kitchen. But on rare occasions I had to. One such moment was particularly memorable, and not in a good way. As I raced in to pick up an order, my feet went out from under me and suddenly I was airborne. I hit the floor hard. Real hard.
An olive oil spill was the culprit. While kitchen staffers had been carefully avoiding it (why hadn’t anyone cleaned it yet?), I was ignorant of its existence until I was laying in it with a throbbing back, bruised elbow and pulled hamstring.
Fun times.
Restaurant kitchens are dangerous, and every Pizza Today reader already knows that. With that in mind, flip on over to page 38 and take a look at our piece on kitchen safety measures that every pizzeria should implement right now.
Slice of Hope 2012: The moment of truth is nearly upon us yet again. Last year, Pizza Today staff members cycled from Portland to Seattle to raise money for the Karen Mullen Breast Cancer Foundation through Slice of Hope. It was fun, challenging and, above all, rewarding.
Which is why we’re doing it again in a few short weeks. This year we’re riding from Lakeland to Naples, Florida.
Friday, Oct. 12 has been designated as National Pizza Party day by Slice of Hope. Hundreds of pizzerias from across the nation will take part by donating 15, 20 or 30 percent (one pizzeria has pledged 100 percent, even!) of their sales from that day to the Karen Mullen Breast Cancer Foundation. Please join the cause. Every dollar we raise goes directly to the most promising research of the day. Every dollar matters. Together, let’s work to end this terrible disease!
Best,
Jeremy White, editor-in-chief
[email protected]
