So now that I have this awesome new job....I just got offered an awesome job. The chef I worked for in St. Thomas a few years ago is opening a couple of gourmet food carts in Austin, TX and wants me to help him run them. It would be hard work and the pay would, at best, be equal to my current pay if not a c-hair lower, but I'd be home every night and I really liked working for him before. Dude knows his shit and isn't shy about sharing the knowledge, and he works as hard as he asks his people to work rather than using their hard work as a reason to slack off, something too many people do when they end up being top toque. So basically, I see it as being a choice between a job that's exciting and takes me to exotic places and allows me to be in on cool secret stuff but isn't really advancing my career path any and a job that puts me back in the mundane world but would be really good career-wise and I'd learn a ton of new things and my fortunes would be tied to a chef who has a long track record of success. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this dilemma, particularly from anyone who has any experience with Austin, TX.
Take the job. As young as you still are this is a great opportunity.
WAIT
Is this the guy who originally owned the restaurant that made a lot of promises then sold the place or something? You ended up working for a brother in law or daughter or something?
Austin is the only nice town in Texas.
But it's still Texas.
Quote from: Doktor Princess on October 12, 2010, 10:37:35 PM
But it's still Texas.
Austin is like someone broke off a bit of 1977 Toronto and let it slide down past Waco.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 12, 2010, 10:39:06 PM
Quote from: Doktor Princess on October 12, 2010, 10:37:35 PM
But it's still Texas.
Austin is like someone broke off a bit of 1977 Toronto and let it slide down past Waco.
So it's Canada IN Texas?
You're not helping.
Quote from: Doktor Princess on October 12, 2010, 10:43:04 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 12, 2010, 10:39:06 PM
Quote from: Doktor Princess on October 12, 2010, 10:37:35 PM
But it's still Texas.
Austin is like someone broke off a bit of 1977 Toronto and let it slide down past Waco.
So it's Canada IN Texas?
You're not helping.
No, I said Toronto. Not Canada. Toronto has electric light, and they don't have to chew on seal skins to make their clothes.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 12, 2010, 10:44:54 PM
Quote from: Doktor Princess on October 12, 2010, 10:43:04 PM
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 12, 2010, 10:39:06 PM
Quote from: Doktor Princess on October 12, 2010, 10:37:35 PM
But it's still Texas.
Austin is like someone broke off a bit of 1977 Toronto and let it slide down past Waco.
So it's Canada IN Texas?
You're not helping.
No, I said Toronto. Not Canada. Toronto has electric light, and they don't have to chew on seal skins to make their clothes.
So THAT'S why the border looks so dim from Vermont...
Quote from: Doktor Howl on October 12, 2010, 10:44:54 PM
they don't have to chew on seal skins to make their clothes.
I don't think Canadians HAVE to do that, they just enjoy it.
Quote from: Kiaransalee on October 12, 2010, 10:32:48 PM
WAIT
Is this the guy who originally owned the restaurant that made a lot of promises then sold the place or something? You ended up working for a brother in law or daughter or something?
no, that was in Maine.
I have heard Austin described by multiple people as "a smaller Seattle with much better weather".
Any truth to that?
Quote from: First City Hustle on October 12, 2010, 11:03:11 PM
I have heard Austin described by multiple people as "a smaller Seattle with much better weather".
Any truth to that?
I lived near Austin from 1993-1996. I really liked it, except for the drivers.
Don't you miss the rush of a real kitchen? The rapid fire barking out orders while expediting the servers and telling the manager to either shut up or help?
I know nothing about Austin, TX.
But If it is a position that you would be happy in I would say take it.
Besides, it's really not about the geography of where you live but maybe more so how you live. SO if this gig is something you know would tickle your fancy so to speak-go for it!
I'm in a position where financially I should stay put-but I am really unhappy and it is starting to effect my life and so am considering relocating to a different country to do what I love... That is why I think it is important to Truly love what you are doing-doesn't matter where it's done-ya know.
Quote from: Charley Brown on October 12, 2010, 11:06:19 PM
Don't you miss the rush of a real kitchen? The rapid fire barking out orders while expediting the servers and telling the manager to either shut up or help?
I will, but it'll take another year or two.
UPDATE: He's doing a soft opening sometime in the next few weeks, then he's going to call me and run sales numbers and growth projections by me. His idea is that within a few months he's going to open a 2nd cart and make me manager. He says he has some people working for him, but they're basically just line grunts and he wants somebody with both chef skills he trusts AND ownership/management experience he trusts and I fit the bill. According to him, if the operation makes money (and I'm fairly confident that it will) I'll have the option to buy in and become part-owner.
Looks like unless his soft opening is an epic failure, I'll be moving to Texas sometime in the next few months.
On the list of things I NEVER thought I'd ever say, "I'll be moving to Texas" is way up near the top of the list. :lulz:
For the record moving to texas would've been on the tippy top of my never gonna happen list at one point also. As will happen circumstances convened to bring me to Austin, and I love it here, It's a great city with a rich sense of community and local pride, a cool kind of out of the box diy approach toward business, and a panopoly of interesting things to do, I've been here almost 2 years and I'm not even close to shedding my sense of newbie wonder and discovery (then again i've been on earth 28 and still feel similarly in general so it may just be me). That said, the food trucks here occupy a hallowed place in the Austin landscape and would probably be really fun to work in. I know plenty of young people here start one up as a relatively surefire and low risk way to learn business management. Perhaps most importantly it's very easy to get laid here, and there are enough non-cabbage persons to make it rewarding, so by all means give Austin a shot, you likely wont regret it
As it turned out, my current job gave me a HUGE raise so Texas is gonna have to wait.
Cool!
In two ways:
1. more money!
2. this means they really really want you to stay, so job security ftw.